FA Cup: 3 ways Manchester City can engineer Chelsea revenge

Less than a fortnight after a 1-0 defeat that could turn out to be crucial to the Premier League title race, Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini once again welcomes the man that has so far proven to be his nemesis to The Etihad stadium, as Jose Mourinho and his Chelsea side travel to face City in the FA Cup.

Putting aside his penchant for mind games for 90 minutes, Mourinho outwitted Pellegrini in the league fixture to deliver a tactical masterclass that helped his side to the top of the Premier League table.

City’s Chilean boss must surely have been back to the drawing board since that fixture, searching for solutions to the problems that Chelsea posed his side. Here are three things that Pellegrini should look at doing this weekend if City are to sustain their fight for silverware on four fronts.

1. Deal with Branislav Ivanovic:

One of the most obvious flaws in City’s display in the previous fixture was  their failure to deal with Branislav Ivanovic on Chelsea’s right hand side. In the absence of Samir Nasri, David Silva has been playing on from the left hand side with a flexible position that allows him to drift, but a redeployment could be necessary tomorrow.

The lack of defence along City’s left side cost them dearly last time, with Ivanovic scoring the only goal of the game. The screenshot above shows the space that he was afforded moments before the goal. Whilst Alex Kolarov initially comes out to him as he receives the ball here, the movement of Eden Hazard in anticipation of Ivanovic’s ball down the line drags Nastasic into a wide area and forces Kolarov to cover centrally, leaving Ivanovic unmarked to sweep home a goal that would not have happened had the side’s left midfielder been performing his defensive duties.

Silva ‘s Heat Map above shows that he rarely stuck to his left side position, roaming across the pitch. To keep him rigidly on the left would be a waste of his talents, but allowing him to roam risks leaving the side’s left back exposed once again.

Ivanovic Headed Duels

Even if Silva were to keep his position, there are areas that his defensive capabilities just cannot deal with. The main one of these is the seven inch height difference between him and Ivanovic. Chelsea aimed a number of goal kicks and long balls at Ivanovic the last time these sides met, and it may provide the side with more balance and defensive solidity if Pellegrini were to consider a left hand partnership of Kolarov in front of Gael Clichy.