Chelsea must step up a gear if they are to lift their second European Cup

When Chelsea were struggling for results under Frank Lampard in the early part of the season, most football supporters would have laughed if you’d told them that at the end of the campaign, they’d be competing in the Champions League final. But a lot can change in a short time in football, and since Thomas Tuchel took over following Lampard’s departure, Chelsea have been a different animal.

Their controlled victory over Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final set up a date with destiny in the Istanbul-based final against fellow English side Manchester City. Many had expected Chelsea to fall at the first hurdle in this year’s Champions League knockout stages, but by upsetting the UEFA Champions League odds and knocking out Atlético Madrid, Tuchel’s side built momentum and that has carried them right through to the final.

But with an incredibly tough test to come in the shape of Manchester City, there is a sense that Chelsea need to raise their game that one step higher if they are to lift the European Cup for the second time in the club’s history. They’ve done extraordinarily well to get this far, but City’s performances in knocking out last year’s runners up PSG 4-1 on aggregate was even more impressive, and it feels as though Pep Guardiola’s men are incredibly determined to get their hands on the ultimate prize.

On one hand, you could argue that Chelsea have been fortunate in that the teams they have played in the Champions League knockout stage this season have not performed at their highest level. Atlético Madrid produced two toothless displays, and Chelsea were able to pick them off with considerable ease. Porto was certainly the easiest draw any team could get in the quarter-finals, and that too was a relatively easy ride for the Blues. Then, in the semi-finals, it’s fair to say that the Real

Madrid that turned up against Chelsea did not look like the same team that knocked out Liverpool in the previous round.

But of course, the fact that all those teams failed to produce their best football is not just a mere coincidence. Rather, it is the result of Chelsea’s newfound defensive resilience and doggedness which Tuchel has instilled from the first day he walked through the Stamford Bridge gates. They are no longer the team that leaked goal after goal under Lampard, instead they are a well-drilled unit whose collective sum is greater than their parts.

Chelsea’s ability to stifle opponents, while showing a healthy amount of attacking flair at the same time, is the reason they now stand one game away from a second European crown. Manchester City are the toughest team they have faced in this Champions League odyssey, and they’ll need to be flawless at the back if they are to avoid succumbing to Guardiola’s side, as is expected according to the UEFA Champions League winner odds.

Tuchel and his team will take confidence from the fact that they defeated City in the FA Cup semi-final last month, but you can bet that the Manchester side will be a lot more determined come May 29th. If Chelsea can find that next gear, then they have every chance of heading back to Stamford Bridge with the trophy in tow. The question is whether or not this has all come too soon for Tuchel and his youthful Chelsea team.