Home News Premier League Etihad match between Manchester City and Chelsea: Insights from Guardiola’s team making...

Etihad match between Manchester City and Chelsea: Insights from Guardiola’s team making Premier League history

0

On Sunday afternoon, in a real party atmosphere at Etihad, Manchester City claimed the 2022/23 Premier League title with a 1-0 home win over Chelsea.

While the job may have already been completed yesterday, with Nottingham Forest’s season-deciding 1-0 victory over Arsenal, Josep Guardiola’s side have now extended their unbeaten streak to 24 matches.

With five Premier League crowns in his hands over the past six seasons and more domestic history here, it was Julián Álvarez who emerged victorious as the 23-year-old delivered a flawless 12th-minute run.

With Guardiola opting to make nine substitutions on Sunday afternoon and not including the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland, this was certainly a case where City’s minor stars stole all the headlines.

With Chelsea going through a public crisis this season, Frank Lampard’s grim side have always known they would face a huge test here.

While the Blues may have hoped City were distracted by the ball after yesterday’s result in Manchester, Sunday’s visitors have now notoriously recorded only one win in all competitions since the start of March.

On the day that City made even more history in the Premier League, what did the Etihad Sunday party teach us?

City cemented their status as the greatest team of the Premier League era.

While Manchester City may have marked their return from the March international break in a real uphill battle for their Premier League crown, Guardiola’s superstar team has only highlighted why many consider them the greatest national team in modern history.

While Arsenal may have struggled with their consistency over the past six weeks, the Sky Blues have only continued to find top gear at the critical moment and they have shown the mental determination that Guardiola has brought to this City team.

With sensations like Haaland breaking records in just a week since arriving from Borussia Dortmund last summer, City’s success this season means they’ve been crowned Premier League champions in five of their last six campaigns.

Knowing they can still potentially end the 2022/23 campaign with a remarkable 10-point headroom over their pursuers, it’s hard to see who can topple the Premier League record holders with Guardiola at the helm.

Unbeaten in each of their last 24 consecutive matches in all competitions, Sunday’s 1-0 win also means the Blues have won each of their previous 12 Premier League matches – a streak that leads to a 1-0 defeat against Tottenham on February 5th.

History awaits Guardiola and his team of superstars

While Manchester City might be very happy to write another chapter of Premier League history here, it’s no secret that Guardiola’s success in Europe is high on his agenda in 2023.

The English icons, who survived the Champions League final two years ago at the hands of Sunday rivals, have definitely dusted themselves off and are finally ready to get their hands on the first European trophy.

After making a major European announcement last week as they eventually fought their way to a famous 5-1 aggregate score against Real Madrid, the former Barcelona boss made it clear his time at Manchester would not be complete if he couldn’t bring a girl . Champions League title at Etihad.

Aiming to become the first English club since Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United became treble champions back in 1999, it’s no surprise that City are seen as the clear favourites, matching the historic record of their archrivals.

With three challenges here and with the FA Cup final against bitter local rivals now fast approaching at Wembley, Guardiola will realize just how empathetic a treble-winning campaign can be.

Currently regarded as the elite of world football, City seem to be on a fast track to the history books in the past few weeks.

Chelsea can’t wait for their nightmarish campaign to end.

Already knowing that Manchester City were about to lift the Premier League crown this season, even before Sunday’s Etihad clash, Chelsea would almost feel like a sacrificial lamb here.

Traveling through the party atmosphere in the blue side of Manchester, Lampard’s team simply can’t wait to see how the failed campaign at Stamford Bridge ended.

Already realizing that they would have to settle for an infamous finish in the bottom half of the field this month, and having failed to achieve any sort of European adventure next season, Chelsea have rightfully come under scrutiny this year.

While the former European champions may have broken a number of financial records in their last two transfer windows, Sunday’s visitors have notoriously recorded just one win in any of their last 12 consecutive matches across all competitions.

Knowing they need a lineup overhaul this summer, and with so many of their blockbusters over the past 12 months having failed to offer anything since arriving in SW6, Mauricio Pochettino seems to have done a great job.

The ex-Tottenham boss is expected to be officially unveiled as a permanent replacement for Graham Potter this summer, with Chelsea facing several crucial months behind the scenes at Stamford Bridge.

Match report

Manchester: Ortega, Walker, Akanji, Laporte, Phillips, Lewis, Gomez, Foden, Mahrez, Alvarez, Palmer

Subscriptions: Stones, Rodri, De Bruyne, Haaland

Chelsea: Kepa, Fofana, Silva, Chalobah, Azpilicueta, Fernandez, Loftus-Cheek, Hall, Gallagher, Havertz, Sterling

Subscriptions: Coulibaly, Pulisic, Madueka, Mudrik, Chukvuemeka

Goals: Alvarez (12′)

Yellow cards: Havertz, Fernandez

Red cards: N/A

Judge: Michael Oliver

NO COMMENTS

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

Exit mobile version