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In the portal "EuroFootball.com" - the section "Thoughts of Supporters"! Before the most important, interesting, and highly anticipated matches, we speak to fans who are not indifferent to the clubs entering the duel.
A forum member Samir, supporting the London team, reviewed the upcoming match of the English "Premier League" XXX tour, where Carlo Ancelotti's team will face the team in the neighboring position on the tournament table.
The match between "Chelsea" and "Manchester City" in London on Sunday is eagerly awaited by football enthusiasts for many reasons. First of all, it is the clash between two teams of very high mastery. Secondly, it is a match between neighbors on the tournament table (it is regrettable that Lithuanian language specialists ignore football and do not create beautiful, Lithuanian football terms for us; using the English "six pointer" in a Lithuanian text seems inappropriate, but the meaning of the match is described very accurately). Thirdly, two of the richest (or, to be more precise, having the richest owners) clubs in England in recent years. Finally, a clash between two old rivals - Roberto Mancini and Carlo Ancelotti.
The tournament situation is not entirely clear. More precisely, it is not entirely clear how the team coaches assess it. Both clubs still have some chances to fight for the champion's title. However, to climb to the top on May 22nd, there is no room for mistakes or compromises anymore - victories, victories, and only victories are needed. If Ancelotti and Mancini still hope to lead their teams to the top, on Sunday we can expect an open, attacking football because neither team would be satisfied with a draw. This scenario would be more likely if "Manchester United" or London's "Arsenal" lose points on Saturday (the article was written on Friday - ed. note). The matches of both leaders "on paper" seem winnable, but both teams have enough problems - almost the entire "United" defense kindly surrendered to the medics, and the 'gunners' recently have been wasting opportunities to break a six-year title drought one by one. Failure of at least one of the leading teams could encourage the participants of Sunday's match to fight only for victory.
On the other hand, both teams can also consider more achievable goals. Both to stay within the top four is important, and even better - take the third place and secure a place in the next year's UEFA Champions League group stage. To achieve this, it is very important on Sunday to avoid defeat, and for this reason, team strategists may choose a more cautious tactic. This is especially true for "Manchester City". Firstly, they play away (where the team's form and results do not shine), secondly, in matches with direct competitors this season, "City" does not rush forward. We saw that in matches against "Manchester United," "Arsenal," and the first match against "Chelsea."
Newcomers
Since the end of the winter transfer window, through which "Chelsea" and "Manchester City" jointly spent about 100 million pounds sterling, six weeks have passed. Of course, this time is not enough to draw far-reaching conclusions about the players added to the teams in January, but some thoughts still arise.
Fernando Torres, the most expensive of the three big January purchases, looks the most uninspiring so far. Watching his game, it seems that the Spaniard is currently unable to cope with the psychological pressure that hit his shoulders after becoming the most expensive purchase in the history of English clubs. In the six games Torres played, he not only failed to score but also seemed very insecure, unable to concentrate on the game, and sometimes even afraid of the ball.
It is interesting to note that although Torres is not shining, his performance in the team has significantly changed the game. With the arrival of the Spaniard, Carlo Ancelotti abandoned the tactical scheme 4-3-3, which "Chelsea" has been using since the time of Jose Mourinho. It was replaced by the standard English 4-4-2. The reasons for these changes are understandable - you cannot keep a 50 million pounds Torres on the bench, it is illogical to keep the team's most dangerous striker Drogba on the bench, and there is no way to fit them both into the 4-3-3 scheme. It cannot be said that the 4-4-2 scheme suits the team ideally (after all, the team is obviously assembled to play 4-3-3, and, for example, Ramires in the right-back position looks quite suspicious), but it is clear that playing in this scheme "Chelsea" has more attacking potential and by the end of the season, it is likely to find more ways to the opponents' goal again.
Another "Chelsea" purchase - defender David Luiz - has earned an unrivaled reputation in a month and a half. With excellent tackles and precise passes, successfully playing in the attack and charming the fans, the Brazilian defender, who has already scored a goal, has managed to disappoint his team's fans several times with his reckless playing. In the match against "Fulham," the Brazilian earned a penalty kick into Petr Cech's goal in extra time by a referee's decision, and in the match against "Manchester United," he was only not sent off significantly earlier for several rugby-style attempts to stop his opponents. It would not be surprising if in a couple of years we will talk about Luiz as the best defender in the Premier League. For now, Carlo Ancelotti only has to explain three times to his defender before the match what the penalty area is and that he should play more cautiously, make the sign of the cross and hope that we will only see the good side of this talent in the match.
Edin Dzeko, Manchester City's January purchase, has not surprised England in the first couple of months either. The bosun has not yet secured a solid place in the starting lineup (which is not surprising - Roberto Mancini uses tactics with one clearly defined striker, and this role is firmly occupied by the team captain Carlos Tevez), and Dzeko has not yet scored a goal in the Premier League. However, Dzeko's chances to break into the field at Stamford Bridge since the beginning of the match have increased due to a jump by the ordinary Manchester City "infant terrible" Mario Balotelli. In Thursday's match against Dynamo Kyiv, the Italian sent the opponent's defender Goran Popov to the ground with a "kung fu" action and received a red card. Roberto Mancini's patience ran out after this episode, and he openly stated that he did not expect Balotelli to be with the team in Sunday's match. Dzeko is one of those players who could replace the Italian, although if Mancini decides to play cautiously, it is more likely that James Milner or former Chelsea player Shaun Wright-Phillips will be candidates.
Micro-duels
Whatever tricky tactics the coach thinks of, the most important work still takes place on the field. Before the Sunday match, the two most important questions here are who will win the middle of the field and how successful will they be in covering Carlos Tevez.
The battle in the middle of the field promises to be very interesting. It is likely that the visitors will have one more man there, and Frank Lampard and Michael Essien face a tough task. Defending here, however, is a bit easier - neither Yaya Toure, nor, moreover, Gareth Barry or Nigel de Jong, usually pose a special threat to the goal. But creating something themselves will be more difficult. If they fail to find space for team play, it is likely that a strength-based football based on long passes will start, which will make many neutral viewers switch channels and grumble - "oh, those English - over the past century, they have not come up with anything smarter than kicking the ball into the stratosphere."
Carlos Tevez has been causing headaches for the "Chelsea" team for some time. The short but agile Argentine has not been an easy riddle for John Terry and company, and representing "City" he scored four goals in three games. On the other hand, now alongside Terry plays the more agile David Luiz, who should find it a bit easier to deal with the "City" captain.
A look at the crystal ball
1-0 in favor of "Chelsea." Lampard will score from the penalty spot at 11 meters, the ball will bounce off the post and later off Joe Hart's back. All this will happen in the 86th minute of the match.
Remember that a goal scored from behind the goalkeeper is considered an own goal. So don't make a mistake placing your hard-earned money at the betting counter.
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