After a difficult start to the 2020/21 season, Manchester City remarkably turned things around. The Sky Blues went on a terrific unbeaten run from December to March. Their superb form helped them win their fourth consecutive League Cup and — of course — their third Premier League title in four years.
Over the course of the years, ever since Pep Guardiola has joined Manchester City, they haven’t had a lot of luck in past Champions League campaigns. Finally, City will now compete in their first ever Champions League final.
Guardiola has set himself up to add to his tally as he already has experience of winning two European Cups with Barcelona.
- Europa League final: Manchester United searching for a silver lining
- Qatar 2022: UAE warm-up for World Cup qualifiers with thrashing of Jordan
- Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola wins England’s manager of the year award
- From Manchester to Montevideo: Abu Dhabi’s City Football Group targets global domination
He has won an impressive four league cups, an FA Cup, and three Premier League titles for Manchester City, and he never seems to lose a final since he has joined.
The signing of Ruben Dias has had a lot of impact on Manchester City as he is an up-and-coming talent. His performance against Paris St-Germain in the semi-final second leg was remarkable and termed as one of the best individual defensive displays.
What stands Manchester City apart from other clubs is their strength in depth. Players such as Ilkay Gundogan, Riyad Mahrez, Phil Foden, and Aymeric Laporte are not guaranteed a start for their club as Guardiola regularly rotates the team on any particular day.
On the other hand, their rivals in the final, Chelsea, have had a significant upturn in fortunes since the arrival of Thomas Tuchel. He will be sweating over the fitness of both N’Golo Kante and Edouard Mendy, who suffered injuries in recent games. Their confidence will not be as high as City, due to their recent FA Cup final loss to Leicester City. Until three weeks ago, Chelsea looked to be favourites as they had beaten City and other big teams, but a sudden slump of form has changed the tide in City’s favour.
Although Tuchel has beaten Guardiola twice this season, Chelsea’s main issue this season is that they have not been clinical in front of goal, with the likes of Timo Werner and Kai Havertz being inconsistent.
All eyes will be on Kevin De Bruyne as he is the key for Manchester City. Over every season for City, he has been influential and has proved he is one of the best playmakers in the world. The talk will also be about Sergio Aguero, playing his final game for City and he will be desperate to sign off with a trophy he has never won before. The stage is set for a cracker with so much at stake.
