Huge game tonight. Thought I’d start by saying that.
Do I think this will decide where the League title is headed this year? No, not completely. There are other factors involved, not least the quality of teams that the top three have left to play. Its finely balanced at the moment but Chelsea have the chance to go level on points with City tonight while closing the gap on Arsenal to a mere 2.
I literally cannot wait to see this one as it essentially boils down to the best offensive force in the League [and arguably the world] against the strongest defence in England. Chelsea vs Citeh. Mourinho vs Pellegrini. North vs South. Here is my breakdown of our potential starting eleven, on the proviso of a 4-3-3 formation…
Petr Cech- Sort of an obvious choice but his aerial prowess and shot stopping ability will be essential tonight. City can’t call upon the mercurial talents of Aguero and instead must rely upon the power of Negredo and Dzeko. Cech must be confident in marshalling from set pieces tonight…
Cesar Dave Azpilicueta- Starting at left back, Dave may be faced with the speed of Jesus Navas. I don’t actually think Navas is all that special apart from the quality of his delivery. Dave needs to track him, back and forth, as his turn of pace is lethal on the break. He’ll be the man linking the play on the wings but I think Dave will have the beating of him…
John Terry/Gary Cahill- A lot has been said this weekend about JT in the press. The so called pundits keep alluding to his lack of pace…. Shuuuuut up. His ability to read the game will be key. Negredo and Dzeko aren’t all that subtle or agile so that plays into Terry’s hands. Cahill is rapidly developing into our best centre back and the defensive partnership between the two of them is robust. The only thing I’m wary of is the movement of Silva and Navas. They’re nimble navigators in and around the box and neither of our centre backs are particularly agile, as such. Focus is key tonight…
Brana Ivanovic- An absolute presence but I think he will be helping out a lot in the middle. Nasri is ruled out so David Silva may be deployed on the left but will likely drift into his favoured No. 10 position. Brana will need to marshal this movement and provide extra cover in the centre, along with physicality against the likes of Yaya Toure. Please though, stop with the powerful, probing, essentially useless runs down the wing. It rarely bares any fruit and leaves us exposed at the back…
Nemanja Matic- A contentious choice and put more in hope than anything else but I feel Matic offers us more on the counter. Mikel, for all his virtues, has the turning speed of a cruise ship [Although I think he’ll play too] and I don’t think he can link the play effectively. Matic is fast, powerful and good in the tackle, qualities that will be essential when against Yaya Toure and Fernandinho…
Mikel- We don’t want to be overcrowded or over-powered in midfield. When Mourinho has played the top teams away from home this season, he has reverted to the tried and tested 4-3-3. Mikel will provide the muscle and simplistic approach to play, breaking the opposition up and playing the short pass. Mikel and Matic sounds like a dynamic duo in the middle and combines strength with athleticism and pace…
Ramires- A stalwart of our Chelsea team due to his 500 litre lungs, Ramires is our man in the middle. Not only is he athletic but he can score goals. He can’t afford to give the ball away today though which is a part of his game that has crept in over the last few months. Yaya Toure is probably the best dis-possessor in the world and he’ll snap any loose balls up…
Oscar- Our resident No.10 and holding midfielder rolled into one. Against West Ham, Oscar kept dropping right back to receive the ball and I often saw him lingering in the centre circle. Are his considerable talents being utilized in this position? With a defensive shield of possibly three holding midfielders, I think Oscar should play a little further up the field if deployed behind the striker. His creative ability was wasted on Wednesday night. His tackling ability is superb and I think he’s at his best attempting to pick balls out of defenders feet…
Hazard- Our poster boy and Mourinho’s favourite. There’s an article on Vital Chelsea at the moment, talking about freeing up Hazard from defensive duties. He’s not especially good at the back but his pace is important for tracking City runners so I doubt Mourinho will relent. Personally, I can see why this argument is valid against lesser teams but, with City, numbers is power. We need Hazard to have a good game tonight. If he can get in behind Zabaleta, we may have lift-off. The young Belgium sometimes drifts in and out of games but he can’t afford to do that tonight. The top players live for this sort of match-up….
Samuel Eto’o- A wily old fox and a fairly sure starter in Torres’s continued absence. He was ineffective against West Ham and struggled against their powerful back line. But I hark with some resonance to the United game and his superb performance. I doubted his selection at the time and he proved me oh so wrong. Goals won’t be easy to come by tonight as Kompany is solid. If Pellegrini opts to play Demichelis, there is a hole to exploit. I don’t really rate the Argentinian, especially after his performance against us in October, and Eto’s movement could cause them problems…
There’s my two cents worth. It’ll be fascinating, if not explosive, and these are the occasions Mourinho relishes. A tactical duel against an old nemesis and I know City fear us, despite their free scoring style.
My prediction? I’m going to be bold and go for a 2-2.
Up the Blues!
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