Why the underdog tag plays into Chelsea’s favor ahead of Champions League final
Matches between Chelsea and Manchester City have become some of the most-watched across the world in recent years.
Both teams also have a lot in common due to the injection of ‘new money’ and how they’ve progressed from underachieving clubs to English and European juggernauts.
It’s been quite the journey for Chelsea and Manchester City, who will face each other in the final of the UEFA Champions League on Saturday. Thomas Tuchel and Pep Guardiola have both suffered heartbreaks in Europe in recent years and it remains to be seen which of the two managers will be able to get things right this time.
Blues target second Champions League title
Chelsea have endured a rollercoaster season thus far but their form in Europe has been incredible. The Blues eliminated Atletico Madrid, Porto and Real Madrid en route to the final.
Now they have the chance to win their second Champions League title and silence their detractors who believe the club’s sole triumph in the competition in 2012 came as a fluke.
The character and fighting spirit that Chelsea possessed in the run to winning their first Champions League can be seen in the current team. Under Tuchel, the Blues don’t play flamboyant football but are usually very effective. They showed this when they played against Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid.
Chelsea may be underdogs against Manchester City, but they have consistently shown that they can rise to the occasion and deliver.
Underdog tag helps Chelsea to relax and play with less pressure
The permutations in football sometimes don’t make sense and that is why despite beating Manchester City twice in the last five weeks, Chelsea are still considered underdogs in the final.
But this is a team that loves the underdog tag. In 2012, the Blues were underdogs against Bayern Munich but still defied the odds to win at the Allianz Arena of all places.
The current Chelsea brigade obviously neither have the kind of leaders the 2012 team had nor their winning mentality, but Mason Mount and Co. have always relished upsetting the status quo.
"I would say I have full trust in everybody once it is about hunger, always on the highest level in sport it comes down to the question of how badly do you want it,” Tuchel said ahead of the final, as quoted by Goal.
“But I felt us very concentrated, very focused, very disciplined in the build-up of this week. I feel us with genuine confidence, which is very nice to have, and a very nice feeling to arrive in a final with.”
The stage is set for history to be made and Tuchel and Chelsea will do well to be remembered on the right side of history. The odds are stacked against them, but the underdog tag allows the Blues to relax, play with less pressure and possibly bring out their best.
Kindly help Sportskeeda's Football section improve. Take a 30-second survey now.