Three things we learned – Chelsea 0:2 Manchester City

Manchester City started the season with an excellent win against Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea thanks to goals from Erling Haaland and Mateo Kovacic.

Haaland struck in the first half after receiving the ball in the box, weaving past several challenges and then lobbed the goalkeeper to score in his 100th game for City.

And then it was Kovacic, one of City’s players of the match, who decided the game with a brilliant shot late on after carrying the ball through midfield and scoring against his former club.

Here are three things we learned from the game:

A new defensive midfielder is not necessarily necessary as long as Kovacic is in the squad

Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images

The most important statistic from City’s first Premier League game is that they won away in the league without Rodri for the first time since a 4-0 victory over Norwich City in February 2022.

And that was largely due to Kovacic’s performance.

The 30-year-old barely put a foot wrong in midfield and showed his former club Chelsea what they were missing by outperforming the much more expensive trio of Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia.

His ability on the ball was never in question and his remarkable vision and technical ability – as well as his chemistry and understanding with his midfield colleagues – saw him play a crucial role in helping City break through Chelsea’s pressure.

However, many doubted whether he could match Rodri’s ability to clear up and defend Chelsea’s transition situations, especially when it appeared that Kevin de Bruyne and Bernardo Silva, as the two eights, were playing higher and further out than expected.

However, he was able to hold his own more than well and grabbed the ball several times when it was in a dangerous position.

He also showed an excellent performance when scoring his goal: he glided past Fernandez and Caicedo, noticed that the goalkeeper was slightly off-target and finished the shot.

Kovacic’s form is a welcome headache for Pep Guardiola. While he won’t displace Rodri from the team, he has a claim to a place in the starting eleven further up and certainly shows that we don’t necessarily need to bring in a new midfielder before the end of the transfer window.

Savinho is the real deal

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Manchester City’s only summer signing so far, 20-year-old Savinho from Troyes, made his first start yesterday and played a positive first 45 minutes in the Premier League.

He started the game on the left wing, his natural side as a left-footer, with Jeremy Doku on the right, and impressed in partnership with De Bruyne, while Doku struggled on the other flank against Marc Cucurella.

Just before City’s goal, the two wingers swapped (a decision Guardiola said they made between themselves after the game) and both stepped up their game. Doku was still not at his best but looked much more dangerous on the left and was getting better and better, while Savinho found his strength on the right.

He had no problems taking on Cucurella on the line, cutting inside with his left foot and getting into good positions, posing a real threat.

He could have improved in some areas as he was hesitant to cross the ball into the box, preferring instead to play a back pass or lay-off when he had space on the flank.

He was well aware of Guardiola’s instructions not to give the ball away easily and has chosen to play safe, which will appease his manager. But it’s about finding the balance between safety and creating chances, something former City wingers Riyad Mahrez, Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling excel at.

But his overall performance was good enough to keep his place against Ipswich Town next week, assuming he is fit after being replaced by Phil Foden at half-time due to a knee injury in what appears to have been a purely precautionary measure.

Rico Lewis is ready to start every week

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If there is one player whose performance has been so good that he deserves to be in the starting line-up for City over the next few weeks, it is Rico Lewis.

The 19-year-old was one of the best players on the pitch alongside Kovacic and Bernardo and has certainly earned a regular place at right-back for next week’s game against Ipswich.

He has weaknesses as a defender, mainly due to his height and his lack of ability in aerial duels. He also lacks the necessary pace.

But he more than makes up for this with his other skills, such as defensive positioning, tackling, one-on-one defending and awareness.

On the ball, he is as good as any player in City’s squad. His movements from right-back into midfield and his runs behind Chelsea’s defence helped to stretch the Chelsea team and his technical ability in tight spaces helped City overcome the pressure.

Next week’s game against Ipswich is a great opportunity for Lewis; if he impresses again, he will surely have the starting right-back spot for most games until he loses it.