Two of the finest tacticians of the modern game will go head to head in the Champions League final on Saturday but Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel said it was wrong to view the match as a clash between himself and Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.
It’s not me versus Guardiola says Chelsea’s Tuchel
Tuchel is seeking his first Champions League title, after losing out to Bayern Munich with Paris Saint Germain in last season’s final, while Guardiola is looking to add to the two titles he won as coach of Barcelona in 2009 and 2011.
“I will never suggest that it’s me against Pep, We don’t have a match of tennis tomorrow. Pep will prepare his team and I will prepare mine in the best way possible,” Tuchel told a pre-match news conference on Friday.
Chelsea have beaten City twice since Tuchel took charge of the London club in January, winning in the FA Cup semi-final and then in the Premier League at the Etihad Stadium.
But Tuchel is under no illusions about the size of the task facing his team against the Premier League champions in Porto.
“We have had two experiences in two different competitions against City. Two different matches with two different lineups. We have the experience of how brave and courageous we need to play in certain areas of the game,” he said.
“It’s always tough to play against City, Bayern or Barcelona when Pep is on the sideline. He creates huge belief and success and has a huge winning mentality,” Tuchel said of Guardiola who was in charge at Bayern before joining City in 2016.
“Maybe in the moment they (City) are the strongest team in Europe, in the world, and they have built a huge gap between us in the league but we closed the gap for 90 minutes at Wembley and closed the gap again in Manchester,” he said.
Tuchel added that he had no injury problems heading into the game with goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and midfielder N’Golo Kante training with the squad.
“The team news is the best news ever, we have a full squad,” he said. “We have no injuries and I hope it stays like that until after we finish today’s training session.”
Guardiola expects City to ‘suffer’ in Champions League final
Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola believes his side will have to “suffer” if they are to overcome Chelsea in Saturday’s Champions League final, such is the magnitude of the game.
Premier League champions City have never reached this stage before despite their billionaire Abu Dhabi backers.
Guardiola has won Europe’s top club title twice as Barcelona boss but still expects to be put through the wringer in Porto.
“I am pretty sure we have to suffer to win the final,” he told a news conference on Friday.
“Most of the time in finals you have to suffer. You have to be resilient. Adjust to the bad moments that are going to happen. At the end we have to be ourselves and do a good game.”
Guardiola could have some problems ahead of the game after midfielder Ilkay Guendogan suffered a knock during the training session on Friday and left the pitch quite early on, European football ruling body UEFA reported.
The player limped off with a knee injury in City’s penultimate game of the season against Brighton and was left on the bench against Everton last weekend as a precaution.
Losing Guendogan would be a bitter blow for Guardiola as he’s one of City’s key player.
The third all-English Champions League final will have a limited number of fans from both clubs because of coronavirus restrictions.
But that will not make it less of an occasion for Guardiola, who has been at City since 2016 with the Champions League trophy a clear goal, despite three Premier League crowns.
“All I can say I am the happiest man right now. It is a privilege. It is an honour,” said.
“I know exactly what I am going to tell [the players]. I don’t want to bother them too much. The guys who are anxious or nervous I am going to tell them it is normal and the guys who are more relaxed it is normal as well.
“Everyone will handle it their own way.”
Guardiola added that he expected a good game and that whoever wins would deserve the victory.
Chelsea beat City twice this season, 1-0 in the FA Cup semi-finals and 2-1 away in the Premier League on May 8. But City defeated the Blues in London 3-1 in January.
City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne has again been a stand-out this season in Guardiola’s star-studded squad but even the Belgium international is feeling the pressure.
“We understand the magnitude of tomorrow. If you win, you’re a hero and if you don’t you’re almost a failure, even though you are not. If you don’t win it’ll be something you don’t want to experience but it happens,” he said.
“Obviously it’s been one of the goals of the club and one of the players to be here and perform on the highest stage in the world. It’s a privilege. Everyone understands the pressure.”
Reuters/dpa
