FOOTBALL.LONDON: From a sporting perspective, Chelsea have qualified for their first Champions League final in nine years after beating Real Madrid 3-1 across two legs in the semi finals in a huge result for the club.
The Blues beat the Spanish giants 2-0 at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night to secure a spot in the Istanbul showpiece, where they will contest a third all-English final in the competition when they take on Manchester City, chasing their first European crown.
On a human and personal level, Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel has done something none of his counterparts have ever done before, reaching the Champions League final in successive seasons with two different teams.
It was heartache for the German in Lisbon a year ago when his PSG side were beaten 1-0 by Bayern Munich in the final. He gets a shot at redemption in 2021 as he takes his new side to the Ataturk Olympic Stadium to win the trophy club managers cover the most – Old Big Ears.
It has been a remarkable 2021 for Tuchel. Having been ditched by PSG at the back end of last year, the German was parachuted into rescue Chelsea’s season after the Blues had decided to part ways with Frank Lampard.
Anything else would have been a bonus. After 25 matches in charge, Tuchel has lost only twice, Chelsea sit fourth in the Premier League having been tenth when he joined, are through to an FA Cup final against Leicester in ten days time and a Champions League final in 23 days.
Tuchel was expected to improve Chelsea given his stature as an elite coach in Europe, but not this dramatically and not this quickly. His four-month anniversary in charge of the club will see him on the touchline for a Champions League final.
Players have taken their games to new levels since Tuchel arrived. Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger, Jorginho, Cesar Azpilicueta, Ben Chilwell and Edouard Mendy are markedly improved players since the German arrived.
The Blues have one of the tightest defences in Europe and have kept a ridiculous 18 clean sheets since Tuchel came in.
It is a sign of a team that is impeccably well-coached and well-drilled, a team that knows exactly what they are doing and players who know exactly where they need to be, when they need to be there and how to get the job done.
The 47-year-old only penned an 18-month contract to replace Frank Lampard but you highly suspect that will be extended in the not too distant future and it is testament to what Tuchel has done having been thrown in the deep end.
The dire 0-0 against Wolves in his first game in charge just 24 hours after arriving in London is a distant memory. Tuchel has already spoken of how he and his coaching staff plotted their tactics for that game on the plane over to London before he had even signed a contract.
It has been a period of immense personal sacrifice from Tuchel, who has largely been confined to a London apartment away from family since he arrived, with just some books and his laptop for company.
With the UK slowly starting to ease coronavirus lockdown restrictions, Tuchel might yet actually go and see the new city he is calling home. If he ventures to the SW6 area of London, he will get a very warm welcome.
Tuchel was asked after Wednesday’s victory about all the sacrifices he has made so far, what with being away from family, in a new country, in a high-pressure job, all this during a global pandemic that has claimed millions of lives.
“It was worth it every single day so far,” he replied with a broad grin.
“I was part of an amazing club from the first day, and I felt huge support from day one. I’m very grateful to be on the sideline with this team.
“The job is not done yet, We are in two finals now and the sacrifice that I, personally have made, has been worth it since day one.”
“I am very very happy that we achieved this. I am very grateful to have the opportunity to live my life in football and this passion, as a profession I am more than grateful
To coach a team like this, I am very thankful.”
Tuchel is a humble man off the pitch, yet a daunting and domineering figure on it. He barely sits down on the touchline, is constantly directing traffic and is not afraid to let his players – or the referee – know when something is not going right.
That said, not a lot has gone wrong in west London since the affable German pitched up.