MX23RW : Monday, November 18 19:23:16| >> :120:10141:10141:
[monks data]
Manchester City logo
Champions League | Final
May 29, 2021 at 8pm UK
Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadı
Chelsea logo

Man City
0 - 1
Chelsea


Gundogan (35'), Jesus (88')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Havertz (42')
Rudiger (57')

Thomas Tuchel eyes new Chelsea contract after Champions League triumph

Thomas Tuchel eyes new Chelsea contract after Champions League triumph
© Reuters
The Stamford Bridge side beat Manchester City in Porto with a goal from Kai Havertz.

Thomas Tuchel hopes to tie up a new Chelsea contract after steering the Blues to the Champions League title in just 124 days at the helm.

Tuchel revealed he enjoyed the “best moment” to meet owner Roman Abramovich for the first time – on the Estadio do Dragao pitch after Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Manchester City in Porto.

The 47-year-old German coach signed an 18-month contract to become Chelsea boss on January 26, and has overseen a remarkable transformation of a squad packed with talent but that had hit a low ebb under Frank Lampard.

Now the former Paris St Germain manager hopes to extend his Stamford Bridge terms – and admitted he will “demand” to be a part of driving Chelsea onwards.

Asked whether he will be able to wrap up a new deal, Tuchel replied: “I’m not even 100 per cent sure, but maybe I have a new contract now.

“So let’s check this first. I spoke to the owner right now on the pitch, this was the best moment for a first meeting.

“Or the worst, because from now on it can only get worse!

“We will speak tomorrow, speak later, speak tomorrow, and looking forward to this.

“I can assure him that I will stay hungry, that I want the next title and I feel absolutely happy, as a part of a really ambitious club, a strong part of a strong group. That suits my belief and my passion about football in the moment perfectly.

Manchester City v Chelsea – UEFA Champions League – Final – Estadio do Dragao
Chelsea’s players celebrated their win after the final whistle (Adam Davy/PA)

“So my desire is to go for more victories, to grow as a coach and to push the group on the first day of the next season to the limit.

“We have work to do to close the gap, and this is what I’m all about. And so it will be nice to meet him a bit closer.

“We are in contact but not personal, he knows what’s going on from me directly. But now it’s nice to meet him.”

Kai Havertz’s stunning finish floored Pep Guardiola’s City side that had stepped into the Portugal contest as favourites.

Manchester City v Chelsea – UEFA Champions League – Final – Estadio do Dragao
Kai Havertz helped his team-mates celebrate after netting the winning goal (Nick Potts/PA)

The domestic double winners fluffed their lines though, as Mason Mount laid on a sublime through-ball assist for Havertz’s ice-cold finish.

Chelsea lifted their second Champions League title, to sit alongside the Munich win of 2012, with Tuchel cementing his place as one of the continent’s top managerial talents.

Rather than dwell on this triumph however, Tuchel insisted he will quickly be back to work plotting how to create a new era of Chelsea dominance.

Manchester City v Chelsea – UEFA Champions League – Final – Estadio do Dragao
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich was on hand to celebrate in Porto (Adam Davy/PA)

Asked how he would celebrate, Tuchel replied: “Well it’s about the next one, honestly. I experienced it on a lower level, with my first title in pro football.

“I was not surprised but it was even a nice feeling that it did not do too much to me. I did not arrive at the next training with less hunger or ambition.

“Of course now is the time to celebrate for some days, enjoy and to let it sink in. Of course this is the time now for one or two weeks and to talk about it and reflect on it. But then it does surprisingly not a lot to you.

Manchester City v Chelsea – UEFA Champions League – Final – Estadio do Dragao
Havertz scored the only goal of the game late in the first half (Nick Potts/PA)

“And I think that’s good, because nobody wants to rest, I want the next one, the next title, the next process.

“I want to be a part of it and I demand to be a part of it. And this is what comes next, make no mistake about it.”

Tuchel conceded he had few words to sum up accurately the feeling of becoming champions of Europe, but reiterated his desire not to let success breed complacency.

“It’s a huge experience, a huge success, and of course we all will profit from that experience together,” said Tuchel.

“We will use it to stay hungry, grow and evolve from that. It was a huge step to arrive in the final, and then even bigger one to fight your way through and make it to the cup.

“We knew that we needed a top-level performance and we needed a strong bond today to overcome this match and to have a chance to win this match.

Manchester City v Chelsea – UEFA Champions League – Final – Estadio do Dragao
Manchester City’s players were left dejected by their defeat in Porto (Nick Potts/PA)

“This is what we did, and I’m almost speechless, very, very happy to share this moment with this team, staff and support everyday basis in Cobham.

“It’s for them, for our team manager who is at home, it’s for my parents, my family, my kids. And it’s fantastic to share that.”

A deflated Pep Guardiola defended selecting Ilkay Gundogan as a holding midfielder, despite the switch causing his side clear problems.

He said: “I did my best in the selection. I made the best selection to win the game, the players know it.

Manchester City v Chelsea – UEFA Champions League – Final – Estadio do Dragao
Pep Guardiola does not think Kevin De Bruyne’s facial injury is too serious (Adam Davy/PA)

“I think Gundogan played well. We missed a little in the first half to break the lines, but in the second half it was much better. It was a tight game but we had enormous chances.

“I would like to say it was an exceptional, exceptional season for us. It is a big dream being here, but unfortunately we couldn’t win. We tried, we could not do it, and we will work to come back one day.”

Kevin De Bruyne trudged off with a painful-looking facial injury after clattering into Toni Rudiger, but Guardiola downplayed the severity of the issue.

“I don’t know about the pain he has in his face, I didn’t see him or speak to the doctor,” said Guardiola.

“But hopefully, hopefully it will not be a big problem.”

ID:449509:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect15544:No Data Analysis info

Click here for more stories about Thomas Tuchel

Click here for more stories about Chelsea

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free daily transfer newsletter! Sent twice a day during the transfer window.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS

League Phase

TeamPWDLPTS
1Liverpool440012
2Sporting Lisbon431010
3Brest431010
4Inter Milan431010
5Monaco431010
6Barcelona43019
7Dortmund43019
8Aston Villa43019
9Atalanta42208
10Juventus42117
11Lille42117
12Man City42117
13Arsenal42117
14B. Leverkusen42117
15Celtic42117
16Dinamo Zagreb42117
17AC Milan42026
18Bayern42026
19Benfica42026
20Feyenoord42026
21Real Madrid42026
22Brugge42026
23Atletico42026
24PSV41215
25Sparta Prague41124
26Stuttgart41124
27PSG41124
28Shakhtar41124
29Girona41033
30Salzburg41033
31Bologna40131
32RB Leipzig40040
33Sturm Graz40040
34Young Boys40040
35Red Star40040
36Slovan Bratislava40040


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!