Despite their recent woes, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes Chelsea FC will be back among the Premier League elite before too long. Ahead of the two sides meeting in the final league fixture before the next international break, Pep proclaimed that Chelsea will be league title contenders again “sooner or later.”
The Blues finished 12th last season, their worst showing since 1993-94, when they placed 14th. They enter this weekend sitting 11th in the table.
Chelsea vs Man City FYIs
Kickoff: Sunday Nov. 12 , 4:30 pm, Stamford Bridge
Starting XI Predictions: Chelsea Man City
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
However, they have a ton of recent history, winning the league five times during the Roman Abramovich era (2016-17, 2014-15, 2009-10, 2005-06, 2004-05).
“They [Chelsea] are getting better, every manager needs time,” Guardiola said at his weekly Friday press conference.
“New club, new players, but sooner or later they will be a contender as the qualities in all the departments are there. Chelsea are one of the most important teams in England, in that period they won the Champions League with Thomas Tuchel against us.
“It’s one of the strongest teams, no doubts about that.
“They are alive, good spirit, aggressive, good patterns, it’s one of the toughest games we have in the season. But at the same time, we go there optimistic with what I have seen, the training and mood of the team.
“We are top of the league right now and this is what we have to try and maintain the quality of the game.
Guardiola continued:
“But sooner or later Chelsea will be fighting for the title, no doubt about that.”
It kind of sounds like Pep is saying his version of some recent comments Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino made. The first year Chelsea manager says his club is “really building something” (go here for more on that) and that “very good things are coming (go here for more on that).
Only time will tell if Pochettino’s remarks are a freezing cold take, or prophetic.
Despite Chelsea dealing with historical level struggles right now, and Manchester City sitting top of the table, as reigning treble winners, Pochettino will not embrace the underdog narrative for tomorrow’s big match.
All the prediction and projection makers say otherwise, but Poch is not having it.
Chelsea is never the feeling of underdog,” the Argentine said.
“You are Chelsea, it’s impossible. The history is there. We cannot go and say we are the big team of the day, we need to go there and try and be protagonists with our personality, our character.
On Monday, to go to Tottenham and finish the game 4-1 and win the game showed we have character and talent to compete and fight with the best clubs in England.
“Now we have to build that confidence which for sure will help us to be more competitive.”
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.