Enter the uber-nerd: Thomas Tuchel's rise to the top of football management
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel.
Much praise has been lavished on the Chelsea bounceback since Thomas Tuchel arrived to replace local hero Frank Lampard but, as Oscar Wilde remarked, the truth is rarely pure and never simple.
Yes, Chelsea have qualified for the Champions League again and there is a certain black humour to it being provided courtesy of Tottenham but this achievement obscures some lamentable outcomes during the 19 games the Bavarian has been in charge.
Arno Michels, assistant (53): Has been with Tuchels at all clubs since Mainz in 2009.
Benjamin Weber, video analyst (38): Tuchels inherited him from Jurgen Klopp at Mainz. They have been together ever since.
Zsost Low, coach (42): Hungarian. Worked with Tuchel at PSG. Former assistant to Ralf Rangnick at RB Leipzig.
Rainer Schrey (62): Nails-hard fitness coach who has worked with Tuchel since Mainz.
Philipp Schelb, Special advisor. A fellow Bavarian. Ostensibly deals with logistics but frequently on hand when Tuchel’s fuse appears to be running short, something not yet witnessed in his Chelsea career.
Olaf Meinking: Media lawyer, sports and music agent, and Tuchel confidante.
This is not the first time that Chelsea and Manchester City have met in European competition. And 50 years ago it was the Londoners who came out on top.
Manchester City were the defending holders of the European Cup Winners Cup, a trophy they had lifted under the direction of Joe Mercer and Malcolm Allison in 1970 by beating Gornik Zabrze of Poland 2-1. That same night Chelsea had defeated Leeds United in an FA Cup Final replay at Old Trafford, an encounter so thunderous that it remains one of the iconic games of British soccer history. This meant that two English clubs would contest the same continental trophy the following year.
The draw brought City together with Chelsea 12 months later. In April 1971 in a semi-final over two legs. City had already won 3-0 in an FA Cup tie at Stamford Bridge in January with a consummate performance from Colin Bell ― “Nijinsky” ― who scored two goals and dictated the match.
Then, as now, City were favourites to go through. Chelsea had reached the semis by overcoming a 2-0 deficit against Club Bruges the month before with a 4-0 victory. And they ran out first leg winners against City courtesy of a solitary goal from South African Derek Smethurst who only played 19 times in three seasons for the Londoners. On this occasion, he was standing in for the injured Peter Osgood and his shot past Joe Corrigan was set up with a header from David Webb who was pressed into emergency striker duties by manager Dave Sexton.
In the return leg, two weeks later on April 28, City had to win if they were to reach their second consecutive European final and 44,000 fans turned up at Maine Road to cheer them on. But an own goal from stand-in goalkeeper Ron Healy who fumbled a Keith Weller cross ensured that it was the West Londoners who went on to meet Real Madrid in the Athens decider.
*Man City have never beaten domestic rivals in European competition. Previous encounters with Tottenham, Liverpool and Chelsea have all ended in elimination.
*City are the ninth English club to appear in a European Cup final, more than any other country.
*City and Chelsea have both conceded just four goals en route to this final, the lowest total for the two finalists since 2006.
*Neither side have conceded more than once in a Champions League game in 2020/21.
*Mason Mount's goal in the semi-final second leg was Chelsea's 300th in the UEFA Champions League, group stage to final.
*Chelsea are the first club since Everton in 1910/11 to finish in the top four in the English top flight despite no player reaching double figures for league goals.
*Man City could become the 23rd side to win the European Cup, and the first new name on the trophy since Chelsea's 2012 triumph.
*Pep Guardiola, a winner with Barcelona in 2009 and 2011, could become the sixth coach to win the European Cup with two different clubs.
*City keeper Zach Steffen or Chelsea's Christian Pulisic could become the first American to appear in a European Cup final.
