Following the Manchester City V Chelsea 2015 Premier League Week 2 fixture the question has arisen, are the Blues in trouble? Last season, there was never a week where Chelsea FC were not ranked at the top of the Premier League table. Starting with a 3-1 week one win over Burnley, the Blues were in first place for England's top-flight football division. After 37 more weeks of play, they still occupied that position, earning the Jose Mourinho-managed team a well-deserved league title.
With two weeks on the books for the new 2015 2016 season, though, it looks as if Chelsea FC have lost control. Starting with a surprise week one draw against Swansea City-a team that the Blues crushed on a point aggregate of 9-2 in their two head-to-head fixtures last season-Chelsea seem to have been thrown into a tailspin. Now, following the first big fixture of the English soccer season-an August 16th match between Chelsea and Manchester City-the Blues have picked up a loss and are sitting in 16th place on the Premier League table.
Sure, it's still early, and the wearers of the Chelsea football shirt may have a raw deal having to play one of their biggest rivals so early on in the season. Still, comparing this slow start to Chelsea's from-the-get-go domination last year, fans of the Stamford Bridge soccer squad have to be feeling at least a little bit worried about where the 2015 2016 might go from here.
Manchester City: This Season's Frontrunner?
Fans in the Manchester City t shirt 2015 2016, meanwhile, are nothing but gleeful following their football club's second big win of the season. Man City leaped into the lead after week one, winning an away fixture against West Bromwich Albion 3-0. This weekend, with another 3-0 win against Chelsea, they only widened that lead. Could the Sky Blues be playing the role Chelsea did last season, establishing a stranglehold on the Premier League's frontrunner position, and then never letting it go?
Only time will tell if Manchester City will be able to stick around at the top of the table, but they certainly seem to be at the top of their game after two straight weeks of great soccer. Even leaving aside the fact that City's big transfer of the summer-the £49-million Raheem Sterling-still hasn't scored a Premier League goal for the club, the Sky Blues are still starting to look unstoppable.
Indeed, other players have stepped up over the past two weeks, showing that City has plenty of depth to still thrive while their new star gets situated. During week one, longtime talent like Yaya Toure and David Silva stepped up, each providing a goal and an assist.
Against Chelsea, both players were integral once more. The 32-year-old Toure provided the assist that got Sergio Aguero-the top scorer for the entire Premier League last season-his first goal of the 2015 2016 campaign. The 29-year-old Silva, meanwhile, provided late game assists to help both Vincent Kompany and Fernandinho score.
Kompany is turning out to be one of the most interesting stories of the 2015 2016 Premier League. The 29-year-old Belgian defender scored a goal in week one too, which means he's provided two goals in as many weeks, after not scoring a single point in 2014 2015.
The Chelsea Sticking Point
While the Blues ultimately left Etihad Stadium with a score of zero-giving Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart his second clean sheet of the still-young season. Many fans maintained that Chelsea should have at least been credited for one goal. An early second half goal from Brazilian midfielder Ramires would have equaled the score for Chelsea, but was disallowed thanks to a questionable offside call. Another second half shot, from Eden Hazard, could have even put Chelsea in the lead, but was stopped in an impressive save by Hart.
Because of the disallowed goal and the close shave from Hazard-as well as the fact that Man City scored their last two goals at 79 minutes and 85 minutes, respectively, Chelsea football fans are suggesting that Saturday's lopsided 3-0 score doesn't accurately reflect how competitive and evenly matched the game really was. The fact that Chelsea's regular goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois, was suspended for this match thanks to a red card in week one, and it could be true that the loss against Manchester City this past weekend doesn't indicate weakness in the reigning Premier League champs.
Still, in the long run, the only thing that will matter about Saturday's game is the score, and that was absolutely in favor of the Sky Blues. Root for the current Premier League leaders by picking up a new Manchester City t shirt from Soccer Box.
Manchester City V Chelsea 2015: City Scores Big Victory, Trouble Lurks for Chelsea
August 18, 2015