Chelsea: Kings of Europe

By Harry Harris

Roman has done it again! After firing club legend Frank Lampard and replacing him with Thomas Tuchel, there was an outcry from Chelsea supporters. A few months on and the Russian's decision looks like a stroke of genius as the German maestro has delivered the game's biggest prize. After two triumphs in a decade, Abramovitch's controversial 'hire and fire' policy', which has seen the club hire and fire 15 different managers, is now starting to make sense.
The Champions League had eluded the Russian following his takeover in 2004: the ‘ghost’ goal defeat at Anfield in 2005, a penalty shoot-out defeat in the Moscow final against Manchester United, in 2008 and a scandolous refereeing performance against Barcelona in the semi-final a year later denied the Blues.
But in 2012, after eight years in charge, Abramovich’s dream of owning the best team in Europe was finally realised. As Didier Drogba was handed the trophy for the first time at the presentation in Munich, he handed it straight to the guy at the end looking as though he had gatecrashed the party.But this was no ordinary fan on the periphery.This was the guy whose billions helped create the Champions League winners.
Legendary football columnist Harry Harris follows the club's remarkable progress through both Champions League triumphs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Empire Publications
• Release date: Aug 27, 2021
• ISBN: 9781909360891

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Harry Harris

Empire Publications - Manchester

Smashwords Edition

DEDICATION

To Ken Udall and Uncle John... both would have been in their element if they had been alive to see their beloved Chelsea finally win the European Cup.

From the new generation of the Udalls’ from Chelsea, Poppy Harris and her puppy Dolly.

CREDITS

Many thanks to John and Ash at Empire Publications.

To my wife Linda who lost her voice cheering them onto victory when no one thought it possible, even if she was screaming at the TV. To our German friends Jens and Andrea for bringing back the Chelsea/Bayern scarf from Munich.

Special thanks to Chelsea legend Alan Hudson’s son, Anthony.  I really appreciate the work Anthony put into his fascinating break down of the tactics used by Roberto Di Matteo to win the Final against Bayern Munich.

FOREWORD

It is absolutely magnificent to see Chelsea winning the Champions League in style, doing it their own way, it has been brilliant the way they did it, magnificent.

As someone who loves his football and Chelsea are close to my heart after the time I spent at the Bridge, I always want them to do well.

I can only feel that there is much more to come from this Chelsea team, a lot more. They have such talent, especially so many talented youngsters, and as always with youngsters it always takes a bit of time, as we have seen with Kia Havertz, who scored the winner in the Champions League Final - he is coming good but there’s a lot more to come from him.

In a way I felt they had a bigger chance to win it for a second time than they did when they won it the first time under Roberto di Matteo. Back then Bayern Munich were flying at the time and I couldn’t see anyone to beat them. That’s not to say that Manchester City weren’t flying, they were, but in a way it was harder to overcome Bayern.

It’s remarkable to think that both times they have won the Champions League by changing managers in mid season, this doesn’t have to become a pattern. I’m really lost to know how that happened to be honest, but it did. But it doesn’t have to be that way for the club to be successful.

However, now they have won it twice, and the biggest thing you can win is the Champions League, they have to see if they can win it more regularly having won in 2012 and now 2021, take the next step and that is to compete with Manchester City for the title, and they will need to do that to become one of the biggest forces in world football - and they can certainly reach those heights, they have the ambition to become stronger and stronger, it’s a good feeling about the future.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink

INTRODUCTION

Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea for moments like this. He fell in love with football when he first watched Champions League football at Old Trafford, and although he first looked at Spurs, it was by chance, flying over The Bridge in his private helicopter that he asked about the west London club and eventually bought it from Ken Bates for around £65 million.

The Russian oligarch invested £1 billion in Chelsea but has created a Roman Empire worth £3 billion, which illustrates that he is an ultra astute businessman, but it isn’t the money that motivates him, it’s his genuine love for the club and his relentless pursuit of winning the trophy most dear to his heart, the Champions League.

He brought that business acumen to his role in football with a ruthless disregard for reputations as he sought the results to drive his club to the very pinnacle of the global game, hence a revolving door philosophy for managers, hiring and firing Jose Mourinho twice, firing Carlo Ancelotti the season after he won The Double and even kicking out one of the club’s great all time players Frank Lampard half way through his first full season to bring in Thomas Tuchel at the turn of the year.

The Russian was unable to watch many games in the UK due to Visa issues but has always done his utmost to support the team at big finals - and was seen during their Europa League final triumph over Arsenal in 2019.

Club captain Cesar Azpilicueta was able to get his hands on Europe’s top prize having joined in 2012 - months after the team last won the trophy, the only player common to both Champions league triumphs nine years apart.

An emotional Joe Cole was one of the main BT Sport pundits in Porto, where the fans were singing his name: To sit where we are sat among the fans, every man from [goalkeeper Edouard] Mendy to the final man in the squad is a hero. That was an unbelievable performance. All these boys are heroes to me now. N’Golo Kante is staggering. I am shattered just watching him. I played with Claude Makelele and I thought he was the best in that position until I saw this kid. He is Makelele plus extras.

Tuchel will go down in history as one of the greatest Chelsea managers of all time, according to Joe. He said: ‘The club bring managers in, they sack them. There’s been no club in this country that has won more trophies since Roman came in. We thought Tuchel was one of the brightest young managers in football. He’s going to go down in the folklore of the great managers in the history of this club.’

Fellow BT sport pundit Rio Ferdinand agreed, "To do what he has done coming halfway through the season, he is nothing short of a magician. They’ve had to come together as a squad, a lot of doubt was put on them as a team and as individuals but now they have marched on. He has come into this country and played Pep Guardiola’s side three times this season and won all three. [Did Pep Guardiola tinker too much?] I think that will be levelled at him because he changed the way he had played all season, he has always had Rodri or Fernandinho in there but he changed it. We know he tinkers, he might have seen a weakness in there but Thomas Tuchel nullified any threat. We saw Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling played really wide, they’ve not really done that this season and maybe that is something City did wrong. What an absolute turn of events. I was backing Man City but Thomas Tuchel has come in and put on a tactical masterclass. Kante put on a masterclass in how to retrieve the ball. He controlled the ball. When the moment came… clinical, [Kai] Havertz is worth every penny now.’

Abramovich has landed the coveted ‘trophy with big ears’ as Ruud Gullit dubbed it, twice now, 2012 and 2021, the first time with a novice manager in Roberto di Matteo coming into the dug out for his first taste of management, then replacing one of the club’s greatest ever legends in Frank Lampard with an experienced German coach who had lost his job as Paris St Germain after losing the Final and being out of work and so available at the turn of the year.

He developed what Lampard had started but with his vast knowledge of management transformed potential into a winning machine, emerging in the top four and arriving at the Final of the Champions League where against all the odds beat the much-fancied Pep Guardiola’s team.

Abramovich figured that appointing a German coach he might replicate what Jurgen Klopp achieved at Anfield, and maybe immediately bring out the best in the club’s hugely costly German forwards who had not got anywhere near their full potential since their arrival at the Bridge.

Tiago Silva arrived on a free transfer the previous summer under Frank Lampard, and at the age of 36 was written-off as being too old to thrive in the Premier League. It was not an auspicious tart for the Brazilian recognised as one of the world’s greatest defenders of the modern game after a long spell with Paris St Germain, where they always came close but not close enough to landing the Champions League.

He did not to forget about Lampard, who guided the Blues through the Champions League group stages. ‘It was special, it was my first year here,’ Silva added. ‘Tuchel changed everything, the team mentality. But it’s also important to talk about Lampard. Without him, it was difficult for me to win here, thanks to him for letting me sign here.’

Before the Final, in conversation with Jamie Redknapp in the Daily Mail, Lampard revealed that he loved Roman Abramovich’s comments following his sacking. Abramovich is the sort of owner who stays silent. He’s never spoken out after sacking a manager before, but he made an exception for you Redknapp pointed out. Indeed the Chelsea owner released a statement saying how much respect he had for Lampard and what a difficult decision it was. Lampard replied: I loved that. I could never sit here and say I have anything but appreciation for what he did for my career. I was disappointed because I felt we could change things. I saw games coming up as opportunities to get points. Your pride takes a hit, there is no doubt about it. That’s human. But with reflection, I would have been absolutely naive to think it would be any different for myself than it had been for managers in the past. History says Chelsea make changes and sometimes they have real success off the back of it. It was never for me to go against their model. I have full appreciation to Roman for the opportunity. I can only look forward.

Lampard had a host of managers – Roy Hodgson included – contacting him after he was let go in January to remind him it is a natural element of football management. All of them, first and foremost, said: ‘You’re not a manager until you’ve been sacked.’ It was a hit, but then I started the reflection process. I didn’t want to sit at home and throw blame elsewhere. It was more: ‘What can I do better?’ Roy Hodgson was amazing. I spoke to Roy a week after leaving Chelsea and he gave me some of the best calm, collected advice. I’m always willing to listen to these managers.

Lampard knew it would have been naive for him to expect to be treated differently to other Chelsea managers amid an extended run of poor form and his reputation, having won the Champions League and numerous league titles as a player, would count for nothing. He was brought in after just a season’s experience as a manager with Championship Derby County at a time when Chelsea’s immediate future seemed unclear: they were in the midst of a transfer ban which was complicated further by the departure of Eden Hazard to Real Madrid, forcing Lampard to look towards the club’s expensive but, until that point at least, underperforming academy. He oversaw the integration of Mason Mount – announced as Chelsea’s first English Player of the Year since 2006 – Reece James, Callum Hudson-Odoi and others. Ahead of his first season when he was able to buy players, Lampard acquired highly-rated German duo Timo Werner and Kai Havertz, as well as England full-back Ben Chilwell. The experienced Thiago Silva and Edouard Mendy were added.

Tuchel was one game away from delivering a Champions League, just as Lampard did as a player and captain in Munich in 2012 when Lampard made it public that he liked what he has seen from his successor. I sent him a message the day he got the job, said Lampard. I felt it was the right thing to do. It is what it is. I remember coming into the training ground a month before and people were talking about how he had left PSG. That’s football. So I sent him a message and he nicely sent me one back. People at Chelsea tell me he’s a top bloke, and he’s done some really positive things with the team.

The owner hadn’t been to Stamford Bridge since 2018 following political tensions between the UK and Russia but he was in Portugal to see his latest managerial appointment mastermind a famous victory where he joined in the pitch side celebrations. Abramovich was seen embracing a group of players as they went up to collect their medals.

Around 12,000 fans were in attendance for the all-English final in Porto and roughly half of that number stayed inside the stadium despite a 10:30pm curfew in the city, as supporters sought to join in with the celebratory scenes. I spoke to the owner right now on the pitch, said Tuchel as he celebrated his triumph. "It was the best moment for our first meeting, or the worst because from now on things can only get worse! We will speak tomorrow and I am looking forward to it. I can assure him I will stay hungry. I want the next title and I feel absolutely happy. I feel part of a really ambitious club and strong group that suits my belief and passion about football.

We have work to do to close the gap (on City in the Premier League) and this is what I am all about. It will be nice to meet him a bit closer. We are in constant contact but not personal. He knows what is going on from me but not directly, now it is nice to meet him. Part of the discussions was a new long-term contract for the 47-year-old German who was initially offered only 18 months when he joined. Tuchel’s agent had been in negotiations while he prepared for the final. Maybe I already have a new contract, my manager said something about it. Let’s check this first, he said.

Having finished fourth in the Premier League and lost to Leicester City in the FA Cup Final, Tuchel promised Champions League glory should be a springboard to domestic success. Of course this is the time for one or two weeks to reflect and talk about winning the final but after that it does surprisingly little to you. Nobody wants to rest, I don’t want to rest.

2021

THE ROAD TO PORTO

Group-Stage Matchday 1:

Chelsea 0-0 Sevilla

Chelsea’s campaign started with an uninspiring draw against Sevilla at Stamford Bridge. There was a stand out performance of Edouard Mendy with the giant Senegalese shot-stopper making a brilliant save in the first half. Mendy had established himself as Chelsea’s first-choice after again showing his quality according to Frank Lampard.

Mendy, who signed from Rennes in September, helped to earn a point against Europa League holders Sevilla. He marked his return from injury by clawing away Nemanja Gudelj’s header after it had flicked off Kurt Zouma. Lampard praised his recent signing, who was brought in to strengthen his options following the erratic form of Kepa Arrizabalaga, Chelsea’s £71m signing from Athletic Bilbao.

Asked if Mendy was already No. 1, Lampard said: At the moment, yes. He’s shown his quality. The way he’s played, he’s played very well, that’s two clean sheets for him already. As it stands he is the number one but that’s always up for grabs. But the way he’s playing I’m very happy.

It was Chelsea’s first goalless draw under Lampard, but the Blues produced a solid defensive performance. Zouma and Ben Chilwell both headed chances straight at goalkeeper Yassine Bounou before Sevilla went close to taking the lead in spectacular fashion through substitute Joan Jordan’s dipping volley.

With Group E rivals Rennes held 1-1 in France, Chelsea headed to Russia to face Krasnodar with all four teams on one point.

Chelsea had started the season with a flurry of goals at one end but defensive errors at the other. While they failed to score for only the second time in eight games, Lampard’s side at least managed a clean sheet after a much-improved performance at the back.

Fifty-eight days after appearing in the final for Paris St-Germain, Thiago Silva returned to the Champions League as Lampard shuffled his defence after conceding three against Southampton while Reece James marked his return with a solid display on a night Lampard became only the second Englishman to manage in two Champions League campaigns, after Sir Bobby Robson.

The clean sheet was a big deal for us, added Lampard. Sevilla are a top team in European football. The concentration and focus to get the result was big from the team. We made a lot of good decisions, so it’s a really nice place for us to build from.

Chelsea spent £250m during the summer transfer window, with five of their recent additions starting this game. Three - Mendy, Chilwell and Silva - impressed at the back as the Blues produced their best defensive performance of the season to stop the Spanish visitors from scoring on the night 38-year-old keeper Petr Cech, who retired in 2019, was named in Chelsea’s Premier League squad.

Sevilla beat Wolves and Manchester United on their way to winning the Europa League the previous season but they were unable to find a way past a well-drilled Chelsea backline. Chilwell also impressed going forward and it was his corner which set up a great chance for the unmarked Zouma. Chelsea recorded just six shots, their fewest attempts at goal in a Champions League game since February 2015 - against Paris Saint-Germain (2).

*

Group-Stage Matchday 2

Krasnodar 0-4 Chelsea

Chelsea earned their first European win in emphatic style. Goals from Callum Hudson-Odoi, Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic sealed the win, while Jorginho’s early penalty miss didn’t prove costly. Hakim Ziyech scored his first Chelsea goal marking his first start for the club as Chelsea returned to goalscoring ways in style. Back-to-back goalless draws confirmed Lampard was resolving his defensive problems and he was also delighted that his attacking riches also kicked into gear after midfielder Jorginho had missed an early penalty.

Four points from two games was a solid start. Despite their run of draws Chelsea had lost just once in 10 games. Werner was lively and won the early penalty when he was tripped by Kaio. Jorginho stuck with his usual skipping technique, sent goalkeeper Matvey Safonov the wrong way, but hit the base of the post.

Chelsea needed a helping hand to end their 248-minute goal drought and Safonov made a hash of dealing with Hudson-Odoi’s scuffed shot, the ball bobbling in. Yuri Gazinsky hit the crossbar from a corner for the hosts, but a second penalty, harshly given for handball, was thrashed in by Werner. Ziyech found the bottom corner after good approach play from substitute Pulisic and the American made it four in the last minute when he drove past Safonov. Tammy Abraham’s assist for the fourth, as Olivier Giroud remained on the bench, underlined the depth of Lampard’s squad. Chelsea recorded their biggest Champions League victory since a 4-0 win over FK Qarabag in November 2017. Chelsea kept successive clean sheets in the Champions League for the first time since December 2015, and in their opening two group stage games of a CL campaign for the first time since 2008-09. Chelsea kept three clean sheets in a row in all competitions for the very first time under Frank Lampard, also recording shutouts for the first time in successive away games under the former Chelsea midfielder.

Group-Stage Matchday 3

Chelsea 3-0 Rennes

Chelsea were without Kai Havert after he returned a positive test for Covid-19. Timo Werner scored two first-half penalties and Tammy Abraham added a third as Chelsea took control of their group. Edouard Mendy secured a fifth-successive Chelsea clean sheet, shutting out his former club as Chelsea maintained their unbeaten Champions League start continuing their smooth progress towards the knockout stage.

Abraham was the first player to score in three consecutive Champions League starts for Chelsea since Willian in 2015, and the first Englishman to do so since Frank Lampard in 2008. Chelsea’s victory as the biggest home win by a side under an English manager in the Champions League since Harry Redknapp’s Tottenham beat Werder Bremen (3-0) in November 2010.

Frank Lampard’s side took full advantage of an injury-hit Rennes side who were then harshly reduced to 10 men before half-time. Werner gave Chelsea a comfortable interval advantage with two penalties, the first after he was fouled by Dalbert and the second when the same defender was penalised for handball. The Rennes’ defender received a second yellow card for the offence. The second penalty seemed harsh, as Dalbert blocked an Abraham shot and saw the ball deflect onto his raised arm. German referee Felix Zwayer awarded the contested penalty after a check to the pitchside monitor, and then sent off Dalbert.

Chelsea were in total control five minutes after the break when a superb delivery from Reece James was turned in at the near post by Tammy Abraham. When Chelsea were forced to come from 3-0 down to earn a point at West Bromwich, and then conceded a last-minute equaliser against Southampton in a 3-3 draw at Stamford Bridge, there were murmurings of discontent around Lampard as Chelsea were vulnerable in defence.

Lampard insisted the problems would be resolved once defenders Ben Chilwell and Thiago Silva settled and new keeper Mendy bedded in as replacement for Kepa Arrizabalaga, who was once more at fault at home to Southampton.

Chelsea had now gone more than seven hours without conceding a goal and put together a 10-match unbeaten run with a place in the Champions League knockout stage pretty much assured and progress being made in the Premier League, Lampard had every reason for satisfaction. In all competitions, Chelsea had kept five consecutive clean sheets for the first time since October 2010, while they last started a Champions League campaign with three consecutive clean sheets in 2009-10.

Group-Stage Matchday 4

Rennes 1-2 Chelsea

No clean sheet for Edouard Mendy this time, but Chelsea booked their place in the last-16 with Olivier Giroud’s late winner. Just as victory looked to be ebbing away when Serhou Guirassy cancelled out Callum Hudson-Odoi’s early goal, Giroud produced a splendid header to claim the win. Giroud was sent on by Lampard in the 69th minute and rewarded his boss in the 91st with his 30th goal for the club. Giroud became just the fourth player to score for both Chelsea and Arsenal in the Champions League alongside Anelka, Fabregas and Gallas.

Chelsea sealed their progress to the knockout stage with two games to spare with the French striker the unlikely hero as he had played just 127 minutes so far this season, but made the most of his time on the pitch here with an injury-time finish after Timo Werner’s effort had been blocked. Six minutes earlier Guirassy headed home from a corner.

Lampard’s side dominated the first half and led by Hudson-Odoi’s calm finish, sent clear by a pinpoint pass from Mason Mount. Since his first European appearance for Chelsea in October 2018, Hudson-Odoi has netted six goals in European competition, a haul bettered only by Giroud for the Blues in that time, 12. Either side of Hudson-Odoi’s goal, Werner somehow found a way to scoop a shot from six yards over the bar and Mount saw a poked effort clawed wide by keeper Alfred Gomis.

In a torrid second half Lampard had to rely on a defence that included the returning Thiago Silva and Mendy, who made a couple of good saves against his former club. A late winner for Sevilla left them and Chelsea on 10 points in Group E, nine more than both Rennes and Krasnodar.

Ahead of the tie Lampard had spoken of the need to get their Champions League business done early, as he wanted to rest players for the final two group games during a relentless December fixtures list of eight games in the month. They needed, though, to take the tie in Spain seriously against their rivals for top place.

Lampard commented, I’m very happy to qualify with two games to spare. It was a really tough match, they’re a very good team. Their recent form doesn’t reflect how good they are, it was a tough, hard-fought win.

Lampard had a vital game next with Spurs, and observed: We have to prioritise the game in front of us but we’re aware of where we are in the league and that Sunday is a big game. It always will be because of the rivalry and they are a great team and now it’s just about preparing well. They’ll have a day off tomorrow and then come Thursday morning we’ll start thinking about Spurs properly.

Chelsea made the knockout stages in 16 of their 17 Champions League seasons, only failing in 2012/13, but for Lampard it was a significant point for him in a tough season as Chelsea won three consecutive Champions League matches for the first time since December 2015.

Chelsea were now unbeaten in 13 games in all competitions, their longest run without defeat since November 2018 (18).

Group-Stage Matchday 5: Sevilla 0-4 Chelsea

Olivier Giroud was Chelsea’s match-winner for the second time collecting all four goals that clinched first place in Group E. The veteran striker marked his 50th start for Chelsea in spectacular fashion. He scored a perfect hat-trick – left foot, right foot and a header, and then grabbed a late penalty.

Aged 34 years and 63 days, Giroud became the oldest player to score a hat-trick in the Champions League/European Cup since Ferenc Puskas for Real Madrid vs Feyenoord in September 1965 (38 years and 173 days). Giroud became just the second player to a score a Champions League hat-trick for two English sides (Arsenal & Chelsea), after Michael Owen (Liverpool & Manchester United). He also became the first Chelsea player to score four goals in a single game since his manager did so against Aston Villa in March 2010.

The Frenchman scored early in each half with two delightful finishes assisted by clever passes from Kai Havertz and Matteo Kovacic. He completed the hat-trick with a flicked near-post header, then converted a penalty after he was bundled over in the box. Giroud made only one previous start for Chelsea this season, in the EFL Cup defeat by Tottenham, but this goal glut came after he scored a stoppage-time winner as a substitute against Rennes.

Lampard had made nine changes to the team that drew 0-0 with Tottenham. Havertz and Christian Pulisic made their first starts since October following illness and injury, while 19-year-old midfielder Billy Gilmour came off the bench for his first appearance of the season. Sevilla were forced to give a debut to goalkeeper Alfonso Pastor after Tomas Vaclik was injured in the warm-up.

Giroud was battling for a place with Timo Werner and Tammy Abraham, He’s the ultimate professional, said Lampard. You see his numbers for France and his numbers in the Champions League. He wasn’t a regular before I got here but as soon as I came in I saw his positivity, how he wants to train, how he wants to affect people, whether he starts or not. He’s a great example for the younger players and other players, that when they’re not always playing, they keep training well then come in and perform like he did tonight.

Havertz’s early burst ended in a lay-off to Giroud, who cut back and tucked inside the far post with his left foot. The second was a dinked right-footed finish over Pastor, while the header from Kante’s cross from the right completed a ‘perfect’ hat-trick.

The spot-kick, drilled in with his left foot, was his final act before he was withdrawn. I didn’t know until two years ago that you called it a ‘perfect’ hat-trick, Giroud told BT Sport. "When I scored against Kyiv in the Europa League I said ‘what do you mean?’ It was good, I had good assists, though. I will