Chelsea slip to 10th place – Guardiola’s Joker sting: “I’m a genius”

taketonews

Man City approach Arsenal

Whilst Chelsea provide plenty of talk and facts behind the scenes in the transfer market, the team, who have been strengthened for over €300m this season, find themselves 10th in the Premier League table. The 1-0 defeat against champions Manchester City was their sixth defeat of the season – ten points behind the Champions League places. The Blues have only been worse off twice after 17 games in this millennium.

Erling Haaland, the island’s most valuable player, was enough after the win. “BIG. THREE. POINTS,” the Man City goalscorer wrote on Twitter. This time it was not the former BVB professional who scored the goal of the evening, but Riyad Mahrez, who was substituted on not even four minutes earlier after preparatory work by Jack Grealish, who was also substituted on. Blessed is the one who can bring two players who have cost more than 185 million euros in transfers.

Coach Pep Guardiola made the right choice after a disappointing first half for the injury-strewn hosts at Stamford Bridge in London. “I’m a genius,” he joked, because after the game against Everton (1-1) on New Year’s Eve, he was asked why he didn’t make a substitution before the 81st minute. “I thought about that today and made a few substitutions.”

Highest transfer spend in a season: Chelsea close in on Real & Barça

13 PSG | 2017/18 | Additions: 5 | Expenditure: 238 million euros

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Transfer balance: -140 million euros

12 United | 2022/23 | Additions: 6 | Expenditure: 240 million euros

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Transfer balance: -227 million euros

11 Chelsea | 2020/21 | Additions: 7 | Expenditure: 247 million euros

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Transfer balance: -191 million euros

10 Atlético Madrid | 2019/20 | Additions: 10 | Expenditure: 247 million euros

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Transfer balance: +62 million euros

9 Real Madrid | 2009/10 | Additions: 8 | Expenditure: 259 million euros

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Transfer balance: -170 million euros

8 Juventus | 2018/19 | Additions: 9 | Expenditure: 260 million euros

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Transfer balance: -147 million euros

7 Chelsea | 2017/18 | Additions: 10 | Expenditure: 261 million euros

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Transfer balance: -66 million euros

6 PSG | 2018/19 | Additions: 6 | Expenditure: 262 million euros

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Transfer balance: -148 million euros

5 FC Barcelona | 2019/20 | Additions: 8 | Expenditure: 299 million euros

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Transfer balance: -146 million euros

4 Man City | 2017/18 | Additions: 10 | Expenditure: 318 million euros

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Transfer balance: -226 million euros

3 Chelsea | 2022/23 | Additions: 10 | Expenditure: 331 million euros

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Transfer balance: -274 million euros | Plus about 17.5 million euros for coach Graham Potter

2 Real Madrid | 2019/20 | Additions: 9 | Expenditure: 356 million euros

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Transfer balance: -219 million euros

1 FC Barcelona | 2017/18 | Additions: 7 | Expenditure: 380 million euros

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Transfer balance: -148 million euros

This is the sort of “hard-fought and learned victories that change the mindset and mood of a title fight,” said the Independent newspaper. Because thanks to the away win, Manchester City came within five points of leaders Arsenal, who played 0-0 against Newcastle United in the top game on Tuesday.

“It could be seven or ten or eight points, now the gap is five points,” said Guardiola. “We have to look at ourselves.” But he must also admit that Arsenal play the way they deserve to be there, Guardiola praised. With Arsenal’s points tally so far, every club in league history has also won the league at the end of the season – apart from Liverpool, who were intercepted by Guardiola’s “Citizens” in 2018/19.

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