Chelsea vs Manchester City: Where to watch the match?
Chelsea will face a baptism of fire to start the season under new manager Enso Maresca – a match against the league’s strongest team. The Argentine manager knows Manchester City inside out, having been Pep Guardiola’s assistant before moving to Leicester, which he later took to the Premier League. However, facing the Citizens will be a different story, especially given the transfer chaos Chelsea are currently in.
The club has signed eight very talented players before the season, including Pedro Neto, a star player in the Polish League, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, a central midfielder valued in England, and the very talented Mark Guiu from FC Barcelona. At the same time, the club is getting rid of Conor Gallagher, a valued ‘fighter’ attached to The Blues. The effect of these moves is almost 50 players in the Chelsea first team, of which around 25 cannot be sure of a place in the squad or the wider squad.
There is still a huge mess in Chelsea’s offices, which have hired eight coaches since 2018. The new coach was appointed in June by the Italian, who faces the most difficult task of his career so far. Taking control of the dressing room, building a team that has been torn apart by too many transfers, and selecting a broad squad from a huge number of talented players – these are the tasks that have faced Maresca since he joined the club.
Chelsea v Manchester City: Match Preview
Manchester City limited themselves to one transfer before the start of the season. Savinho, a former player of Girona, which belongs to… City Football Group, the owner of the English champions, joined the club. However, the Brazilian winger was loaned to the club from Spain straight from Troyes, which also belongs to a state holding company from the Emirates. The legality of this transfer was questioned by many experts, but under the current regulations, Manchester will not face any major consequences for it.
However, these may be imposed on the “Citizens” for violating the financial regulations of the Premier League. The league authorities have found 115 cases of illegal settlements in the actions of the City authorities. It seems that if the case did not concern such a powerful club, the verdict against MC would be very severe, including relegation and a financial penalty. Due to the huge resources and employment of the best lawyers, the City Football Group authorities will probably avoid more serious consequences.
In September, behind closed doors, the hearings will begin and are expected to last around 10 weeks, and the verdict is expected to be made public in the spring. A potential appeal by City, who do not admit guilt, could extend the entire case even further. In the case of a severe punishment, an appeal is almost certain, because theoretically the club could even face relegation. Last season, Everton and Nottingham Forest were punished with a points deduction for a much smaller number of violations. Even if the case ends relatively mildly, i.e. with a points deduction, it could decide the championship. The last three titles for coach Josep Guardiola’s team did not come easily. Last season, Arsenal collected two points less, and in 2022, Liverpool had only one less.
Chelsea – Manchester City: Where to watch the match? TV and online broadcast
The Chelsea – Manchester City match will take place on Sunday, August 18 at 5:30 p.m. The match will be broadcast on Viaplay.
Source: Radio ZET/AFP/Transfermarkt/PAP/PAB
