Manchester City expose the myth that Chelsea cannot be outmuscled
Nigel de Jong and Gareth Barry win midfield battle
The final question for Roberto Mancini, long after the stadium had cleared, was this: had he been serious when he talked before the match of Chelsea winning the Premier League with something to spare, or was it part of a subtle plan to get into the opposition's mindset?
A smile flickered across Mancini's lips. "There used to be a manager in Italy who would do that," he said. "Every week he would say the opponents were fantastic before they played."
The man he was referring to was Nils Liedholm, a Swede who managed for nearly four decades in Italy, with the distinction of being known as Il Barone. And Mancini? "I was being serious," he said. "Chelsea are the best team in the league, just like I said."
There is a weight of recent evidence to suggest the assertion is still a good one, even if the champions did leave Manchester with their manager, Carlo Ancelotti, questioning their attitude on the back of a third consecutive defeat against the team who have surged above them as football's richest club.
The game was perplexing for Ancelotti because it had exposed the kind of flaws to which the English game was starting to think Chelsea might be immune. The champions were not supposed to be a side who could be outmuscled in midfield, or who would lack the wit or gumption to do anything about it once it became clear that the occasion was in danger of becoming an ordeal.
"It was strange that we lost the fight in midfield," Ancelotti said. "Why? I don't know why, but that's the reason we lost the game. We didn't have the possibility to play our football. They had fantastic defence, fantastic power in their tackles. We lost a lost of balls, we didn't play quickly enough in the opponent's half, we weren't creative, we played too much as individuals, not as a team."
Hence his decision to substitute Didier Drogba, hitherto the most devastating forward in the league. Drogba's look as he left the pitch was a mixture of bemusement and scarcely disguised disdain. Chelsea will like to believe that, in football parlance, this was merely a blip – the exception to the rule when some of their football so far this season could have been set to music. A sense has developed that many Premier League opponents have come to fear them, in the same way that José Mourinho, newly installed at Real Madrid, complained last week of how Barcelona were regarded within La Liga.
Mourinho spoke of a culture whereby Barcelona's opponents "give away the game because they think they cannot win". The same, loosely speaking, has occurred in England. City, however, demonstrated all the attributes that are needed to bring Chelsea to their knees. They were fast to the ball and hard in the tackle. Mancini talked later of not giving Chelsea's attackers space and his players, in particular Gareth Barry and Nigel de Jong, carried out such instructions with an efficiency that suggested they have all grown to understand the Italian's philosophy.
"He has come from a country where defence is number one and he has brought that mentality with him," De Jong said. "It took time but the main focus for him is to get the defence right because he knows we have enough quality to score goals. That's what he preaches.
"His message is always the same: make sure we don't concede. He puts in so much time on the training pitch with the defenders to get them to realise that a clean sheet is holy."
To use De Jong's words, Mancini's men demonstrated that "Chelsea are not robots", winning thanks to Carlos Tevez's scurrying run just before the hour, a run that was finished off with a right-foot shot that went in off the post.
A snapshot of Chelsea's day came earlier in the match when Ramires, their newly recruited Brazilian, was taken down in a hard but legitimate challenge and, indignant that no free-kick had been awarded, made no attempt to rejoin play.
In that droll way of his, Ancelotti wondered about where the referee, Andre Marriner, had put his whistle.
"One player against another player is not dangerous but there were times when one of my players [Branislav Ivanovic] suffered three fouls at the same time. When that happens he has to whistle. But, of course, he couldn't whistle because he had left his whistle at home."
His words were accompanied by a rueful smile and he left it there, which is just as well because blaming the referee would have felt like a terrible cop-out. The truth was that Chelsea, famed for their competitive strengths and togetherness on the pitch, were beaten fair and square at their own game.
Adebayor nearing exit door
Emmanuel Adebayor’s long held admiration for Serie A football could well pay dividends in January with reports on the continent claiming that both Inter Milan and AC Milan are keen on snapping up the Manchester City striker.
The £25 million signing from Arsenal has struggled to secure himself a regular first team berth under Roberto Mancini and was reported to have had a furious bust-up with the Italian a few weeks ago about his lack of playing time.
During his time at Arsenal, Adebayor spoke glowingly of being courted by AC Milan but despite apparent contact found himself moving within the Premier League after Arsene Wenger cashed in on the Togo international.
It is understood that although AC coach Massimiliano Allegri is pleased with the recruitment of Zlatan Ibrahimovic from Barcelona, he is eager to add the physicality of Adebayor to a front line which still boasts the mercurial genius of Alexandre Pato, Ronaldinho, Robinho and Felipo Inzaghi.
Reigning European champions Inter are also well stocked with attacking talent; however, president Massimo Moratti is a long-term admirer of Adebayor and could splash out the requisite £20 million to add the 26-year-old to the likes of Samuel Eto’o, Goran Pandev and Diego Milito.
TRANSFER BOLLOX
Manchester United are monitoring the progress of Italian international Claudio Marchisio, with a view to potentially making a move for the 24-year-old Juventus midfielder next summer. Caught Offside
Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson is considering a January move for Newcastle United winger Wayne Routledge - if he gets enough funds from the Anfield board. Caught Offside
Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross is a January transfer window target for Serie A side Juventus. Daily Mirror
OTHER BOLLOX
Former England and Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan believes Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has no right to complain about media intrusion over the private life of striker Wayne Rooney. Daily Mirror
Tottenham defender William Gallas has been ruled out for at least three weeks with an abductor muscle injury sustained in training on Friday. In the same session, central defender Ledley King suffered a groin strain but the extent of the problem is not yet known. Daily Mail
Fulham striker Diomansy Kamara believes the Cottagers are playing more stylish football under current manager Mark Hughes than they did under his predecessor Roy Hodgson. Daily Mail
Everton club captain Phil Neville has urged fans to blame the players, and not Toffees chairman Bill Kenwright, for the club's bottom-of-the-table predicament. Daily Mail
Leicester manager Paulo Sousa is on the brink of being sacked by chairman Milan Mandaric, with the Foxes lying bottom of the Championship eight games into the season. Daily Mirror
Former England, Newcastle and Tottenham midfielder Paul Gascoigne has been appointed manager of west Yorkshire non-League team Garforth Town, who play in the Evo-Stik League Division One North. News of the World
Dundee could be spiralling into administration for the second time in seven years after it emerged they owe £250,000 in unpaid taxes. (Daily Record)
Sir Edward Elgar, the classical composer associated with the Last Night of the Proms, penned the world's first football chant, it has emerged. His Banged The Leather for Goal was written more than 100 years ago in honour of his beloved Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Daily Telegraph
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