Chelsea are a nightmare CL draw for Man City as Tuchel’s immovable object can top Guardiola’s irresistible force
WHAT happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object? We could be about to find out if Manchester City are paired with Chelsea in today’s Champions League quarter-final draw. The common consensus is it is only a matter of time before City finally win the European Cup after running out of ways to get […]
WHAT happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object?
We could be about to find out if Manchester City are paired with Chelsea in today’s Champions League quarter-final draw.
The common consensus is it is only a matter of time before City finally win the European Cup after running out of ways to get themselves knocked out.
But if anyone is going to stop Pep Guardiola in his tracks, then you have to fancy Thomas Tuchel to be that man.
Tuchel has only been in charge at Stamford Bridge for two months yet has already turned Chelsea into a relentless machine.
And this week’s impressive 2-0 demolition of Atletico Madrid was a statement of intent from the coach who took Paris Saint-Germain to their first Champions League final last year.
Chelsea are now 13 games unbeaten under Tuchel and have conceded just two goals during that time.
They might not set pulses racing with free-flowing, attacking football but they have developed the same ruthless efficiency which made them such a force under Jose Mourinho.
The million dollar question is whether organisation and pragmatism would be enough to see off this brilliant City team?
This is Guardiola’s fifth attempt to bring the European Cup to the Etihad and every year we think he can’t possibly mess it up this time.
But this is a club with a rich history of shooting themselves in the foot, going all the way back to 1968 when Malcolm Allison declared his team would “terrify the whole of Europe”, before losing in the first round to Fenerbahce.
Since Guardiola took charge in 2016 they have been knocked out against all expectations by Monaco, Liverpool, Spurs and Lyon.
After every premature exit the manager has been accused of trying to be too clever with his tactics and team selections. But short of playing Raheem Sterling as a false goalkeeper, City have explored every possible permutation this season and still come up smelling of roses.
Ederson apart, they have a world-class alternative available for every position, which means they always have too much for the opposition even when Sterling, Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero are missing.
Yet Guardiola is right to caution against getting too far ahead of themselves in Europe, particularly while Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Real Madrid and PSG are still in contention.
Bayern remain the team everyone wants to avoid and show no signs of loosening their grip on the trophy they won last season.
And let’s not forget our old friends Liverpool, who have developed a habit of winning the European Cup when they should have absolutely no right.
Don’t forget, they finished just above Bolton on goal difference when they pulled off the Miracle of Istanbul in 2005.
And if they can win it with Djimi Traore and Vladimir Smicer, who is to say they can’t do it again with Nat Phillips and Ozan Kabak?
ARSENE WENGER is clearly eager to make his mark as Fifa’s head of global football development.
The former Arsenal boss, who was once the byword for stability, suddenly wants to change everything.
His latest proposal involves turning football into a summer sport by running the season from March to November.
He also wants to hold the World Cup every two years to give more players the chance to win it.
For almost 150 years, football managed to get along nicely with barely an alteration apart from the introduction of a crossbar and three points for a win.
But now we’re bombarded with so many radical proposals that we no longer even know what constitutes handball, offside or a penalty.
So can I humbly suggest that football stops developing for a bit and goes back to the simple sport we used to know and love.
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ON the day Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was stuck in traffic in his holographic-wrapped Ferrari, it emerged that Brazilian legend Zico, 68, is still driving the £8,000 Toyota Celica he won for a Man of the Match performance against Liverpool in 1981.
Maybe the Arsenal captain should consider downgrading his wheels.
It won’t get him to the Emirates any quicker, but at least he won’t stand out like a sore thumb when he’s running late.
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