Chelsea – Manchester City: Guardiola Gets the Better Of Another Former Assistant (0-2)

Pep Guardiola began his ninth season in English football, and once again, kicked off the campaign with three points. Although his side wasn’t at their most clinical best, Guardiola’s tactical tweak, particularly in the first half, created significant problems for Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea. Ultimately, the difference came down to the effectiveness of the approaches between the two teams.

Tactical analysis and match report by Rahul Madhavan.

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Another season begins, and once again, Pep Guardiola – the master – faced one of his apprentices, this time Enzo Maresca. Chelsea, who are currently in a spot of bother in terms of squad numbers, welcomed the reigning champions Manchester City for the first blockbuster clash of the season.

Despite the questionable decisions in the transfer window and the ongoing criticism of their large squad, Chelsea certainly boast a team capable of challenging the very best. However, if pre-season taught us anything, it’s that Maresca’s side are very much a work in progress, particularly at the back. Their 4-2 defeat to Guardiola’s men in the United States exposed many of these vulnerabilities as well.

Maresca opted for his preferred 4-3-3 formation on paper, with Robert Sánchez picked in goal over Chelsea’s five other options. The back four featured Malo Gusto, Wesley Fofana, Levi Colwill, and Marc Cucurella. In midfield, Roméo Lavia, Moisés Caicedo, and Enzo Fernández started, while Cole Palmer, Christopher Nkunku, and Nicolas Jackson formed the attacking trio upfront.

Manchester City, meanwhile, are on the back of Community Shield success against Manchester United. A few senior players have returned to the squad after an extended break, providing a significant boost, especially after losing the in-form Oscar Bobb to injury.

Guardiola’s lineup did not include any of Manchester City’s England stars who played in the Euros, nor did it feature Rodri. Ederson retained his spot in goal ahead of Stefan Ortega, with Rico Lewis, Manuel Akanji, Rúben Dias, and Joško Gvardiol forming the back four. In midfield, Mateo Kovačić, Bernardo Silva, and Kevin De Bruyne started, while Sávio Moreira, Jérémy Doku, and Erling Haaland led the attack.

Guardiola’s tweak in possession

Several teams employed a 4-2-4 or 4-2-1-3 shape without the ball against Manchester City last season, primarily to congest the half-spaces and restrict the pivot’s ability to receive the ball and orchestrate the game. Enzo Maresca, having spent considerable time with City, seemed well aware of this approach and opted for a similar shape, as he initially lined up in a 4-2-4, with Enzo Fernández dropping slightly deeper to cover Kovačić.

As usual, Guardiola had a fresh tactical solution, which he also utilized against Manchester United in the Community Shield. Last season, City often built up play in a De-Zerbian style, using two pivots on the same line who were content to receive under pressure, before attempting to play through it. However, this time, Guardiola switched to a staggered setup in midfield, with Silva ahead of Kovačić, while De Bruyne moved wider to the flanks when City’s backline had possession.

In essence, City set up with a back four, using Ederson as a center-back during the build-up, while Lewis and De Bruyne were pushed wide, effectively operating as wing-backs. The visitors deliberately vacated the central midfield to stretch the pitch horizontally. This approach saw Doku and Sávio (and occasionally Lewis) pinning Chelsea’s full-backs, thereby creating space for De Bruyne and Lewis to receive lofted passes from Ederson. It was evident as early as the fifth minute when City’s keeper attempted to clip a pass to Lewis, though it was poorly executed and intercepted by Cucurella.

City’s shape during the build-up. 

The primary goal was to create a two-versus-one scenario against Chelsea’s full-backs. Since both Lavia and Caicedo remained centrally positioned and were reluctant to push wide, which could leave the middle exposed, City gained a clear advantage in progressing through the thirds.

Rico Lewis also played a pivotal role, with his movement – whether shifting from inside to outside or cutting into midfield – acting as a frequent outlet for City. He was often the spare man against Chelsea’s front four, and his composure in tight spaces and ability to withstand pressure stood out, particularly during the first half-hour of the game.

Chelsea’s continued problems

Chelsea showed definite improvements after the first half-hour, particularly on the right side when Akanji had possession. The aggression displayed by Nkunku, Lavia, and Cucurella in their duels allowed them to win the ball back higher up the pitch and launch effective breaks. However, it was on the opposite flank where City consistently got the better of the hosts.

This often occurred during settled phases, with Guardiola’s side shifting into what appeared to be a 3-1-6 formation in possession. Chelsea’s recurring problem was evident again – while Haaland was double-marked at the back, City enjoyed a three-versus-two numerical advantage in midfield, as Lewis drifted into midfield while Silva occupied a more central position just behind Haaland.

De Bruyne played a pivotal role, frequently rotating with Sávio (and later Doku) on that side, which led to Palmer not engaging with the center-back. With such technically skilled players, capable of either carrying the ball into space or making line-breaking passes, it made life difficult for both Lavia and Caicedo. 

Minute 7: De Bruyne shifts wider, which forces Palmer to drop deeper and gives Gvardiol time on the ball. As Caicedo steps forward, Sávio makes a move on his blindside, positioning himself as an option for Gvardiol. The Brazilian receives the ball, turns, and pulls Fofana out of position. With Lewis’ positioning drawing Lavia away, Silva makes a run in behind the center-back, creating an opportunity for City.

When Chelsea chose not to press, City had the opportunity to switch the play. Nkunku wasn’t closely tracking Lewis’ movement, allowing the 19-year-old to drift freely into midfield, which pulled Cucurella and Lavia centrally. This, in turn, opened up space for the far-sided winger to receive the ball in isolation. Guardiola initially started Doku on the right flank to exploit this, enabling him to attack the byline with plenty of space to dribble forward.

Minute 14: As Chelsea remain compact and block the passing lanes into midfield, Lewis makes a late run, pinning Cucurella and creating space for Doku. Gvardiol finds the Belgian, who now has the room to operate and attack the byline.

And finally, for the first goal, City capitalized on Palmer’s press, which ultimately pulled the entire Chelsea midfield toward one side, allowing City to create a four-versus-four situation in the final line that Haaland finished.

Minute 17: Palmer presses Gvardiol, while Doku drops slightly deeper to receive the ball before driving it forward. With De Bruyne pinning Gusto and Silva pinning Fofana, Chelsea’s midfield pivot is drawn out of position. Eventually, City exploit the space near the edge of the box, with Silva setting up Haaland for the goal.

City rewarded despite second half improvement from Chelsea

Chelsea’s system in possession closely mirrored Maresca’s well-established approach. The typical 3-2-5 shape saw Gusto push higher up the pitch, which allowed Palmer to drift centrally. Cucurella slotted into the back three, while Nkunku was tasked with maintaining width on the left side.

City, on the other hand, were cautious with their pressing. Their 4-1-4-1 shape out of possession had De Bruyne and Silva marking Chelsea’s two pivots, while Kovačić positioned himself in front of the defense to screen the midfield. If Silva or De Bruyne stepped forward to press, Kovačić would push higher to fill the gap, while the wingers stayed deeper and compact to protect the central spaces. City’s pressing wasn’t particularly aggressive in the middle, but they ramped up the intensity when the ball was played out to the wide players.

Chelsea’s success in the first half largely stemmed from displacing Kovačić and opening up a corridor through the middle. When Kovačić moved wider to mark the drifting Palmer, Fernández often became the free man. In those cases, City’s far-sided winger frequently failed to track the Argentine’s central positioning in the first half. But Chelsea also largely struggled in the final third once they bypassed City’s press.

Chelsea’s performance notably improved when Fernández dropped deeper, while Maresca introduced Pedro Neto to replace Nkunku and Dewsbury-Hall to replace Lavia. Neto brought a one-on-one threat against Lewis, something the hosts had been missing throughout the match. This posed a new challenge for City, as Chelsea finally had an effective outlet out wide. 

However, their momentum was shattered when their former player, Kovačić, burst through the midfield unchallenged and scored City’s second goal late in the game, which eventually sealed all three points.

Takeaways

Enzo Maresca tasted defeat in his first game, but there were noticeable improvements compared to their preseason performances, particularly in defense. Lavia was one of the standout players on the night, and the team posed problems for Manchester City, especially after Neto was introduced. However, Maresca still faces more questions than answers. How to integrate Enzo Fernández effectively into the lineup and how to maximize Cole Palmer’s impact remain a few of the key issues. Nonetheless, it’s early days, and there are promising signs despite the result.

On the other hand, this was a typical early-season performance from Manchester City. After the first goal, City focused on controlling possession in the second half, which became evident when Bernardo Silva began dropping deeper alongside Kovačić later in the game. It was another instance of Guardiola exploiting an opponent’s setup. And once City take the lead, they rarely let it slip. While the performance wasn’t their best, Guardiola will be satisfied with securing three points from a challenging fixture.

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