“I’m sure the pitch will be better at the Joie Stadium,” Man City’s interim boss Nick Cushing said following his side’s League Cup final defeat by Chelsea at the weekend. The dry, bobbly surface at Derby County’s Pride Park was hardly befitting of the occasion.
More than that, it played into Chelsea’s hands.
Man City have never been a team who favour the ugly side of the game. Saturday proved it. Cushing’s side dominated and controlled proceedings: they enjoyed more possession, a greater number of shots, more touches in the opposition box, more passes into the final third and better chances.
Instead, Chelsea wore them down with persistence and determination – it’s a doggedness no domestic side have quite matched. Sonia Bompastor’s side made more tackles, clearances and ball recoveries than their Manchester counterparts before forcing a game-deciding situation where Yui Hasegawa turned the ball into her own net.
Sky Sports’ Anton Toloui discusses Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Manchester City in the Women’s League Cup final
Off the ball Chelsea are the best in the business.
“Psychologically, it’s really important to win the first one,” Bompastor reflected. Neither of Chelsea’s two goals were particularly well choreographed but that matters not when the outcome ultimately belongs to them.
Chelsea manager Sonia Bompastor says that her first trophy as Chelsea manager ‘feels great’
A sandy pitch. An unfortunate bobble. A slice of luck. Chelsea always manage to come out on top in big games regardless of the circumstances because they believe wholeheartedly in their status as winners. And that belief has become their superpower. A money-can’t-buy mentality. Captain Millie Bright calls it a “magic gift”.
Where the Champions League differs, however, is the virtue of 180 minutes. Cushing, rehired by City to replace the outgoing Gareth Taylor just five days before Saturday’s final, now has the chance to exercise his own tactical nous. The perfect opportunity to prove City’s finesse on the ball can overpower Chelsea’s tenacity off it.
Cushing must employ a game-plan that plays to City’s exact strengths.
As the returning boss acknowledged post-match, finals “swing on moments”. But a two-legged tie allows City to seek control in a more measured way, taking time in the build-up phase, using patience to draw opponents out – like a game of chess, preying on Chelsea’s desperation to conquer the only competition that has so far eluded them. This is the trophy they yearn for.
Chelsea beat Man City to the League Cup in the first of four meetings across three different competitions in 12 days
City’s midfield trio – Hasegawa, Jill Roord and Viv Miedema – have the potential to play any team in Europe off the park. Add Jess Park to the mix, likely to come in for the injured Bunny Shaw, and they have far more creativity and ball intelligence than Chelsea’s central pairing of Erin Cuthbert and Sjoeke Nüsken, if not as much industry.
But City should not feel compelled to get dragged into a dogfight, they need only demonstrate conviction in what they do best. Cushing’s emotional attachment to the club and previous success should help with that.
“I have the belief this team can win. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t,” he reflected after losing round one of four at the weekend. That confidence needs to translate to his players pretty fast.
Unsurprisingly, last week’s training sessions had less tactical focus and were more geared towards players showing what they can offer during this high-risk, high-reward run of fixtures – the ‘pick-me’ showcase that any squad experiences when a new manager takes over and important games are on the horizon.
Following his side’s loss to Chelsea in the Women’s League Cup final, Manchester City interim coach Nick Cushing says City ‘did enough to win’.
Cushing should be better informed this time around and so attempting to marry City’s passing prowess with a sound tactical plan should come more naturally.
Grass on the pitch should help with fluency, too. City are only at their best when zipping the ball with pace and purpose – it’s how they beat Barcelona, the defending champions, 2-0 in the group stages. The physical battle will no doubt be won by Chelsea but the technical side should be City’s to own. Pack the team with pass masters.
Defender Bright, collecting her 14th major honour as a Chelsea player last weekend, got it spot on when dissecting the difference. “We can play scruffy… any type of game, we’ll be up for it,” she said. Cushing and City don’t have that same luxury; they are far more wedded to a set style but it’s one that can be liberating for the game-changers.
Tell Roord to join attacks. Offer Miedema the freedom to roam. Give Park the license to play across a fluid frontline.
Shaw’s injury blow is a significant miss but it should not be defining.
City should be buoyed by their League Cup performance, not shackled by it. Only then can they hope to blemish Bompastor’s near-perfect record and hit Chelsea, perhaps, where it hurts most.
