A clash five matches into the Premier League season shouldn’t be a serious determinant of who eventually lifts the title.
It is however surprising that the Manchester City versus Chelsea clash could hold permanent implications as to which team eventually lifts the trophy after 38 games.
The two teams are supposedly rivals, but a glance at the Premier League table shows one team on top of the table and the other in 5th place, with a 5 point gap between the two.
Chelsea will be hoping to win this one as it gives them more room for error down the line, in a league that is known for astonishing results towards the end of the season, especially when facing relegation threatened teams.
Manchester City will be aware of the need to out rightly win this tie against the Blues, after disappointing defeats to stoke city and Bayern Munich:
“We like to think of ourselves as big game players, so we need to step up again on Sunday. It’s a big week for us. We’ve not won for a little while, so we need to step up. We need to win, it’s a close premier league, they are title rivals and we need to beat them.”- Joe Hart
“We must win our next game at home and with that we will be two points behind leader. That for me is the priority.”
A window of opportunity has a reason for the Chelsea boss as we can see from the above quotes what the mindset of the Manchester City dressing room is.
The team from Manchester see this tie as a must win, which will obviously play into Chelsea’s hands.
The pressure to take the initiative because of their home ground status and eagerness to put their unimpressive form behind them might see Manchester City play into the hands of the counter attacking genius, Jose Mourinho.
Chelsea’s need to get the result is also amplified by the fact that they have the in form Aston villa and unpredictable Arsenal to play next after their visit to the Etihad.
Even though a win for the London club is far preferable, a draw won’t be a bad result as well because it maintains their 5 point lead, as well as strips 2 points off a rival team.
With their weakness against smaller teams seemingly a thing of the past, Chelsea will be looking to fully replicate the 100 percent record they had over Manchester city in the league last season.
