How Chelsea Sunk Manchester City's Battleship in Porto

After a unique season that seemingly progressed infinitely, European club football concluded with the Champions League final on Saturday with Thomas Tuchel leading Chelsea to their second European crown in a resounding five-month turnaround since his arrival at Stamford Bridge. Throughout the knockout stages of the Champions League, in particular, Chelsea looked the most prepared and formulated side in execution almost like every player knew exactly what their role with each passing game, it rarely seemed as though it wasn't going according to Tuchel’s plan, the final was no different.  

If you have been living under a rock or were too busy enjoying the June sunshine, Pep Guardiola stayed true to his ‘overthinking in big games’ narrative like a maverick professor who experiments just a little too much with alchemy when he is close to the right formula, in the Champions League anyways. As line ups were produced before kick-off the hullabaloo was of no Fernandinho, no Rodri, no CDM, all, out, attack.

It Was the Biggest Party of the Season and Only One Team Turned up

It is an operatic subplot in City and Guardiola’s quest for a UCL title since he had Lionel Messi in his arsenal. The genius who is too ingenious for himself.  Although the gossip was all about the exclusions of a CDM, it is worth mentioning that an out of form Raheem Sterling who has scored once in his last nine league games came in to play on the left having played a total of eight minutes in the four knockout games against Borussia Dortmund and PSG.