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AFTER 50 years, Chelsea and Manchester City lock horns once again in an European tie and this time the stakes are extremely high with not only bragging rights but more importantly the financial rewards that come with success.
Back in 1971, the two clubs met in the semi-final of the European Cup Winners Cup with City being there on the account of being the holders; while the Blues were England’s representatives having won the FA Cup for the first time in an enthralling final against Leeds United after a replay in 1970.
Chelsea came out tops winning 1-0 home and away to advance to the final. In a quirk twist of fate Real Madrid were the opponents (this year Chelsea disposed of Real in the semis) and Chelsea triumphed 2-1 in a replay after the first game ended 1-1.
Chelsea had the honour of becoming the first English team to take part in the then European Cup in 1955, but were barred from participating by the England FA and sadly never got that opportunity again. Chelsea finally got to play in the premier European competition when it became known as the Champions League in 1999 and since 2003 have been regular participants.
Over the past decade, Chelsea have been the most successful English side in Europe, having won the Champions League in 2012 and the Europa League in 2013 and 2019. Moreover, Chelsea hold the record of making the semis the most number of times among the English teams.
The Chelsea revolution began when Ken Bates bought the club in 1982 and went up a notch when Glenn Hoddle became the manager in 1993 and took the team to the FA Cup final in 1994 although they lost to Manchester United. Big names like Gianluca Vialli, Ruud Gullit and most importantly Gianfranco Zola joined and Chelsea really took off.
The ultimate breakthrough came when Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003 and since then Chelsea have become an European powerhouse.
This will be Chelsea’s third final in the Champions League, having won one and lost one. Chelsea came close five other times but made the exit in the semis.
One that stands out is the second leg semi-final in 2009 when present City manager, Guardiola, brought his Barcelona side to Stamford Bridge after a 0-0 draw in the first leg. This was a match that was stolen by the referee Tom Henning Ovrebo for Barcelona when he waved off FOUR clear penalty appeals by Chelsea and there was mayhem at the stadium at the end of the match when a 1-1 draw sent Barcelona to the final.
In 2018 Ovrebo admitted he made a series of mistakes and that he ‘cannot be proud’ of his infamous performance.
Although Guardiola was not a party to the great injustice Chelsea suffered, it’s time for retribution and what better platform than the Champions League final. Although Chelsea got the better of Barcelona in the 2012 semis, Guardiola was not the manager.
So, the stage is set for the final on May 28 in Porto and Chelsea have seen a resurgence following the appointment of Thomas Tuchel as manager in January. Tuchel has already gotten the better of Guardiola twice, in the FA Cup and the league, although it must be said it was not a full City side in both the games.
Now that Chelsea have qualified for the Champions League next season, they will be under no added pressure in the final and that will be a huge relief.
Tuchel has beefed up Chelsea’s defence that has become rock solid since taking charge and is in fact the envy of Europe as they disposed of Atletico Madrid, Porto and Real Madrid when very few gave them a chance of progressing past the Round of 16. Chelsea have conceded just 15 goals in 29 league and cup games.
Since the arrival of Tuchel a new lease of life has been given to players like captain Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger and Jorginho while English players Tammy Abraham and Callum Hudson Odoi have seen their chances virtually disappear.
German duo Kai Havertz and Timo Werner, despite their profligacy in front of the goal, seem undroppable and this has resulted in Chelsea winning matches by just a goal. It must be said that Werner has a tremendous work rate and gets into goal scoring opportunities regularly. He’s got great movement, loads of energy but his finishing is absolutely woeful. Werner was bought to score goals and he simply has not done that. He has scored just eight goals in 44 appearances and that certainly is not the hallmark of a top striker.
Chelsea desperately need Werner to get his act together against Man City as he’s going to be a crucial player in unlocking the City defence with his speed. Chelsea will rely heavily on quick counterattacks with the likes of Werner, Christian Pulisic and Mason Mount. This strategy has worked very well the two times Chelsea beat City and we can expect the game to be played in a similar vein in the final.
N’Golo Kante is probably going to be the most important player if Chelsea are to overcome City and it was a good move to rest him in the last league match against Aston Villa. The Man of the Match in both games against Real Madrid in the semi-finals, with his endless energy, will be the key cog in the Chelsea engine.
Much will also depend on Mount and Pulisic who on their day will absolutely run the City team ragged. The wizardry of both players must come to the fore on the biggest stage of their lives so far. The combination of Kante, Mount, Pulisic and hopefully Werner will make this Chelsea side a team no one would want to play against and City will be put to the sword on Saturday.
This is by large the most important match in the lives of the players and the coach will ensure they are in the right frame of mind. But the biggest test is what plays out in their heads. The euphoria of reaching the final is now a thing of the past. The tactics and fitness they have been learning and undergoing will matter little if they are not mentally prepared.
This is where the Chelsea pedigree will come to the fore as time and again they have displayed under so many different managers in the Abramovich era that under any adversity the Chelsea team will rise to the occasion.
It's not going to be any different on Saturday night in Porto as I see nothing but a win for Chelsea. - The Vibes. May 28, 2021
Mohan Thambirajah is a sub-editor at The Vibes