Manchester City lost their maiden Champions League final to Chelsea on Saturday night with the Blues winning the match thanks to a goal from Kai Havertz. And after the game, a large part of the blame has fallen on Pep Guardiola.
Man City went into this game as the favourites, despite losing to Chelsea twice in the past few months. But in the end, it was Thomas Tuchel who once again managed to outwith Pep Guardiola as the recently crowned Premier League champions did very little to trouble Edouard Mendy.
Chelsea were overall the better side on the night and many have blamed Guardiola’s unusual team selection for this. The Man City boss made a few surprising changes to his usual first XI, like handing Raheem Sterling a start and more importantly playing without a recognized defensive midfielder.
And according to former Chelsea player Carlton Cole, Pep Guardiola opted to make such unusual changes only because he was desperate to outwit Tuchel.
Cole told Sky Sports: “He doesn’t have an answer to Thomas Tuchel at the moment which I find really bizarre. Tuchel definitely thought that he was in his head.
“Pep has obviously been beaten in the last two games and now he’s tried something totally different which I was confused with. Pep’s such a brilliant manager and probably one of the best managers to grace the Premier League but I think he’s got something with Tuchel which I don’t understand.
“He changed his game plan, I wasn’t expecting no defensive midfielder as he’s gone with Gundogan.
“He has played that position before but Gundogan’s been known more this season for scoring goals more further up the pitch.
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“It was just unbelievable what I saw. When you try and change too much on the match day and especially in the finals, it can backfire and at the same time it can work for you. But it just didn’t work out for Pep, so I feel sorry for him.”
Thomas Tuchel has really gotten inside Guardiola’s head in the past few months and Man City’s starting XI was a clear sign that the Man City boss did not trust his own tried and tested methods in the final.
Obviously, the injury to Kevin De Bruyne was a big blow for City but even after that, the rest of the players did very little to impress on the night.
Man City were so devoid of ideas towards the end of the match that the famed attacking side had to resort to long balls and long throw-ins to get the ball inside the box.
Pep Guardiola did bring on Fernandinho in the second half but that did not change the dynamics of the match as Thomas Tuchel’s players had managed to keep their rhythm intact despite Pep switching to a 4-4-2 system.
The Champions League was the only crown jewel missing from Manchester City’s showpiece and this was the perfect opportunity for Pep Guardiola to set the record straight. But, in the end, the Spaniard dug his own grave by making things too complicated.
