Premier League: Issues already for Chelsea
Chelsea 0 - 2 Manchester City
Erling Haaland scored on his 100th Manchester City appearance as the Premier League champions began the defence of their title with a win over Chelsea.
As always, thank you for your fantastic support.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 18, 2024
See you Thursday. 💙#CFC | #CHEMCI pic.twitter.com/7CQ3fp0Ovj
The Norwegian forward opened the scoring on 18 minutes with a dinked finish over Robert Sanchez. Former Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic made the game safe late on with a curling shot from just outside the penalty area.
It was ultimately far too comfortable for the Champions. Chelsea had spells of possession but never looked as though they had the clinical edge to score. As has become far too common recently, issues off the pitch have started to dominate the headlines at Stamford Bridge.
Macca, a Manchester City fan, told us: "Chelsea are an absolute circus. I think our fans don't appreciate how well the club is being run compared to them. They've spent so much more than us but look a very poor side."
Lewis, a Chelsea fan from Greater Manchester, was in full agreement with Macca. He added: "It was a pretty shambolic pre-season. I dread to think how bad things are behind the scenes."
What's going wrong at Stamford Bridge?
The inevitable issues with Chelsea's huge squad started even before the season kicked off. Raheem Sterling announced his discontent an hour before the match kicked off.
Moments after the matchday squad was announced, Sterling's representatives released a statement saying they wanted more clarity about his role within the team and that they had expected him to be involved in this opening weekend fixture.
According to the official Chelsea website, they have a 42-man squad, which includes 11 summer signings. With only 20 players allowed in a matchday squad, Sterling was among many names that missed out
Premier League: 2024/2025 season (eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com)
