Overview
Because Enzo Maresca suddenly left the hot seat, the context and expectations surrounding the great battle between Manchester City and Chelsea changed almost immediately.
Signs of dissatisfaction within Chelsea have been buzzing from before, but Maresca's departure is not considered urgent. Therefore, the Italian coach becoming the first person in Premier League history to leave his position on New Year's Day is surprising.
Maresca was once voted the best coach of November of the Premier League. However, since then, Chelsea's form has declined significantly, when the team has only won 1 of the last 7 matches under his time.
The 2-2 draw against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge - where The Blues conceded goals with an average frequency of 3.14 goals/match in the recent period - also became Maresca's last time sitting in the coaching chair. Bournemouth has not won since October, but has still taken points twice against Chelsea during that time.
Chelsea is not expected to be a championship contender this season. However, considering that they just won the FIFA Club World Cup last summer and have a young squad with great potential, the 15-point gap with the leading team Arsenal in the middle of the season is clearly not a positive sign.
That gap is even heavier if you look at key statistics. Chelsea have dropped 15 points from leading positions in the Premier League this season - exactly equal to the total points they dropped according to a similar scenario throughout the 2024-2025 season.
The most prominent candidate to replace Maresca at this time is Liam Rosenior, who is making an impression as head coach of Strasbourg - a Ligue 1 club also owned by BlueCo.
In the short term, Calum McFarlane is likely to be temporarily in the away match at Etihad. For Man City, their goal is to continue to put pressure on Arsenal with a victory, thereby narrowing the gap in the championship race.
Man City just had a not-so-easy New Year's opening match when they drew Sunderland 0-0 at Stadium of Light. In the context of Arsenal winning against Aston Villa, Pep Guardiola's team is currently 4 points behind The Gunners.
That draw ended Man City's 8-game winning streak in all competitions - a streak in which they always scored more than 1 goal per match. However, strength at Etihad is still a clear support. Man City has won 8 consecutive home matches in the Premier League, scoring 3 goals or more in 7/8 matches, including the last 5 matches.
With Chelsea, historical statistics also do not support it. They have only won their first New Year's match in the Premier League exactly once in the last 9 years of the solar calendar. In the context of off-field turmoil and professional issues, their departure from Etihad with 3 points will be a big surprise.
Head-to-head record
Man City is currently in a 7-match unbeaten streak against Chelsea in the Premier League - the longest in their league history against The Blues, equal to another 8-match unbeaten streak in the 1936-1949 period.
After a period of winning all four consecutive away games against Man City from 2005 to 2008, Chelsea has only won 3 in the last 16 trips to Etihad.
Notably, in the last 22 encounters with Chelsea in the Premier League, Man City only had one goalless match - a 0-2 defeat at Stamford Bridge in December 2018.
Score prediction: Man City 3-1 Chelsea
The match between Man City and Chelsea takes place at 0:30 AM on January 5th (Vietnam time).
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