MAN CITY 1 – 1 Chelsea – MY THOUGHTS

The narrative was inescapable. For all the talk of the managers’ rivalry, the plethora of star players colliding and the battle between the best two teams in the league, it was inevitable that Frank Lampard would have a telling impact. This was a contest between Manuel Pellegrini and Jose Mourinho, Vincent Kompany and Diego Costa, Sergio Aguero and John Terry, yet it was Chelsea’s former hero who struck the decisive blow to rescue a point for his new club. And, in truth, it was the least City deserved.

The past week for the Blues has been a daunting one. It doesn’t get much tougher at the start of the season than visits to Arsenal and Bayern Munich and then a home encounter with Chelsea, and while it may seem somewhat disappointing to come out of those games with just two points, it is by no means all doom and gloom.

Indeed, this was probably City’s best performance of the fledgling campaign. While the notion of ‘best’ is a subjective matter, the victories against Newcastle and Liverpool were functional without ever being fluent. Yesterday, Pellegrini’s charges combined an attractive, intense and controlling style of play with great character at the end to fight back.

To grab a point late on after such a demanding run of games and having suffered such a crushing loss in midweek, and to do it with just ten men against the best defence in country, revealed plenty about the resilience of the squad. Those outside of the club may deride City’s players as nothing more than disinterested mercenaries, but the spirit displayed on Sunday was far from a one-off. It is clear this is a group of players with immense quality, but, crucially, they have the hunger to match.

Pellegrini’s selection of two strikers was a bold call. Many felt he should have operated with just one forward and included an extra midfielder in order to compete with the visitors in the centre, but the manager’s bravery was rewarded in the first hour, if not with a goal then with an impressive and authoritative display.

Interestingly, rather than actually play with a pair of out and out attackers, Edin Dzeko was deployed for lengthy periods in a deeper role than to which he is accustomed. Sergio Aguero was left higher up the pitch, the threat of his searing pace over the top forcing Chelsea deeper and thus creating more space in the middle, while Dzeko acted as the link between City’s central and more advanced areas. The Bosnian was not there to twist and turn and prod and probe – as David Silva does to such great effect in that role – but he was a more than useful go-between. He didn’t allow Chelsea the time and space to play out from the back and with him willing to work harder than we sometimes see, it meant that we were not overpowered in the midfield area.

Also contributing to that plan was the magnificent James Milner. Derided by his critics as just someone who runs around a lot without having any technical ability, he forced them to gobble huge chunks of humble pie with a seriously outstanding performance. Positioned for the first hour on the right wing, he enjoyed a fierce battle with Cesar Azpilicueta, teasing him out wide and then drifting infield to support our attacks. Then, filling in briefly at right-back following Pablo Zabaleta’s red card, he emphasised what a tenacious and intelligent player he is with an important sliding tackle on the edge of our area. In central midfield, he injected energy into our play and then he finished the game as a marauding, match-changing left-back. It was thrilling to watch.

The recent influx of statistics as a form of analysis is one of the most infuriating aspects of the modern game, but when analysing Milner’s display yesterday, they serve a purpose to highlight just what a rounded showing he produced: the best pass completion rate, most completed crosses, most tackles made, most chances created and most one-on-one challenges won. City fans have long since appreciated the understated balance he brings to the side, but perhaps Sunday was the day in which the wider footballing world finally realised what a talented player he is.

If Milner was the most deserving choice for man of the match, that Eliaquim Mangala was awarded the honour at the ground was understandable. A combination of the Frenchman’s lack of fitness and Martin Demichelis’s excellent form had hitherto kept the new arrival on the sidelines, but thrown into the action by Pellegrini, he delivered a performance that would have sent shivers down many an opposing striker’s spine.

He looks like a phenomenal athlete. Physically imposing, he is quick, strong, powerful and fearsome. Indeed, all those attributes which so impressed supporters on Sunday are what we now take for granted from Vincent Kompany. That is a measure of how good our captain is on a consistent basis and reveals how good Mangala was against Chelsea. Together, as a partnership, they seem to have everything and their understanding will only grow the more they play alongside each other.

And yet for all that positivity, we could only secure a share of the spoils. In the circumstances, however, it felt like an important point: one gained rather than two lost. Things will only get easier from here onwards and there are promising signs that we are starting to hit our stride. Next up: the start of our defence of the Capital One Cup.

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