Nuno Cruz / imago images / NurPhoto
Where is Schweinsteiger actually? The Chelsea fans celebrate their second handle pot
It was probably once Otto Rehhagel who said that money wouldn’t score goals. But it is possible to buy very good players for a lot of money – who then take over the scoring.
One such player is Kai Havertz. The German international switched from Bayer Leverkusen to Chelsea for around 80 million euros before the season – and scored the new club with his goal in the 42nd minute to triumph in the Champions League. Overall, according to information from transfermarkt.de, the Londoners spent around 250 million euros on new players before the season.
Fits in time
The opponent on this final evening in front of 14,000 spectators in the Portuguese port city of Porto also came from England – and invested a lot of money in new staff last summer. Central defender Rúben Dias alone was worth around 70 million euros for Manchester City. While many other clubs had to save due to the effects of the corona pandemic, Chelsea and City were able to spend the money with full hands thanks to (super) rich patrons. The Manchester club is owned by an investment company from Abu Dhabi, the London club to the Russian billionaire Roman Abramowitsch, both of whom were involved in the failed Super League. A Champions League final between the two fits in with the time.
From a sporting point of view, the victory of Chelsea FC was well deserved. Coach Thomas Tuchel had tactically aligned his team optimally on the opponent. Again and again the »Blues« embarrassed Manchester with so-called chip balls behind the defensive network. City, on the other hand, also seemed tense offensively and was rarely able to get through his positional play and pressing against an intelligently and intensely defending opponent. Riyad Mahrez missed the best chance in stoppage time (90 + 7).
Before the game, Manchester’s trainer Pep Guardiola had once again surprised the experts when he decided during the line-up to run without real “sixes”. “I’ve tried the best. I have the best line-up I could find, “justified Guardiola at the press conference after the game. Hardly anyone knows as much about football as the Catalan, Guardiola is considered a genius. But leaving the world’s best defensive midfielder on the bench with Rodri and transferring his duties to the more offensively thinking Ilkay Gündogan was a risk that didn’t pay off. Once again, Guardiola will have to put up with the accusation that she approached an important game in the Champions League too cunningly.
Tuchel’s triumph
Due to the lack of additional protection, City was extremely susceptible to counterattacks throughout the entire game. Just before half-time, it was Mason Mount who managed to play a sharp pass right between City’s central defense. Receiver Havertz stayed calm and accomplished to goal of the day. For the 21-year-old it was the first ever goal in the premier class. Havertz, who, along with N’Golo Kanté and full-back Reece James, was one of the best players in his team, could not have chosen a better time for his goal debut. Substitute Christian Pulisic missed the chance to make it 2-0 in the 73rd minute.
Probably the largest part of Chelsea’s second triumph in the Champions League after 2012 has coach Thomas Tuchel. The 47-year-old took over the team in January and put it back on the road to success. Born in Swabia, he won the handle pot for the first time in his career, after failing in the final with Paris St. Germain at Bayern last year. “Of course, now is the time to celebrate for a few days, enjoy and process it. But otherwise, surprisingly, it doesn’t do that much to you. And I think that’s good. Because nobody wants to rest. I don’t want to rest, ”said Tuchel after the final whistle.
He shouldn’t rest either – because club owner Abramowitsch is known for his high level of coach wear. He took over Chelsea in 2003 and has invested an estimated € 2 billion in players. Since then, the club has now won 17 major trophies. In the entire previous club history there were only ten. Money may not score goals – but it helps a lot.
