Reviewing the Manchester City Defeat at Chelsea
By David Crook
Man City Square discussed the Manchester City defeat away at Chelsea with Chelsea fans from the FanSided site ‘The Pride of London’.
Man City Square: Do you think the result will be more important for Chelsea or Manchester City?
Pride of London: Most likely it matters more for Chelsea in the short term and Manchester City in the long term. Chelsea’s been in a rut since the Burnley match and the last few weeks have been particularly rough. We really needed a win to build momentum heading into the festive period of matches. Since we have it now, we might just be able to keep it going and survive winter on the right side of top four. Long term City will benefit because at some point, Pep’s men needed a kick in the teeth. Now Liverpool are ahead of you all and I think that Pep will actually enjoy chasing them down more than being chased. Better this loss come now when Pep still has time to do that than late in the season.
Man City Square: Will Kante finish as your top scorer?
Pride of London: Well this is already his highest scoring season so maybe! Kante’s been Chelsea’s most important player since he got here and though that has diminished this season, he is still one of the best players in the game. He often gets underrated for his technique and positioning (offensively and defensively) so if Sarri can squeeze goals out of him we’re talking about something alien.
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Man City Square : Which Chelsea player do you think had the best game?
Pride of London: That’s really difficult to say because so many players came up in a big way. But Cesar Azpilicueta channeled the spirit of John Terry out of the armband and put in a true captain’s performance. He put his body on the line time and time again and probably saved us from a different result.
Man City Square: Have you changed your mind about where our respective sides will finish in the league?
Pride of London: Nope, City will still finish top and I think that’s even more certain now. Pep will channel this to remind his side that they are not invincible and every match matters. Liverpool and Klopp are still grinding out games and at some point they will come up short. Of course, the league can get flipped on its head in December and January but for now the sense is still that City will top with Liverpool right behind.
Man City Square: What’s your prediction for the top 4 at the end of the season?
Pride of London: So while the top two seems pretty clear, third through fifth looks like it will remain a free for all right until the last. Arsenal has the most momentum and seems a much different beast under Unai Emery, so I’ll give them third. Fourth goes to Chelsea, but only just. That is more about Tottenham than it is about Chelsea. Tottenham had a squad last season that failed to meet expectations. To compensate, they changed literally nothing. All they have to look forward to is the new stadium and while that may boost them temporarily, long term they will trip up at the end because there has been no variable change. Sarri showed against City he can make tweaks to adjust to the Premier League and if he continues to adapt he can keep the Blues above the line.
We will catch up with the fans from Pride of London later in the season at the rematch at the Etihad stadium. Hopefully we will have a more positive result to discuss next time!