Three things to look for in Chelsea vs Manchester City

Chelsea kick off their campaign on Sunday!

Chelsea is about to start their 2024-25 campaign against Manchester City on Sunday, Enzo Maresca's first true match as Chelsea boss.

Maresca got an early taste of what it will be like going against Manchester City in their preseason tour, handing them a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Chelsea's mistakes.

With Chelsea's main players all assimilated into the squad and ready for the season to start, here are three main things to look for in Chelsea's first match.

1. The Width of Malo Gusto

I believe Enzo Maresca showed a little bit of how he envisions integrating Cole Palmer as a right winger. That is, he envisions omitting the inverting midfielder in Malo Gusto and having him create width while Palmer tucks into the right channel.

Many of us had this question when talking specifically about utilizing Chelsea's RBs and their crossing abilities. Still, Maresca is flexible in understanding his players' best traits in hopes of generating good opportunities.

One thing to note is that when the full-back is not inverting, the box-to-box midfielder has more defensive responsibilities, so it is imperative in transition that the box-to-box 8/10 returns so that the lone 6 doesn't have to go against counter-attacks by himself.

However, while Noni Madueke can play in that spot more as a touchline winger, you wouldn't need a right back to create that width because Madueke's skill set fills that position, creating more strength in the middle.

2 . Who starts on the left wing?

With Pedro Neto coming into the squad just last week, Enzo Maresca did not rule out him starting on the left wing in the first match. As preseason showed, both the fans, sporting directors, and potentially Maresca are considering the current options in that spot in Mykhalio Mudryk and Raheem Sterling. Getting action on both sides of the pitch is paramount, especially against a Manchester City side, and you have to have not just creative actions but goal-scoring opportunities. Mudryk and Sterling are far too loose on the ball for anyone's liking, so I wonder if Maresca will choose Neto even after only a week of training.

3. Can Chelsea build out of the back?

Against Manchester City in the preseason, Chelsea struggled mightily with their build, consistently turning the ball over with the pressure Manchester City put on the back line. Chelsea needs to ensure that they are tidy in the back because if there is a way to get chances against Chelsea, it is pressuring their back line. It appears that the back three in the build-up will be Fofana (RCB), Colwill (CCB), and Cucurella (LCB), so it will be crucial that they move as one and think the same way. There is no Thiago Silva to bail them out, so this group needs to gel quickly and avoid mistakes.

****LIVE WATCH ALONG****

As always we are happy to bring you another live watch along for the first match of the season against Manchester City. We have had fantastic feedback and viewership in the preseason, but we hope to even exceed that during the real season! Feel free to click stream to join the live watch along or at the very least leave a like before hand (everything helps with the algorithm!)

Watch along begins at 4:15 PM (UK) / 10:15 AM (CT)

~ CFCDP (Dylan)