Chelsea 0 Manchester City 2 – Can winger justify Sterling’s absence? Can Kovacic replace Rodri?

Manchester City began their 2024-25 Premier League campaign with a 2-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Erling Haaland opened the scoring after receiving the ball inside the Chelsea penalty area, then dribbling it forward before placing the ball past Robert Sanchez.

Chelsea managed to keep a clean sheet throughout the rest of the first half and most of the second. But former Chelsea player Mateo Kovacic decided the match in the 84th minute when he ran towards goal and fired a long-range shot into the net, but Sanchez managed to block it with his hand but failed to keep it out.

here, The athleteLiverpool FC correspondents Liam Twomey and Sam Lee analyse the key points from the match.

How did the wingers choose before Sterling?

The stunning pre-match statement from Raheem Sterling’s camp in response to his exclusion from Enzo Maresca’s 20-man squad for the match was a guarantee that the wingers selected for Chelsea on Sunday will provide a compelling perspective to watch this match.

Maresca started what could reasonably be claimed to be the club’s best attacking trio of Cole Palmer, Nicholas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku – a luxury that injuries to the latter in his first season in 2023-24 denied his predecessor Mauricio Pochettino. However, it is also reasonable to wonder whether any of the three are enhanced when deployed as wingers.

Nkunku made some dangerous runs down the left but could not consistently outplay Rico Lewis, while Palmer was at his most dangerous when he swerved into the middle to receive the ball and then played it to Malo Gusto in the overlap.

It came as no surprise when Nkunku was substituted just before the hour mark and new signing Pedro Neto from Wolverhampton Wanderers was brought in to replace Noni Madueke and Mykhailo Mudryk.

Neto’s impact on his debut was relatively marginal on the left. Chelsea seemed to build most of their attacks through Palmer and Gusto on the right, although Neto beat Bernardo Silva with a deft touch off the shoulder and narrowly failed to deal with a low cross at the back post.

It will be interesting to see whether this is an early indication of the winger hierarchy under Maresca or a reaction to the specific challenges posed by Manchester City at the start of the Italian’s tenure at Stamford Bridge.

Liam Twomey

How did Kovacic play well in Rodri’s absence?

“It won’t be a perfect game against Chelsea. We’re not at our best,” City manager Pep Guardiola said on Friday, not being subdued about the situation – he insisted they must be prepared – but stating the reality, given that last month’s European final was a substitutes’ game and Rodri – their most important player – was not in the squad at all. Chelsea caused City a lot of problems last season when Rodri played (and wasn’t particularly good). The Londoners have a lot of big, strong players that City don’t, so if they do have some problems on Sunday, there are plenty of reasons why the influential Spaniard will be absent from midfield.

But the man they used in his role eventually settled the game, advancing forward through midfield as he had done so well in the previous two weeks of warm-up friendlies, and firing home the second goal from outside the box.

Kovacic was City’s deepest midfielder, with Bernardo and Kevin De Bruyne taking turns to step forward and assist (De Bruyne was a leader in the deep and an interesting sight) and there were plenty of times when the Croatian was there on his own, without needing their help.

Kovacic played deep in midfield in Rodri’s absence (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)

Although his goal will certainly grab the headlines, there were a number of occasions when Kovacic looked a little weak, which led directly to good chances for Chelsea to equalise. However, his performance was much better than last year, when he was asked to replace Rodri against Arsenal and Wolves, and he really struggled.

Until his goal, this game had been very open, which is not a characteristic associated with Manchester City, but again there were different reasons for that.

However, the whole issue of how Manchester City play without Rodri is something to watch throughout the season, as they do not look set to make a statement by signing what remains of the summer window – in the vein of Newcastle United’s Bruno Guimaraes, for example – to add serious strength to that area of ​​the pitch.

If they do manage to bring in reinforcements before the August 30 deadline, they are likely to be a relatively cheap option and will not have huge expectations in terms of playing time – the same standards they have for any new striker after Julian Alvarez left for Atletico Madrid.

Sam Lee

It is common in football to describe a player’s return from a long-term injury as “like signing a new player”, but in Lavia’s case at Chelsea, that saying applies quite literally.

The midfielder’s £53m ($68.6m at current exchange rates) signing from Southampton last summer was one of the few bright spots in a disappointing pre-season tour of the United States this summer, with him limited to just 32 minutes of first-team action in one appearance in 2023-24 – meaning this was Chelsea fans’ first real chance to get a glimpse of him in a competitive environment.

Lavia’s early return on Sunday was mostly positive, as he shed many of the poor passes that had blighted his pre-season play and used the ball simply and wisely at the base of midfield. There were also occasional glimpses of his dribbling skills, such as the pass he received as he spun deep inside his own half that completely deceived De Bruyne.

He also worked hard with Moises Caicedo to block Chelsea’s back four and force Manchester City into mistakes that trapped them in their defensive third.

Maresca will need that defensive influence to ensure Conor Gallagher does not continue to be absent from Chelsea’s midfield (assuming he leaves) as much as he was during his rare absences last season.

Liam Twomey

How did Ederson do after a summer of Saudi interest?

It is no exaggeration to say that Ederson is without a doubt the most important player of the entire Guardiola era.

Many players may be able to prove it themselves, including Rodrygo, but if Ederson is not the safest person, he is the safest person in world football. Without the Brazilian goalkeeper, it would have been difficult for Manchester City to prove their style of play, and thus win all their titles.

Ederson was wanted by Saudi clubs this summer (Sean Botterill/Getty Images)

So it is certainly a boost to have Ederson staying this season, despite his reported interest in a move to Saudi Arabia. However, it is worth noting that Ederson has not been fully focused in recent weeks and has allowed some poor goals to slip through his net during pre-season.

There were also some erratic kicks last weekend in the Community Shield, an aspect of his play that makes a huge difference to City’s game – for seven years now they have found the target every time, and that was the case at Stamford Bridge too.

More worrying were a couple of shots that almost gave Chelsea an equaliser. It’s great news for Manchester City to stay up, but they’ll need to get their form back soon.

Sam Lee

Will Lewis be able to get more starts on the back of this performance?

This was a great opportunity to impress at a time when Kyle Walker was absent after his involvement with England at the European Championships, and 19-year-old Lewis put in a superb performance and is arguably Manchester City’s most consistent performer.

It is not easy for a young and short player (169cm/5ft 6in) to play right-back in the Premier League, especially against a strong and fast team like Chelsea, but he stuck to his defensive role well. Luis also made a great contribution in attack, especially when he appeared in the inside channel to give his team a way out and move forward quickly.

Walker, who turned 34 in May, will feature in a large number of games this season, but the youngster should also be given enough opportunities to show his quality.

Sam Lee

What did Enzo Maresca say?

We will update you on this after he speaks at the post-match press conference.

What did Pep Guardiola say?

Manchester City coach praised his players after the match, stressing that he did not expect such a fast start.

“I am surprised like you,” he told reporters. “I did not expect a performance of this level. It is different when you start the season without winning. When you have won many titles in the past, you tend to relax but I did not see that today.”

What’s next for Chelsea?

Thursday, August 22: Servette (H), Conference League play-off first leg, 8pm BST, 3pm EDT

The team is currently fifth in the Swiss Super League after three matches, and will play the return leg in a week. The winners of these matches qualify for the first division, while the losers are eliminated from European competitions this season.

What’s next for the city?

Saturday, August 24: Ipswich Town (H), Premier League, 3pm BST, 10am EDT

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(Top photo: Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)