Blue Days

Goals: Lampard 41, 90 (pen) for Chelsea. Tevez 45+1, 76 (pen), Bellamy 51 , 87 for City.

Team Bridge triumphed over John Terry’s Chelsea thanks to determined defending, a return to form for Craig Bellamy and a return to the side by our new talisman, Carlos Tevez. This was a stunning result, the best of the season so far, and one to restore belief in our Champions League quest.

Mancini sprung no great surprises in the starting eleven. Kompany returned to the back four, in the central defensive pairing with Lescott which most fans seem to agree is our best. There’s more sympathy for Nedum Onuoha than Kolo Toure, who were both on the bench.

Zabaleta was again in central midfield to further stifle Chelsea, alongside de Jong and Barry. After 120 minutes at Stoke on Wednesday, it was a slight surprise to see Bellamy start the game. Doubts about Carlos Tevez’s fitness proved groundless in the extreme.

After the great non-handshake had passed, the game could start and City continued from where they had left off against Liverpool. Concentration and not conceding were the order of the day. Unfortunately Chelsea’s attacking options aren’t so easy to subdue, and half-chances were created.

Kompany and Lescott stood up to Drogba and it was the roaming Anelka who caused the most problems. With a couple of clumsy challenges, Micah Richards looked a little jaded from the mid-week exertions.

Bellamy and Johnson weren’t pushing forward to test the Chelsea back-line, though Tevez was doing his best. When he did get the ball, Johnson was quickly crowded out and seemed to struggle for his footing on a poor pitch.

Just when it looked like we were going to get through to half-time, Frank Lampard’s movement caught out Kompany for what looked like a crucial breakthrough. Up till this point we hadn’t looked like achieving four shots, let alone four goals.

Tevez and the Chelsea defence had other ideas. Chelsea looked set to score a second before Bridge hoofed it clear to set Tevez on his merry way, courtesy of Mikel’s not so clever header. The movement of Tevez towards, then away from Mikel forced his error.

From then on Carvalho, Terry and Hilario took it in turns to be outwitted. The way the ball trickled over the line looked particularly excruciating from a Chelsea perspective. In native American parlance it could be said El Apache had triumphed over the Mohican of Terry.

With the home side still in shock, Lescott’s free header from a Bellamy free-kick nearly had us going in ahead at the break – which would have constituted larceny on the grandest scale.

If the first forty minutes were instantly forgettable, then the second half was one to be savoured for a long time to come. Chelsea must have considered our first goal an aberration as they piled forward to regain the lead. That can be the only reason for leaving just one defender and Mikel back when City broke for our second.

One positive that was overlooked from the Stoke match on Wednesday was Bellamy getting on the scoresheet. His attacking play has been relatively poor of late and the goals had dried up. Maybe, the Stoke goal restored his confidence as he brought back memories of his second at Old Trafford.

Once again he sprinted down the flank before slotting the ball into the net. This time putting the ball across the keeper rather than rounding him. It was equally sweet.

Chelsea were stunned but unlikely to throw the towel in. We looked all set to grind our way to victory so it was pleasant surprise to see Barry winning the ball high up the pitch and driving into the Chelsea area.

The foul for the penalty bordered on comical. Belletti may claim he didn’t realise just how slow Barry was as he ran into the back of the England man. Like Hamann before him, our Gareth used his years of experience to position himself between opponent and ball, and duly went to ground to make the referee’s job as easy as possible.

Tevez broke with his habit of slamming the penalty down the middle and slammed it into the corner instead. Even Bridge was dragged into the celebration.

Wayne, whose leg had been heavily strapped from the start, departed shortly afterwards and Mancini surprisingly brought on Santa Cruz. Sylvinho would have been the more obvious replacement, so Mancini was making a tactical shift here.

With Zabaleta dropping to left-back we switched to a 4-4-2, albeit with Tevez sitting deeper. Rather than simply defend our way through to full-time, we were looking to stretch Chelsea and give them more to think about defensively. It was a statement of more progressive tactics by Mancini in the second half.

Michael Ballack did his best to ease our nerves with a reckless challenge on Tevez that saw him pick up a second yellow. Tevez then released Wright-Phillips, who did the simple things correctly in sprinting into the area and crossing for Bellamy to tap home.

Shaun looked sharp and benefitted from coming on when there was space to exploit, in contrast to Johnson who had been given precious little room to manouvre. Having these two players vying for the right-wing slot is a welcome bit of competition within the squad.

Chelsea continued to pile forward as best they could, with Anelka continuing to cause problems. His penalty “foul” was as soft as that for Barry, but fortunately it came to late to matter. It’s credit to Chelsea’s attack that at no point were we ever entirely comfortable. The sight of Given berating his team-mates till the last told us as much.

Craig Bellamy:

“I know what JT is like and nothing surprises me about it, so I’m not going to comment on that. I think everybody in football knows what the guy is like, but that’s off the field.

“On it he’s an outstanding player. He’s a great captain for Chelsea. It’s always going to be difficult when you play him and his team.”

With attention focussed on Wayne Bridge, the truly inspirational performance came from Tevez who had only flown in to London from Argentina the day before. He constantly took the game to Chelsea and seemed to inspire those around him – Bellamy in particular.

El Apache plays the lone striker role remarkably well for someone lacking height and having no great pace. To often such a player can be the victim of little professional fouls from the likes of Terry and Carvalho and the referee deserves credit for spotting most of them.

Fabio Capello may also have noted the best England defender on show was Joleon Lescott. With Rio’s back troubles, Joleon could be quietly playing his way into England’s starting 11 for the World Cup.

Ultimately the difference in this match lay in City’s defence being committed and focused all game, whereas Ancelotti’s back-line made a host of errors.

External reports:

• BBC
• The Guardian
• The Guardian (Paul Hayward)
• The Independent
• MCFC
• The Telegraph
• The Times

Blog reports:

• Norfstander
• We’ve Got Robinho

Video:

Given – Back to his best. Saves from Anelka were the highlight, but equally important was his ability to hold on to shots and keep the defence focussed. 8

Richards – Possibly feeling the effects of 120 minutes against Stoke, Micah made a few clumsy tackles and struggled to get to grips with Anelka. Grew stronger as the game wore on. 6

Kompany – A single mistake in failing to track Lampard for the first goal. Otherwise excellent, keeping out Drogba and co for lengthy periods. 8

Lescott – Another who stood strong with a backs to the wall performance. All the attention was on other England defenders, but Joleon was the best on show. 8

Bridge – No surprise that once the game was under way, Wayne simply got on with the job. A much better showing than against Stoke with his improved positional sense under Mancini contributing to a solid back line. 7

De Jong – Never as dominant as against Liverpool, but still did a terrific job in keeping Joe Cole and Lampard out. 8

Zabaleta – Thrown in as another midfielder destroyer, Pablo did well to survive a clash of heads with Drogba and gave Richards some valuable support. 8

Barry – Used his experience well. Good to see him getting into the opposition penalty area to win the penalty when we were already in the lead. 7

Johnson – Struggled with the pitch and a posse of Chelsea defenders whenever he had the ball in the first half. 6

Bellamy – A first half of defensive duty gave way to the dynamic counter-attacking we saw earlier in the season. Terrific to see him last the 90 minutes. 8

Tevez – Given the quality of the opposition and the fact he only landed in London on Friday, this was a stunning display. We have a talisman. 10

Subs:

Wright-Phillips – An excellently timed run and cross for the fourth was just what we wanted from Shaun. 8

Santa Cruz – Surprisingly brought on in place of Bridge. Helped occupy Chelsea defenders without doing anything spectacular. 5

Sylvinho – Fleeting appearance to see us through to full-time.

Man of the match: Carlos Tevez.

With our poor form, and a host of difficulties for the manager, a trip to Stamford Bridge is hardly the ideal fixture and few will be backing us to overturn recent history and get a result. Can a case be made for City to overturn expectations? Let’s have a go…

First the bad news round-up. Adebayor is out thanks to a ridiculous four match ban for an offence similar to one committed by Robert Huth in the same game that didn’t warrant a free-kick. Having played for 120 minutes on Wednesday, Bellamy’s knees are unlikely to take the strain of another 90 minutes.

Tevez may be back, but is unlikely to be 100% after a long-haul flight and a lack of proper training. Elsewhere up front, Santa Cruz still looks way short of full fitness, and Ireland is equally short of form. Having played extra-time with ten men, most of the team will be feeling the effects of three games in seven days. Oh, and everyone seems to be losing faith in the manager.

So where’s the cause for optimism? Chelsea also had a tough game in mid-week, with a trip to Italy thrown in. Important players will be missing in the form of Cech and Cole.

If Zhirkov is out, then they’ll be forced to field a makeshift left-back, who either Wright-Phillips or Johnson should be encouraged to attack. Further absentees could be Essien, Bosingwa, Alex and Belletti limiting their ability to rotate from Wednesday night.

All the attention will be on Wayne Bridge and it’s to be hoped he puts in a strong performance against John Terry and his former employers. Across the defence, we’re in good form and a trio of Lescott, Kompany and Richards shouldn’t be bullied by Drogba and co.

Zabaleta’s recent improvement could see him get a game, either at right-back or in midfield. Nigel de Jong and Adam Johnson should return to give some freshness to the side that lost on Wednesday. Presumably Gareth Barry will play and it’s to be hoped he has one of his more energetic games.

With Adebayor missing, Tevez is likely to be asked to play as a lone striker. His strength at holding off opponents has seem him surprisingly effective in this role, but he’ll need plenty of support against Terry and Carvalho.

The main concern is who else will play in midfield, and provide attacking support. Ireland will be fortunate to retain a starting place given his lack of form, yet there is no-one else who can play the role behind the striker. A big performance from the Irishman could make all the difference.

Wright-Phillips will hope to get a chance on the right-flank and his industry combined with the chance to show his old employers what he’s capable of, could also be valuable.

Shay Given:

“We know it’s going to be a tough game. Chelsea have great qualities all over the pitch and we will have to be on top of our game.

“But we have already beaten them at home this season. I know it’s a different story going to Stamford Bridge, but I think it’s better to play in a big game after a huge disappointment.

“If we can bring the points back, it would give everyone a huge lift.”

Early kick-offs can lead to a subdued atmosphere, which would suit the tactician Mancini. In addition, the ‘big four’ can be vulnerable after a champions league fixture – look what happened to United at Everton last week.

Mancini will relish going up against his old foe Ancelotti, particularly after Stoke, and it will be interesting to see how he fares. Every neutral complained after last Sunday’s stalemate with Liverpool, but don’t be surprised to see Mancini employ similar tactics here.

If we keep it tight, restrict the opposition to a single shot and snatch a goal through Tevez, then City fans will be more than happy this time round.

The key things will be to avoid defending deep for long periods, getting forward to support Tevez and retaining possession. If we do that and maintain our defensive discipline, then maybe it’ll be a happier trip than most expect.

Blue Days line-up: Given, Richards, Bridge, Kompany, Lescott, de Jong, Barry, Ireland, Johnson, Wright-Phillips, Tevez.

Prediction: 1-0 to City.