Chelsea won their second Champions League and left Manchester City with honey on their lips. Those of Tuchel were better than those of Guardiola. Azpilicueta, as captain of those of London, raised to the sky of Porto the Orejona. A victory blue that toured all over the world. The triumph of Abramóvich's team left a great victim: Pep Guardiola. The english press made blood with the approach of the Spanish coach. And he praised Tuchel. The German apprentice beat the Spanish master. A tactical review.
'Mirror': “An error in judgment by Guardiola”
“Guardiola surprised with his starting line-up before the big game, and once again, his strange experiment went horribly, terribly wrong. Eyebrows went up with Fernandinho and Rodri, who stayed on the bench, which means that City started the game. match without a midfielder. And it was a serious error of judgment… with key City men like De Bruyne out of position. The Catalan is to blame for the disappointment of the final“.
'Olé': “Guardiola's plan didn't go well”
“With a goal from Havertz, Chelsea beat Manchester City in the Champions League final. In a game played at a very high pace, Tuchel's men made history in a definition to remember. Guardiola's plan to play again without a reference 9 did not go well. Sterling and De Bruyne, in a dropper, could do damage from the left end, but every time they entered the area and threw the center back they did not find a target. “
'Daily Mail': “The eleven, ridiculous and reckless”
“Thomas Tuchel was once the eager apprentice, but this time the Chelsea manager was the teacher. A new impetus for attacking football is what Guardiola brought in in 2008 when he took over as manager at Barça and what he demonstrated almost perfectly ten years ago when he last won this trophy, gutting Manchester United at Wembley in 2011. AND attacking football is what killed him here. Starting without Fernandinho or Rodri seemed excessively reckless even for a man so committed to the aesthetics of offensive football (like Guardiola). When you play against a team like Chelsea, built by Thomas Tuchel to counterattack at high speed and exploit space, (the eleven) brushed the ridiculously reckless “.
'BBC': “Guardiola, with a tactic that failed”
“Thomas Tuchel edged out his Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola for the third time since he replaced Frank Lampard in January to bring the biggest prize in European club football to Stamford Bridge for the first time since 2012. Guardiola cannot hide his responsibility after contributing for a tactic that failed. Surprisingly he decided not to use Rodri or Fernandinho as a defensive midfielder, leaving the City with a confusing game plan that reduced their effectiveness and rarely presented problems for Chelsea. Tuchel was a magician. “
'Le Parisien': “Guardiola lost his bet”
“The Chelsea of Thomas Tuchel and Thiago Silva, replaced during the first half due to injury, won their second Champions League this Saturday at the expense of a defenseless Manchester City. To win the Champions League, all you have to do is fire your coach and replace him during the season. Well that's what works for Chelsea. After 2012 with Roberto Di Matteo replacing André Villas Boas at the helm, the blues they won their second Champions League yesterday in Porto with Thomas Tuchel, who had succeeded Frank Lampard at the end of January. Pep Guardiola lost his bet. By choosing to lower Bernardo Silva a bit, to place him in a midfielder role, the Catalan strategist destabilized his team and made him lose his way. Unable to put together their passing game and redoubled moves, the citizens they lost the thread and the presence of a true forward was missed by Foden … “.
'El País': “Chelsea eat City”
“Another success of the German school of technicians. Three in a row have sung glory: Jürgen Klopp, Hansi Flick and Thomas Tuchel. Bold as he has always been, Guardiola launched his fierce blow even on the pinnacle day in City history. No matter how final it was, it was necessary to face it Guardiola. A middle plug center? Nothing at all. Rodri and Fernandinho on the bench. A battering ram? Nothing at all, in the stands Agüero and Gabriel Jesús. In return, a more talented talent pool: De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Mahrez, Gündogan, Foden, Sterling … It happened that they were all nobody. All flat. Ahead, a better structured Chelsea, firm, with fang and more direct “.
'The Sun': “Mad Professor Experiment”
“Pep Guardiola crossed that fine line between genius and madness and decided that a Champions League final was the right time to perform one of his mad professor experiments. The great Manchester City alchemist ended up inventing just a stink bomb when a City without a defensive midfielder or striker was completely outmatched. Tuchel has now beaten City three times in six weeks, in three different competitions. “
'The Guardian': “Guardiola found a new way to lose”
“In a night of glory for Tuchel and his team, the coach applied the final brushstrokes to his renaissance masterpiece, beating his friend and rival, Pep Guardiola, and watching Kai Havertz score the decisive goal just before half-time. Pressure had been on City, on Guardiola, to deliver the trophy that Sheikh Mansour had longed for since his inauguration in 2008, but it was an occasion when the coach found a new way to lose, to probe new depths of frustration. Guardiola, who last won the Champions League in 2011, he started without a defensive midfielder or a recognized striker and saw his midfielder lineup struggle to implement a complicated game plan. “.
Tuchel.
Matthew Ashton – AMA (Getty Images)
'Sport Bild': “King Kai! Havertz gives the pot to Tuchel and Chelsea”
“Thanks to Havertz, Tuchel hisses at Pep! The Catalan simply will not overcome his curse. Guardiola is one of the best coaches of his generation, but he only won the Champions League with “local club” Barcelona, most recently in 2011. Instead, Tuchel has reached the throne of European football just four months after taking office. in London”.
'Tuttosport': “Havertz KOs Guardiola”
“Tuchel becomes European champion and gives Chelsea the second Champions League. Guardiola, on the other hand, was left out of his third personal trophy and a historic milestone for his team. Agüero's last game was also useless, he jumped onto the field hoping to achieve a feat but vanished “.
'L'Equipe': “The Grail for Chelsea”
“In an intense and hooked final, Chelsea beat Manchester City and won the second Champions League in its history after 2012. Finalist last year with PSG, Thomas Tuchel proves happiness in front of the intractable blues that frustrated those of the City. Guardiola surprised with an unprecedented line-up “.
'The Independent': “Guardiola's manic intensity”
“Brilliant management of German after only a few months on this job, and brought out a good timeless defense of his players: the moment of determination and challenge that only comes in games like this when the height of the stage raises the level. Nothing like that can be said about Guardiola's approach. It seemed that many of the players did not know what to do. The lineup surprised people in the stadium before the game, but there was at least some method to Guardiola's manic intensity. The logic could be understood, even if it came from the manager's very distinctive plane of thought. Obviously he wanted the City players to move at such speed and circulate so much in position that it disoriented Chelsea. It seemed to have that effect only on Guardiola's own players.“.
'La Gazzetta dello Sport': “Tuchel wins the duel against Pep”
“City, another flop. Maybe we will be strict with a team for the first time in their history in the final, but City continues to disappoint in the Champions League. Both the basic drawing and a certain tendency to play the important games badly. In fact Mendy, except for a couple of good outings, had a very quiet evening. Neither De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Foden and Gundogan … there was no leader to lean on when things didn't work out. “
Rodri and Guardiola.
DAVID RAMOS (REUTERS)
'Globoesporte': “Tuchel's tactical game ended Guardiola”
“Who created more, who defended better and who was tactically superior won. No, it is not Pep Guardiola's team. It is the Chelsea of Thomas Tuchel, who has only been in the team for five months. In the meeting of two of the best defenders in the world, Chelsea was more complete. Guardiola chose to leave Rodri and Fernandinho on the bench and raise Sterling. Guardiola saw his team leave without creating dangerous opportunities. “
'HLN': “Disappointed with Guardiola”
“Disappointed by the incomprehensible tactical choice of Pep Guardiola. City was never in the game. Let's experiment in a City without Fernandinho and Rodri. De Bruyne again at nine. The plan never worked. An unrecognizable City threatened only through Sterling, a bad guess after a long pass from Ederson and through Foden, after a pinch of genius from Kevin De Bruyne. “