Pep Guardiola would be delighted that his Manchester City side rose to the challenge of travelling to Stamford Bridge and getting the all-important three points after they won 2-0 against Chelsea.
City were far from their vintage best against Enzo Maresca’s side on Sunday.
But after 14 of Manchester City’s players participated at Euro 2024 and several of them missed pre-season, signs of rustiness were to be expected from the champions of England.
At times, the Sky Blues’ final ball was wayward, they were ceding far too much space in midfield in certain instances and in spells, the visitors were not retaining the ball well enough.
Regardless, Pep Guardiola’s men were the superior team than the hosts on the balance of play, despite key players like Rodri, Phil Foden, John Stones and Kyle Walker not starting the contest.
Guardiola makes Rico Lewis claim after Man City beat Chelsea
However, some of the Sky Blues’ young players in particular impressed.
Guardiola praised Savinho’s personality to put in a brave and impactful showing on his Premier League debut against a team of Chelsea’s stature.
Jeremy Doku was another player who looked bright in West London.
But it was Rico Lewis who stole the show, with Pep Guardiola revealing that he wondered to himself why he did not play him enough last season after Manchester City defeated Chelsea.
Jamie Redknapp asked the Catalan tactician on Sky Sports: “Pep, at the end of the game, I saw you give Rico Lewis a big cuddle. I thought he was magnificent today. Tell us about him.”
Guardiola replied: “Last season, he could not play a lot of games. I said, why I don’t make this player play?”
On beIN SPORTS as well, Pep Guardiola mentioned the £25,000-a-week man as one of the many players who stepped up to the plate for his side against the Blues.
“All of them, I could name Jeremy [Doku], I could name [Erling], I could name Rico, my God.”
Rico Lewis may have sent a message to Pep Guardiola with Chelsea display
Considering Lewis started just nine league games for Manchester City last season, with how influential he was against Chelsea, Pep Guardiola could give him more of a chance as a starter in the side this season.
The maturity that the Englishman showed by being able to float across from right-back to midfield and even further up the pitch to get on the ball and impact proceedings was another demonstration of his deep understanding of Guardiola’s system.
While Lewis’ clearance to deny Pedro Neto a tap-in to kickstart his debut at Stamford Bridge was the defining moment of the clash that meant City were able to push on and get over the line.
In back-to-back starts against Manchester United and Chelsea, Lewis has sent a message to Guardiola that he is ready to be trusted against the very best.
Whether Pep Guardiola has heard the message loud and clear will be interesting to see.
