Preview: Manchester City – Chelsea

CelticKing · Sep 12, 2008

Preview: Manchester City – Chelsea

vs.

What: Premier League Round 4
Who: Chelsea (1st, 7pts), Manchester City (3rd, 6pts)
When: Saturday September 13 (17:30 BST)
Where: City of Manchester Stadium, Eastlands

Major Moves and a Changing of Hands

United may be playing Liverpool, but the talk of Manchester is across town at Eastlands. All involved with City will still be catching their breath from the week’s events by the kick off Saturday. Just as the transfer window was coming to a close and Shaun Wright-Phillips looked to be the major coup the fans had hoped for, news came that of all people, Real Madrid’s Robinho had been signed for £32.5 million. As Chelsea looked poised to seal a move for the young Brazilian, the pending takeover by money-rich Abu Dhabi United Group bankrolled the British transfer record deal. City sent a signal of intent with the transfer, as the takeover from troubled ex-Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra made the club the richest in the world, as the Abu Dhabi United Group are believed to have around ten times the wealth of Chelsea owner and billionaire Roman Abramovich.

Other deadline day transfers including the departure of Vedran Ćorluka to Tottenham came with the purchase of Pablo Zabaleta and previously unknown Glauber Berti to bolster the City defence.

As City will find out, it takes more than money and big names to win trophies. Mark Hughes will want to follow the mold his opponents at the weekend have perfected. Chelsea had been pushing to break into the elite of England for sometime before Abromovich’s riches came into the frame, leading to a multitude of trophies and achievements as the Russian began splashing out huge sums of money for top players. Hughes will likewise want to begin building a side capable to being a threat to the top, as City will look to create a new chapter in their history that is much brighter than what has come before. They may be big brother in Manchester now from a money point of view, but the history will have to come in time.

Staying on Top

The failed capture of Robinho served an important lesson to Chelsea: we’re not the richest anymore. The Premier League all-stars of the 21st century could no longer shell out anything to land their man, but would now have competition for their targets. That being said, the amount of quality within the Stamford Bridge juggernauts is astounding. With a few being let go from the side, including Andriy Shevchenko to A.C. Milan, Claudio Pizarro to Werder Bremen, Tal Ben-Haim and Shaun Wright-Phillips to Manchester City, as well as Steve Sidwell to Aston Villa, the acquisition of Deco from Barcelona has been a masterstroke as he has proved the man of the season thus far. His explosive introduction to the Premier League has gained the Portuguese international many plaudits, as many questioned his ability to settle in with the Blues star studded midfield.

Luiz Felipe Scolari was left baffled as to why target Robinho would choose City over the London giants, but with the transfer window closed it is now time to let the football do the talking. Without a doubt Scolari will want to welcome Robinho to the Premier League with a resounding win. This weekend’s match has the chance to be a test of the season for both, given the current events surrounding both sides and the shifting of monetary fortunes in the English Premier League.

Form Guide

Manchester City:

Aug. 17– Aston Villa 4 – 2 Man City – EPL

Aug. 24 – Man City 3 – 0 West Ham – EPL

Aug. 31 – Sunderland 0 – 3 Man City EPL

Chelsea

Aug. 17 – Chelsea 4 – 0 Portsmouth EPL

Aug. 24 – Wigan 0 – 1 Chelsea EPL

Aug. 31 – Tottenham 1 – 1 Chelsea EPL

TEAM NEWS

Manchester City

Several debuts are in store for Eastlands on Saturday including new-boy Robinho’s first taste of the Premier League. Also, Shaun Wright-Phillips looks set to debut back at the Eastlands he left three long years ago. Brazilian Jo will also look to get his first EPL action at home while also looking to open his account.

The Blues will be without the injured Martin Petrov as a knee injury looks to keep him sidelined. Also in doubt are the academy duo of Micah Richards and Michael Johnson, though manager Mark Hughes was optimistic they would be fit given the magnitude of the match.

Possible Line-up: Hart – Zabaleta, Ben-Haim, Dunne, Ball – Wright-Phillips, Kompany, Richards, Robinho – Elano, Jo

Subs: Schmeichel, Johnson/Gelson, Hamann, Sturridge, Evans, Garrido, Ireland

Chelsea

City will be without utility man Michael Essien as he will be out of action for six months with a blown ACL while on international duty. Fellow African Didier Drogba could return for the weekend after playing in a reserve match against Arsenal last week.

Deco will continue to look to run the midfield distribution and creativity, while Lampard and Ballack will look to solidify the midfield that is missing enforcer Michael Essien. Joe Cole has seemingly recovered from stitches gained from a collision while on international duty in Croatia.

Possible Line-up: Cech – Bosingwa, Carvalho, Terry, A. Cole – Ballack, Deco, Lampard – Cole, Drogba, Anelka

Subs: Cudicini, Malouda, Di Santo, Alex, Obi, Ferreira, Belletti

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Manchester City

Although Shaun Wright-Phillips should get a fair amount of the attention, Brazilian Robinho will have flashbulbs in his eyes. The most extraordinary transfer of the summer window will be making his debut at his new club against the team it seemed were destined to sign him. Did he make the right choice? There is no better way to find out than pitting the two sides against one another.

Chelsea

With Didier Drogba’s successful completion of a reserve match under his belt, it seems the Ivory Coast international may be unleashed against the Citizens to keep the Blues of London on the top of the Premier League. Can a partnership with Anelka finally take hold this season? It still remains to be seen, but the Blues need their assassin over the course of the season if they want to be as successful as years past.
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CelticKing · Sep 12, 2008

Man City wins, Robinho gets 2 goals IMO.

GO CITY!!!

man_u_barmy_army · Sep 12, 2008

I think Chelsea will win even though I do not want them to. Just because they gel more and Deco is a excellent player.

M Two One · Sep 12, 2008

City 3 : 1 Chelsea

Colonel Ronan · Sep 12, 2008

Robinho will score a penalty.

2-1 City

La Bomba · Sep 12, 2008

Robinho will have a bad game, start crying, and demand to be transfered.

Chelsea 2 Man City 0

CelticKing · Sep 12, 2008

^ lol, we'll find out tomorrow. I just found out Fox Soccer Channel will show the game.

Great news for me.

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Preview: Manchester City – Chelsea

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Preview: Manchester City – Chelsea

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CelticKing The Green Monster

CelticKing The Green Monster

man_u_barmy_army DYC Legend +Young Prodigy

M Two One Halló Veröld!

Colonel Ronan Continue...?

La Bomba The Future

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