Man City kicked off their season in style and ready to dust off those offseason cobwebs with an almost seemless win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Today we are going to discuss the 3 key talking points from the clash:

WOW! What a performance! Rico Lewis has been an outstanding addition to the City squad since his first senior debut against Sevilla after being bumped up from the Academy two years ago, and it seems there was no difference in his quality against the Londoners as he was ready to take over from being Kyle Walkers understudy. Tackles, movement of the ball, and his ability to invert as a pivot next to Kovacic was exceptional and definitely makes him a contender for the Elusive right-back position that Walker has occupied for so many years. His ball-carrying gives Pep more options as well as his right-back can cover most areas of the pitch, unlike Walker who has become quite one-dimensional with age.

Rodri's absence from this fixture was anticipated due to the Spaniard running into the ground after a 67-game season and a Euro 2024 campaign that ran right to the very end, this meant Mateo Kovacic had to fill in but it appeared a seamless transition for the Croatian international as he was controlling the ball alongside Rico Lewis which provided the middle of the park with stability and helped the team transition to the wingers. This was most evident in his superb strike as he took 3 of Chelsea's prized 100M midfielders out of the game and slotted the ball into the top corner. The excellence of Kovacic is welcomed after the woes of Kalvin Phillips occupying the back up CDM role for the Champions.

Pep began the opening fifteen minutes with summer signing Savinho on the left and Doku on the right, which on paper sounds great! You have a left footer on the left and a right footer on the right who can put crosses into the box for the striker! However, this quickly changed as Doku's final product on his left foot let him down. Minutes later they switch and its normal service resumes with the Belgian making Darting runs down the left cutting inside and creating chances! Even now Doku still seems a raw talent and one we will have to wait to see the finished product.

City take on Ipswich in our first game back at the beloved Etihad Stadium in the Premier League! CMON CITY!