Manchester City are on a long winning streak in the Premier League, but they must face with higher expectations at home. Manchester City has an undeniable advantage over Chelsea ahead of their visit to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday morning....CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
When Pep Guardiola’s team visited Stamford Bridge earlier this season, they were three points behind the leaders, which suited a Chelsea side that is inherently defensive and adept at limiting space for other teams. City now has a 10-point lead over their nearest opponents after entering this game with a 10-point lead. Chelsea must be the aggressor if they are to gain the three points they so desperately need, and they must take more risks than Tuchel prefers.
If City appears to be unaffected by the pressure that their opponents will be under, they may possibly be subjected to a different kind of pressure at home. Their 11-game winning streak in the league is the fifth time they’ve done it in the competition, and it’s nearly always been snapped at home, most recently in the 2-0 defeat to United last season.
This season, City has the best home record in the league, but their away form is even better, and they’ve kept their worst performances for the Etihad, surrendering points against Southampton and Crystal Palace.
That Could be down to the fact that there are many more City fans at the Etihad than away allocations allow, as well as the fact that opponents defend deeper than they would at home, making matches feel like more of a grind to watch if Guardiola’s team cannot break down their opponents.
The lack of home games at the moment, with the Chelsea game coming nearly three weeks after Leicester’s visit on Boxing Day and Brentford’s visit on February 9, just adds to the pressure to perform in front of their own fans. Guardiola was irritated that his players were too expansive in the last minutes of the month’s narrow victory against Wolves, allowing their opponents a chance to equalize the match because they had reacted to the home fans enthusiasm.
Chelsea will be desperate to end their winning streak this weekend, but City must avoid handing it to their opponents by buckling under the pressure.