Showdown
Once Upon A Time In The...North...West.
Man City and Chelsea are preparing for what could be a classic showdown
at the top of the Premier League but how will their super-strength
squads compare over the rest of the season? We look at a magnificent
seven key men...
By Words: Peter Fraser - Graphic: Sam Kallen |
Last Updated: 03/02/14 8:13am
The Etihad Stadium could be
renamed the OK Corral on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football when two of
the Premier League's top teams meet for what many believe will be a
title showdown and potential fight to the finish.
Whether in the dugouts or on the field, there are tense head-to-heads
everywhere you look between the Manchester City and Chelsea squads.
Never mind a few dollars more, it is a billion dollars more contest as
England's nouveaux riche face off with renowned managers, superstar
players and expensive imports.
From the gunslinging forwards, protective goalkeepers, hustling
playmakers and tactical bosses, both clubs have what are considered the
best squads in the league. The game itself therefore has all the
hallmarks of a Wild West classic but how will the key comparisons in
personnel develop beyond Monday and over the remainder of the campaign?
The Chief: Pellegrini v Mourinho
Master tacticians, leaders of men and focused on winning but, at the
same time, often good, bad and ugly personalities mean there is a
longstanding grudge. The pair do not get on and the dislike was
emphasised in the return fixture earlier in the season when pragmatic
City boss Manuel Pellegrini refused to shake charismatic Jose Mourinho's
hand after Chelsea's dramatic injury-time victory at Stamford Bridge.
The reason for the feud is seemingly Mourinho's decision to offer a
thinly-veiled criticism of Pellegrini after succeeding the Chilean as
Real Madrid manager in 2010. Pellegrini, having notched a record points
tally at the time, had been sacked and was less than impressed. He has
apparently proceeded to hold a resentment regarding Mourinho ever since.
Mourinho, though, has the upper hand and lost just once in seven games
against former Villarreal and Malaga boss Pellegrini in La Liga and the
Copa del Rey, winning five of them. That, combined with Mourinho's past
experience of winning Premier League and UEFA Champions League titles,
just about makes him the meanest manager in the business.
La Liga - Pellegrini v Mourinho | |
Games | 5 |
Wins | 1 |
Draws | 1 |
Losses | 3 |
Goals For | 6 |
Goals Against | 20 |
Win % | 20 |
|
The Deputy: Kompany v Terry
No good posse operates without an enforcer in the heart of the battle
to ensure their chief's orders are carried out, and rival captains,
City's Vincent Kompany and Chelsea's John Terry, are those men. Both are
Premier League title winners and are respected in world football as two
of the best in the business with a mixture of footballing knowhow and
brawn. Kompany averages 6.4 clearances per game in the Premier League
and has made 89 clearances overall in the season. He may have suffered
with injuries but he remains a colossus of a defender and leader for
City. Likewise, Terry - who is waiting to see if he will get a new
contract - is one of the finest centre-backs in Europe. The Chelsea
skipper may be ageing but his experience means he remains a feared
opponent. The former England international averages more clearances per
game (seven) than any of his club-mates and has made almost double that
of Kompany at 162 clearances in the campaign. Terry (0.7) also blocks
more shots per game on average than Kompany (0.4). But this is balanced
out by the fact Kompany averages more interceptions, successful offside
traps and tackles per game than Terry. It is therefore a head-to-head
which is impossible to call.
PL Head-to-Head | Clearances Per Game | Blocked Shots Per Game | Interceptions Per Game | Successful Offsides Per Game | Tackles Per Game |
Vincent Kompany | 6.4 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 2.4 |
John Terry | 7 | 0.7 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.9 |
The Rancher: Hart v Cech
Keeping things safe at the back and protecting the land of the
penalty area, both goalkeepers - Joe Hart and Petr Cech - are vitally
important for City and Chelsea, respectively. It has been a turbulent
season for Hart, resulting in him losing his place in the City team for a
period after a series of blunders - including in the game against
Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The England No.1 has consequently only made
16 appearances in the Premier League this season while Cech has been a
typical ever present for Chelsea with 23 outings. Hart has made more
saves per game than Cech but the latter has made more overall saves as a
result of playing more games. Interestingly, Hart has been forced to
make almost double the total of saves of Cech from shots from outside
the area while the latter has made more saves from efforts inside the
penalty box. Cech (70.2 per cent) just edges Hart (68.9%) in terms of
his shot saving success while Chelsea's long-serving goalkeeper, owing
to playing more matches, has made 27 catches to Hart's 17 at the same
time as having failed to produce a single drop. If it came down to a
head-to-head, Cech is the safer custodian.
PL Head-To-Head | Saves | Saves (Shots Inside Box) | Saves (Shots Outside Box) | Save % | Catches | Drops |
Joe Hart | 43 | 19 | 23 | 68.9 | 17 | 1 |
Petr Cech | 48 | 34 | 13 | 70.2 | 27 | - |
The Hustler: Silva v Hazard
Clever, sneaky and with all the tricks in the book to try and unlock
their rivals, David Silva and Eden Hazard are the key playmakers for
City and Chelsea. As they drift around the pitch, they are lethal
weapons in outwitting opponents for both of their respective sides and
have the skills to open up the tightest of defences. Hazard has
fulfilled his potential this season to mean he is Chelsea's top scorer
in the Premier League with nine goals and he has also produced his
club's most assists (five), key passes on average per game (2.6) and
dribbles on average per game (3.5 - the second highest total in the
Premier League). In eight less Premier League appearances this season,
City's Silva may have scored fewer goals (four) but he has seven assists
(the third highest total in the Premier League) and 3.9 key passes per
game, which is the best average in the division. Hazard may be the
master dribbler but for that little bit of hustling ingenuity to lead to
a goal, Silva is not nicknamed Merlin for no reason.
PL Head-To-Head | Goals | Assists | Key Passes Per Game | Dribbles Per Game |
David Silva | 4 | 7 | 3.9 | 1.1 |
Eden Hazard | 9 | 5 | 2.6 | 3.5 |
The Bartender: Fernandinho v Ramires
Doing all the hard work while others have their fun, this is
not quite the role of the water carrier but is perhaps the unsung hero.
Fellow Brazilians Fernandinho and Ramires will be in the centre of the
midfield tussle on Monday night and then they will go a long way to
deciding where the title race war is won or lost. Fernandinho has been
excellent in his debut season in the Premier League, eclipsing Ramires -
who has the greater experience of England's top flight having joined
Chelsea in 2010 - in almost every key area. In two less appearances,
Fernandinho averages more tackles (3.3), interceptions (2.4) and passes
(56.4) per game than his compatriot and has also scored more goals and
produced more assists. If Chelsea want to try and stop City, Ramires
will need to prevent Fernandinho from providing the service.
PL Head-To-Head | Tackles Per Game | Interceptions Per Game | Passes Per Game | Goals | Assists |
Fernandinho | 3.3 | 2.4 | 56.4 | 3 | 3 |
Ramires | 3.2 | 1 | 49.8 | 1 | 2 |
The Gunslinger: Negredo v Torres
This head-to-head is a good, old-fashioned face-off between two
sharpshooters from the west. Madrid natives Alvaro Negredo and Fernando
Torres, the latter of which is not fit for Monday night, could be the
men to score the goals to down their opponents over the course of the
season but, on paper at least, there is only one winner. City slicker
Negredo has taken the Premier League by storm. Chelsea's Torres, who
scored the deciding goal between these two teams at Stamford Bridge
after having an excellent game, is more mobile in his average dribbles
of 1.2 per game compared to Negredo's 0.4 but the latter is otherwise
superior in all other important areas for a striker. Negredo has played
more games, scored more goals, made more assists and averages more shots
and key passes per game. It would be a one-sided 10 paces at dawn.
PL Head-To-Head | Goals | Assists | Shots | Key Passes Per Game | Dribbles Per Game |
Alvaro Negredo | 9 | 3 | 2.7 | 1 | 0.4 |
Fernando Torres | 4 | 2 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 1.2 |
The Bounty Hunter: Aguero v Eto'o
Highly skilled, cunning and ruthlessly clinical, these men are not to
be underestimated. Manchester City's Sergio Aguero is a master of his
art and in the form of his life but the hamstring injury he sustained in
the line of fire against Tottenham Hotspur is a big blow after it ruled
him out for a month. Chelsea's Samuel Eto'o, meanwhile, is the old hand
who has seen it all before and has the experience of being a three-time
UEFA Champions League winner. Aguero, the Premier League's second top
goalscorer behind Liverpool's Luis Suarez, is the better marksman than
Eto'o this season with more goals, assists, shots, key passes and
dribbles on average per game. However, as Eto'o has demonstrated time
and again, particularly with his recent hat-trick against Manchester
United, he is a man for the big occasion and when the chips are down.
PL Head-To-Head | Goals | Assists | Shots | Key Passes Per Game | Dribbles Per Game |
Sergio Aguero | 15 | 5 | 4.1 | 1.6 | 1.5 |
Samuel Eto'o | 6 | 1 | 2.9 | 0.9 | 0.6 |
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