Guardiola reveals why Chelsea will be difficult beat in the UCL final, as Blues set to break bank to sign €80m Portugal international
The Premier League title winner coach speaks to the media ahead of the Champions League final between his Manchester City side and Chelsea
Pep Guardiola says Man City will not find it easy to stop Chelsea in the Champions League final as the off-the-ball movement when Thomas Tuchel’s side is in possession is “so clever” and well-coached.
On Saturday afternoon, the two Premier League heavyweights will go head to head in Porto to win the biggest prize in European football. Chelsea have twice reached this stage in the past, suffering defeat in Moscow to Manchester United in 2008 and overcoming Bayern Munich on their own patch in 2012.
For Man City, this is uncharted territory. Guardiola, though, has twice lifted the Champions League trophy as a coach. His experience will count for plenty in Portugal.
However, since the appointment of Tuchel by Chelsea at the end of January, the Blues have recorded back-to-back victories over Guardiola’s side. First in the FA Cup semi-final and then in the Premier League at the Etihad Stadium.
Yet he admits stopping the Blues at the Dragao on Saturday will be far from easy.
“When they have the ball it’s difficult to control them because of their players so close,” Guardiola explained at his pre-match press conference this afternoon.
“Their holding midfielders move perfectly with each other and, at the same time, they make the pitch so wide with wing-backs and so deep with the movement of [Timo] Werner.
“So they are difficult to control because they move perfectly with (Christian) Pulisic and (Mason) Mount in the pockets. Once these players get the ball, they are so direct. They are not players trying to pass the ball, their movement is so clever.
“I saw this morning their game against Aston Villa. They lost but they played good, controlled the game, the process they have they do really well. I couldn’t expect a tougher opponent. We know it.
“We’re going to face them knowing what we have to do to beat them. I’m more concerned about what we have to do with the ball.
“If our strategy with the ball is right – and the strategy from day one since we arrived – is with the ball. This is what we will work on the two or three days before the final on Saturday.”
Blues set to break bank to sign €80m Portugal international
According to reports, Chelsea has been given a huge boost in their transfer pursuit of Atletico Madrid star Joao Felix. The 21-year-old attacker is ready to leave the Los Colchoneros this summer, following recent links with both Chelsea and Man City.
Joao hasn’t quite settled at his current club, despite looking a real wonderkid at his former side Benfica, which led La Liga giants to pay huge money to sign him last campaign. Chelsea could do well to pounce on his situation, with Felix surely not losing his talent overnight, even if he hasn’t proven a great fit for Diego Simeone’s side.
There has been talk of Joao possibly moving to Barca in a swap deal involving Antoine Griezmann, but Chelsea could also be in the running. Chelsea surely need to make changes up front this summer after some highly disappointing form from Timo Werner and Kai Havertz in their first campaigns at the London club.
The FA Cup final defeat was bitterly disappointing and some fans may lose patience if they lose and don’t play well in the Champions League final, but it does feel like everything is being built for the longer term. All of this is positive for the club, but it will be interesting to see if he can stick around for years or if history repeats itself again.