CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TIMES 2!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chelsea took on Manchester City in the Champions League final on Saturday night in Porto. Fans in the stadium, ex legends in the stadium everyone was present and similar to the FA Cup final there was a real feeling that it was a big game unlike last years Champions League final. Tuchel picked the exact same team that I predicted with Mendy in goal, Azpilicueta, Silva, and Rudiger making up the defence and Reece James and Chilwell making up the wing backs. Jorginho and Kante made up the midfield while Mount, Werner, and Havertz made up the front three. Strongest lineup by Tuchel arguably and Chelsea were ready to go. Pep played the predicted team as well with a 4-3-3 formation but weirdly he played no defensive midfielder. No Fernandinho or Rodri in the lineup and Gundogan was playing in that position. Sterling surprisingly got a rare start. Either way strong lineups no excuses and the game began.
The first chance came to Sterling in the 8th minute as a ball over the top found him through but Reece made a great recovery run to defend the goal from Sterling. Werner then had a brilliant chance at the other end but fluffed his shot and City went right down the other end to create a chance but Chilwell made a big block. Werner then had another good chance but his shot just got stuck under his feet as it went to close to Ederson. Werner then had his 3rd chance in the opening 15 minutes as his shot from the left hits the net after getting deflected by a City player. Rudiger then made an amazing block in the 27th minute as Foden found himself open right in front of Mendy, world class. Thiago Silva had to sadly come off in the 36th minute as it seemed he might have injured his groin. Christensen came on for him. Chelsea then got the goal in the 42nd minute as Chilwell passed into Mount and Mount put in a brilliant through ball for Havertz who broke the line and dribbled past Ederson to slot the ball into an empty net. A massive goal for Chelsea going into half time and fully deserved as Chelsea had the more clear cut chances in the 1st half.
The 2nd half started with City in dominance but De Bruyne had to come off in the 56th minute as he collided with Rudiger. The collision left him with some fractures in his face and he left the pitch crying. It was a sad thing to see as Jesus came on for him. City then wanted a penalty for the ball hitting Reece on the body and then hitting the hand but the referee was adamant it was a deflection and VAR did not overrule it. Fernandinho then came on as well as Pulisic. City went through a dominant period of possession as Chelsea had to grind it out defensively. Azpilicueta then made another game saving block as he cleared the ball from 2 yards in front of goal. Chelsea broke in the 73rd minute and Pulisic had a great chance to make it 2 but his shot went just wide of the post. Aguero and Kovacic came on for the final 10 minutes of the game. Chelsea then made some final blocks in 7 minutes of extra time to seal the win. The whistle blew and Chelsea were CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE!!!
Chelsea Team Review
Goalkeeper
Mendy keeps another clean sheet and breaks the record for most clean sheets by a debut goalkeeper in the competition. We can talk about the stats in the season review but the game was flawless. Mendy really didn’t have much to do mainly due the defence making so many good tackles. The story he has been on in his career, last night was a reward for his hard work.
Defenders
Reece James, Azpilicueta, Silva, Rudiger, Christensen and Chilwell were impeccable. Just flawless. Every single player dominated City. Reece James pocketed Sterling and didn’t let him breathe while the same can be said for Chilwell and Mahrez. Azpilicueta, Silva, Rudiger and Christensen all made goal saving blocks throughout the game and showed why Chelsea have one of the meanest defences in world football. An amazing performance by them.
Midfielders
Jorginho, Kante, and Mount had great games as well. It was no nonsense performance from Jorginho as he controlled the tempo of the game and played out of pressure. Kante was his world class best and one of the best moments came when he tracked back and made a brilliant tackle on De Bruyne who was about to enter the Chelsea box. Mount got the assist for the goal and what an assist it was. It was a perfectly weighted pass and his pressing was dogged from the beginning. Mount also tracked back at one moment to make an amazing block. Kovacic came on for Mount for the final 15 and saw out the game. Kova’s ability to dribble out of the press really helped Chelsea.
Forwards
Werner had his usual game in terms of this season. Missed 2 really good chances and one decent chance in the first 15 minutes. If it was Werner from last season then we would have been 2 or 3-0 up at the very beginning. Other than that it was his constant runs behind the City backline that cause problems. Even the goal it his decoy run which allowed Havertz to find space down the middle as it dragged Dias to go with Werner. Havertz was impeccable his movement for the goal and his calmness to dribble past Ederson and finish was immense. He’s repaid whatever his transfer fees was and it’s only just the beginning. Pulisic came on in the 2nd half and had a great opportunity to make it 2-0 but apart from that he did well to manage out the final minutes.
Tuchel
Wow what a manager. Beat Pep 3 teams in a row and unlike his counterpart he stuck with what Chelsea were good at it. It was always going to be a tactical battle and Tuchel beat Pep in it. To think it’s just the beginning for him at Chelsea and there are many more trophies left to win. The belief and doggedness he has brought back into the club has made us a big game team once again.
Champions of Europe for a 2nd time. I don’t think I’m ever going to get tired of that unless we make it 3 hahaha. What a night for Chelsea Football Club from the fans to the players to the staff to Abramovich and the other families in the stadium. 2012 was special because it was the trophy that alluded our legends and they managed it in some sort of last dance. We fought hard and against the odds defending for a large part of that campaign winning through belief. Last night though it was a game we won because we were the better team. Not just in the final but through the whole competition. Group stage, Atletico, Porto, Real, and Man City. Utterly dominant. This is a beginning it feels like there is plenty more to come from this squad and this manager at Chelsea and the fans and players along with Tuchel are very excited. COME ON CHELSEA!!! CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE!!!
Park The Bus 