Pep Guardiola expressed surprise at Manchester City's 2-0 victory over Chelsea in their Premier League opener on Sunday, given the disruption of their preseason. The win was marked by goals from Erling Haaland and Mateo Kovacic, leading to a defeat for Chelsea under new manager Enzo Maresca.
Manchester City were missing all four of their Euro 2024 finalists—Rodri, Kyle Walker, John Stones, and Phil Foden—due to extended recovery time from their summer tournaments. Despite this, key players Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias, and Manuel Akanji, who returned late from training, played the full match.
Guardiola acknowledged the challenges posed by limited preparation time but praised his team's commitment. "I really didn't expect it. I know what these guys can do, but the first day and lack of training," said Guardiola. "We had two or three days to prepare, but we solved this lack of many things with our commitment. You cannot imagine how privileged and fortunate I am to live these experiences with this incredible group of players."
Chelsea, in contrast, are dealing with a large squad, with 43 players and over 50 including those on loan. This has led to difficult decisions, including the omission of Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell from the matchday squad. Conor Gallagher and Romelu Lukaku also did not feature, and none of Chelsea’s nine summer signings were included in Maresca’s starting lineup. Enzo Fernandez, despite recent controversies, was named captain.
City’s Haaland, who had a summer without international duties, scored in the 18th minute after Jeremy Doku’s cross was deflected by Bernardo Silva. Chelsea had a chance to equalize before halftime but failed to capitalize, with Ederson's mistake being nullified by Nicolas Jackson's offside position.
Foden had to come on earlier than planned due to an injury to Savinho. Despite Chelsea’s pressing for an equalizer, City managed to extend their lead, with Kovacic scoring the second goal after Sanchez's weak save.
Chelsea's Maresca noted, "I think we competed very well for much of the game. We were similar if not better. The performance was there but we didn't take the chances. Probably the big difference was inside the box."
In summary, Manchester City's strong start to their title defense contrasted with Chelsea’s ongoing adjustments under their new manager.
