Manchester City defeated Chelsea for the second time in just three days yesterday as the Cityzens dispatched Graham Potter’s side 4-0. Right from the first whistle, the Blues dominated proceedings and it was only a matter of time before the floodgates opened. City now move onto Wednesday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final clash with Southampton full of confidence, whilst pressure continues to mount on Potter and his side, who seem to be regressing with each game.
Here are my player ratings from City’s dominant victory:
GK: Stefan Ortega- 6/10
An average 6/10 is in no way a detriment to Ortega’s performance, it’s a reflection of Chelsea’s lack of creative threat and a goalscoring presence, as the away side couldn’t notch a singular shot on target. I expect Ortega to keep his place for Wednesday’s cup clash and despite Southampton’s woeful form, maybe the German international may find himself called into action at Saint Mary’s.
RB: Kyle Walker- 8/10
A performance to remind fans Walker still has a lot to offer City but as a right-back. Walker suffers when inverting into midfield as he doesn’t possess the quality on the ball that Rico Lewis and Joao Cancelo have. Walker registered his first assist of the season with a sublime piece of skill and close control before a diagonal switch of play to Sergio Gomez, before brilliantly timing an overlapping run to receive the pass from Riyad Mahrez before squaring the ball to Phil Foden who slotted home. A very impressive outing for the Englishman who will continue to get better with more match sharpness. However, the fate of Walker’s season will be decided by the position in which Guardiola deploys him in.
CB: Manuel Akanji- 8/10
Akanji was fantastic yesterday and his performance was reminiscent of his first couple of games in a City shirt. Imperious in his ground duels winning 4/5 and even more impressive in his distribution, completing 96% of his attempted passes (79/82). Very impressive showing from the Swiss international.
CB: Aymeric Laporte-8.5/10
Thrust right back into the team after a two-match absence through a slight knock and Laporte continued his fine vein of form and picked up right where he had left off. The Spaniard won 100% of his ground duels (5/5) and completed a staggering 104 passes with a stunning 96% completion. Laporte is currently in his best run of form since the 18/19 season and deserves to be starting alongside John Stones for the Blues for Saturday’s crucial away trip to Old Trafford in the Premier League.
LB: Sergio Gomez- 8/10
Yesterday’s performance was Gomez’s best by some distance in his short City career so far. Offensively was one of City’s best outlets and looked confident when in possession combining with Cole Palmer and Rodri in the build-up to City’s expertly crafted third goal. Encouraging signs from the young full-back who has had a mixed start to life at the Etihad. However, there will be tougher tests defensively for the full-back and that is where all the questions about Gomez’s capabilities lie.
CDM: Rodri- 9/10
Flawless. There isn’t a lot to say about the midfield conductor that hasn’t been said already. All facets of Rodri’s game are exceptional and he looks a far cry of what City signed from Atletico Madrid just over three years ago. Outstanding.
CM: Bernardo Silva- 6/10
The game passed the Portuguese by for large periods of the game. Defensively was key in City regaining possession and was a key cog in the Blue’s excellent press yesterday that caused Chelsea so many problems. However, his attacking output just isn’t quite there at this moment, and I believe a player of Bernardo’s quality should be causing more headaches in the final third. I am fully aware statistics do not do City’s number 20 justice, but the lack of penetrative through balls and chance creation is something I would like to see more within his game.
CM: Phil Foden- 7/10
Deployed as a left-sided eight, I had high hopes for Foden in this role after seeing him excel there last season against Club Brugge away in the Champions League, where his exemplary range of passing combined with elite close control and ability to carry the ball caused the Belgian side nightmares. However, Foden’s performance yesterday was disjointed and he never truly got going, City’s local hero took his goal superbly, but when he looks back at his performance he will feel it was an opportunity missed. With Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan potentially exiting the Etihad next summer, it seems a natural progression for Guardiola to move Foden into midfield, but with the level of player already so high in the centre of the pitch and the potential arrival of Jude Bellingham, the four-time Premier League may find himself back competing for the left-wing position.
RW: Riyad Mahrez- 9.5/10- MOTM
Truly excellent. A picturesque free-kick got the ball rolling for the Cityzens and they never looked back when they got ahead. Had the measure of opposition full-back Lewis Hall and had him at his mercy all afternoon. Mahrez dispatched his penalty superbly and it will do the Algerian’s confidence the world of good after missing 3 of his previous 4 prior to yesterday. Looked like a creative threat when drifting into central areas throughout the second half as well.
ST: Julian Alvarez- 7/10
The World Champion started his first game for City since his return from Qatar and marked by getting himself on the scoresheet. Alvarez spearheaded City’s relentless press and forced the away side into countless errors and turnovers of possession. Despite this, the Argentine was quiet and on the fringes for large amounts of the match. Alvarez will be pushing to start City’s league cup quarter-final against Southampton on Wednesday night, whether that’s alongside Erling Haaland is yet to be seen.
LW: Cole Palmer- 6/10
A hugely mixed night for the 20-year-old. At times, Palmer displayed beautiful touches to link the player with others but often let himself down with poor decision-making and lacked the ruthlessness required in front of goal. A missed chance in the first half when Palmer could have easily squared the ball for Alvarez in the first half summed up his performance. Perhaps the youngster is too eager to impress, but we shouldn’t forget Palmer isn’t being deployed in his favoured possession as he tends to do his best work off the right-hand side. In my opinion, the talent is there for all to see as he possesses all the right attributes to become a very successful player. His willingness to take the ball and run at defenders is a major benefit to any team.
Substitutes:
Kalvin Philips- 7/10- Solid when brought on for Rodri, positional awareness to recover possession for City was a huge positive. Will be needed in the coming weeks as fixtures become relentless.
Joao Cancelo- 6/10- Some lovely touches when introduced for Gomez. Caught out positionally a few times and let Chelsea in down the left flank. Currently finds himself out of favour but I have no doubts Cancelo will show his quality and regain his place.
Rico Lewis- N/A
Pep Guardiola-10/10
Set up the Blues in a more traditional 4-3-3 with wide full-backs and the license to overlap and support the wingers. Dominated proceedings, scored four goals and rested Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland and co. A perfect day at the office for the City manager.