Denis Zakaria is looking ahead to Chelsea's clash against Manchester City to overcome the disappointment of drawing with Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. The Blues went 1-0 up through Raheem Sterling on New Year's Day but could only share the spoils as Steve Cooper's men dominated much of the second half and were rewarded for their efforts with an equaliser from Serge Aurier.
It was a frustrating start to 2023 for Graham Potter's team, with the Blues boss accepting Chelsea did not deserve three points. Zakaria was one of few players to come out of the game with any credit but was replaced by Mateo Kovacic before Forest managed to level the scores.
Kalidou Koulibaly suggested that Chelsea struggled to deal with the home side's aggression but both he and Zakaria have been unable to explain why things are not working out for the Blues. The Swiss midfielder believes they have little choice but to be ready to take on Manchester City.
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He said: "Yes, it was a tough game. But we knew it would not be an easy game. We drew and it is not a good result for us but we have to work and be ready for Manchester City. It’s hard to say [what’s going wrong] but we have to play better. Today, we didn’t play well. It was difficult to take the three points here if you don’t play well. We just have to work as a team and it will get better. It’s difficult to say exactly why it is not working."
The Blues have struggled in front of goal this term and were only able to direct two shots on target against Nottingham Forest - a familiar issue throughout the course of the season that even precedes Potter's tenure.
The pressure to capitalise on the few true chances Chelsea create will be highlighted by the quality of Pep Guardiola's team. Zakaria did not make any bones about the challenge his side will face and acknowledged the Blues must score at every opportunity. Though he does expect his side to improve.
He said: "I will prepare for it like the other games. Every team is good in the Premier League so you have to prepare. I will be ready like always. We’re looking forward to play in a top football match. Against City, it is always really, really difficult so we will have to play well and score all our chances. We will have to do a big game, if we don’t do a big game against Manchester City then it is hard to win.
"Of course, Chelsea is a big team. We all know that. Yes, it is a difficult time for us but it will improve in the future, for sure."
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