This weekend Chelsea must prove they can still keep pace with Manchester City — which may soon be even more difficult off the field as on it. The immediate challenge of beating City in the League Cup Final is hard enough, especially after the 6-0 hammering at Etihad Stadium two weeks ago that left Maurizio Sarri clinging to his job.
The medium-to-long term may prove even more difficult after Chelsea learned on Friday that they would be banned from signing players for the next two transfer windows. The club has appealed against Fifa’s punishment, which relates to an alleged breach of regulations regarding the transfers of young players. If Sarri is sacked, many top-level managers may baulk at joining Chelsea if they do not know when they can sign players. The fear is that while City get stronger, Chelsea will struggle simply to stand still.
On the face of it, the finalists have a great deal in common. They have benefited immensely from wealthy benefactors since the start of the millennium, turning them into serial winners. Chelsea have built a sizeable lead in terms of major competitions won during this period. It stands at 15-6 in their favour, which includes five Premier League trophies to City’s three.
City are alive in all four competitions, with Chelsea’s 3-0 win over Malmo last night in the Europa League last 32 ensuring they could still end the season with two trophies. The Blues also have the bragging rights when it comes to Europe, as they have won the Champions League and Europa League whereas City have not even reached a final and yet as they prepare to meet each other in the League Cup Final at Wembley, all the momentum is on City’s side.
While Pep Guardiola’s squad are fighting it out for the biggest prizes in England and abroad, playing an exciting brand of football that is admired around the globe, Chelsea are in danger of stagnating on and off the pitch. On the way to claiming the title last season, City took a number of Chelsea’s League records including most points, most goals and most wins. In doing so they finished 30 points ahead of their London rivals and currently sit 15 clear of them this term.
Despite losing 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in December, City highlighted the apparent gulf between the teams during their 6-0 win, Chelsea’s heaviest defeat for 28 years. City’s squad look superior in virtually every department, they have overtaken Chelsea financially and they play in a bigger stadium. Even if Chelsea deliver the first major trophy of Sarri’s managerial career, it is unlikely to be enough to keep the Italian in the job long-term. However, it would provide a welcome lift.
To do so, though, there is a good chance they will have to reverse a negative trend that has crept into their game — an inability to recover when they concede the first goal. When Chelsea were at their best, they refused to accept defeat and would battle until the final whistle. There has been little sign of that quality since Tottenham became the first outfit to get the better of them this term, winning 3-1 in November.
Indeed, in the six defeats sustained in Chelsea’s last 16 fixtures, all of them have a big zero registered in the goals for column. They look like a team who cannot cope with adversity. City must believe they need only to take the lead to win the cup. The manner of Manchester United’s comfortable 2-0 triumph over the Blues in the FA Cup on Monday night would have emphasised that.
As Chelsea’s back-up keeper Willy Caballero prepares for the possibility of facing his former club, the 37-year-old knows his team-mates must respond to setbacks much better. “It’s another target to try to correct,” said Caballero, who is set to play if Kepa Arrizabalaga cannot recover from a hamstring problem.“Of course we don’t want to concede but if we fall behind we have to accept it as a new challenge and try to still win. That is what a strong team does.”
“We have to accept that in the last few games we have lost, we didn’t do that very well. We have to do it properly the next time we concede. If we fall behind, of course we have to believe we can come back. Chelsea did it a lot in the past and this is why the club have won a lot of trophies.”
One of Sarri’s main weaknesses has been his tactical stubbornness. He did not alter his 4-3-3 system for the match at City earlier this month and it would be a surprise if he has a change of heart now. Perhaps the more defensive approach Chelsea took during their League win at home will be taken. Caballero sees no shame in the club sacrificing entertainment in order to come out on top.
He said: “If you win sometimes you forget how you play or what you did wrong. In a tournament, the winner of the trophy does [forget]. Of course, it’s important to play how the boss wants to play. But sometimes the other team play really well, press really well and we cannot solve this problem, so we have to find another way.” Sarri would disagree with Caballero’s words but Sunday would afford us the opportunity to see who comes out tops.