“I am sure the field will be better at the Joie Stadium,” said the interim boss of Man City, Nick Cushing, after the last defeat on his part of the League Cup by Chelsea on the weekend. The dry, lumpy surface in the Pride Park of Derby County hardly suited the occasion.
More than that it played in the hands of Chelsea.
Man City has never been a team that prefers the ugly side of the game. Saturday proved it. The side of Cushing dominated and controlled procedures: they enjoyed more property, a larger number of shots, more accents in the opposition box, more fit in the last third and better opportunities.
Instead, Chelsea wore them with perseverance and determination – it is one with the pursuit, not a domestic side is quite linked. The side of Sonia Bompastor made more tackles, clearings and ball repair than their counterparts in Manchester before forcing a game -broken situation in which Yui Hasegawa changed the ball into her own net.
The best in the industry of the Ball Chelsea.
“Psychologically it is really important to win the first,” Bompastor thought. None of the two goals of Chelsea were particularly well choreographed, but that is not important when the outcome is ultimately theirs.
A sandy pitch. An unfortunate Bobble. A bit of luck. Chelsea always manages to get large games at the top, regardless of circumstances, because they heartily believe in their status as winners. And that faith has become super power. A money-not-buy mentality. Captain Millie Bright calls it a “magical gift”.
Where the Champions League differs, however, is the virtue of 180 minutes. Cushing, again hired by City to replace the outgoing Gareth Taylor only five days before the final of Saturday, now has the chance to practice his own tactical nous. The perfect opportunity to prove the finesse of the city on the ball can overpower Chelsea's tenacity.
Cushing must use a game plan that plays to the exact strengths of the city.
While the recurring boss recognized after the game, the final fluctuate at times “. But a two-penny draw allows City to look for control in a more measured way, take time in the construction phase, use patience to pull opponents and a game of chess, hunting the wan of Chelsea has been the only competition where they have.
City's Midden Field Trio – Hasegawa, Jill Roor and Viv Miedema – have the potential to play every team in the park in Europe. Add Jess Park to the mix, which probably comes in for the injured Bunny Shaw, and they have much more creativity and ball information than Chelsea's central combination of Erin Cuthbert and Sjoeke Nüsken, if not as much industry.
But City should not feel forced to be dragged into a dog fight, they only have to show conviction in what they do best. The emotional attachment of Cushing to the club and earlier success should help with that.
“I believe that this team can win. I wouldn't be here if I didn't,” he thought after losing one of the four at the weekend. That trust has to translate to his players fairly quickly.
It is not surprising that last week's training sessions had less tactical focus and were more focused on players who showed what they can offer during this risky, high-minded run of luminaires-de 'Pick-Me' show case that each team experiences when a new manager take over and important games on the horizon.
This time, Cushing should be better informed and therefore try to marry the passing bravery of City with a healthy tactical plan should come more natural.
Grass on the field should also help with fluency. City is only at their best when they zippers the ball with pace and goal – it's how they beat Barcelona, the title defender, 2-0 in the group phases. The physical struggle will undoubtedly be won by Chelsea, but the technical side must be the city to possess. Pack the team with Pass Masters.
Defender Bright, the collection of her 14th great honor as a Chelsea player last weekend, got it perfectly when dissecting the difference. “We can play nasty … every type of game, we will be ready,” she said. Cushing and City do not have the same luxury; They are much more married to a fixed style, but it is one that can be liberating for the Game Changers.
Tell a Roor to participate in attacks. Offer Miedema the freedom to roam. Give Park the permit to play on a smooth front line.
Shaw's injury is an important miss, but it should not define.
City must be stimulated by their competition cup version, not linked by it. Only then can they hope to enjoy the almost perfect record of Bompastor and touch Chelsea, perhaps, where it hurts the most.
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