Paul Merson has now made an interesting prediction ahead of the Premier League clash between Chelsea and Manchester City on Sunday.
The 55-year-old made the comment when writing for Sky Sports.
So, what did Paul Merson write about Chelsea and Manchester City? Let’s take a look…
What’s the story?
Well, the Sky Sports pundit believes the way in which Pep Guardiola instructs his Manchester City side to perform could actually benefit Chelsea.
Merson wrote: “Tottenham were going to have a go at Chelsea and that’s why I was bullish about them being able to get something. That plays into Chelsea’s hands. Man City will be the same. Chelsea will cause them problems, no doubt about it, but Man City will cause major problems at the same time.”
We can’t say we agree, in all honestly.
Yes, Tottenham play an expansive style which is similar to Manchester City, although Ange Postecoglou’s side are a lot more gung-ho and also far more inexperienced than Guardiola’s men, so Chelsea were able to get at them.
However, the treble winners are far more savvy.
Whether it comes in the form of tactical fouling, overloading the middle with inverted full-backs or something else, Guardiola rarely leaves his side exposed, so we can’t actually see Chelsea causing Manchester City that many problems, as Merson predicts the Blues will.
Manchester City must be wary of Cole Palmer in Chelsea clash
This Sunday will be Cole Palmer’s first ever game against Manchester City.
The 21-year-old spent 15 years at Manchester City before leaving in a £42.5m deal on transfer deadline day to join Chelsea.
Palmer took a couple of weeks to break into Mauricio Pochettino’s starting XI, but he is now thriving in west London, recording five goal involvements in his last four Premier League appearances.
While we expect Manchester City to win on Sunday, Guardiola must be wary of the monster he helped to create.
