Royston Vasey

Head coach of the tournament ? Certainly not Southgate. He was given a real lesson by Mancini in the final. Some might say he was tactically humiliated by the Italian. Once RM realised after 20 minutes what was going wrong, he started to change things. They were back in the game by half time albeit still losing. The second half was one way traffic. RM started making good substitutions to freshen things up, using his full quota during the hour from 55 minutes onwards. As extra time started, Southgate unbelievably didn’t make one single change despite being overrun for the previous 45. The rest, as we know, is history. Let us English not fall into the trap thinking we will use this tournament as a stepping stone to lifting the big one in Qatar. No chance. The team is being coached by an ex centre half…..no attacking mindset, no use of flair players, often 8 defensive players on the pitch. Really the best thing that could have happened after the defeat would have been for ‘Handbrake’ to have resigned. Instead, I believe he has himself (or will have soon) a new contract.

News that will amuse the anti Chelsea brigade here comes as the club loan their Under 18 coach to AFC Wimbledon for I believe an initial 6 months. It might be a clever move by both clubs, certainly for The Dons who might get some access to Chelsea kids available on loan. For the Chelsea man, a good chance to coach a third tier first team, so maybe a win win all round.

I have now watched the game three times......yes I know, should get out more ! Mahrez and Sterling were totally nullified by Chilwell and Reece James respectively. KDB produced nothing. City had no response to a full on 100% performance from Chelsea. Add to that Pep’s schoolboy error in playing no holding midfielder(s) and there was going to be trouble ahead. On the night they were well beaten.....it so easily could have been two or three nil. The pundits knew it, as soon as the team sheets came out. Pep is not the Messiah. He is a very naughty boy !

For what it’s worth, I see City had 6 players in the PFA team of the year just announced. I assume votes were cast prior to last weekend’s Champions League final.

Leogetz u raise an interesting point in terms of Pep’s thinking for the Chelsea game. Over thinking things ? Arrogance ? Too much tinkering ? All three ? Rewind to the Q Final exit to Lyon in 2020.....’Guardiola, who has been accused of over-thinking his approach in the Champions League before, adopted a 3 man central defensive system and chose to leave many of City’s creators and manipulators on the bench’. The total opposite of his line up against Chelsea. The same disastrous results. If City don’t win the CL next season, his future surely hinges on the manner of the exit. OK a freak goal sealing their fate, maybe fair enough, but if he cocks things up tactically again and from a starting 11 / formation point of view, surely he is toast in the eyes of the Arabs ?

......but do Chelsea fans care ? No they don’t. The club has just joined an illustrious group who can claim to have won the Cup Winners Cup twice, ditto the Europa League, and ditto the Champions League/European Cup......Ajax, Manchester United, Juventus, and Bayern Munich. The top table.

Jimmy u know as well as I do that Pep’s Holy Grail is the Champions League. That is the one the Arabs want. I repeat what I said after Saturday.....the owners will be quietly livid with him for his massive tactical blunder in terms of his starting line up v Chelsea. I think he is now in the Last Chance Saloon. Deliver the European Cup next season or face almost certain dismissal.

Paul Lambert ?

The media in the UK as a general comment do not like Chelsea. They hate the hire and fire thing with Abramovich......but Chelsea fans frankly love it. It wins trophies season after season after season. The whole media narrative preceding the game was City this, City that. Lawrenson on the BBC for example could not help himself. Everyone was saying if City play 100%, Chelsea will be cast aside. They were willing City to win. I was on the road all Friday and listening to Talk Sport most of the day. It was so biased to City it was sickening. Alan Brazil for example frothing at the mouth at City’s midfield.....well Alan, shame to say, they never turned up ! Aguero, City legend.....came on with the press desperate for the fairytale end.....and he never had a kick. Chelsea were utterly magnificent on the night, got it right tactically to perfection and Tuchel is some coach for sure. If I were City’s owners, I would seriously be thinking, enough is enough, Pep, you’re fired !

Kante is literally extraordinary. When I watch Chelsea games, I find myself just watching him move around the pitch, gliding effortlessly and at pace. A quite unique athlete and footballer. He would get into any football team in the world, he is that good. Priceless.

He totally screwed up in Porto, big time. The press were gobsmacked when the team sheets came out. No Rodhri. No Fernandinho. A bit like CFC starting without Kante and Jorginho.....and going with an eyeballs out front 5 of Werner, Havertz, Pulisic, Mount, and Ziyech. The Arabs must be quietly livid. What was Pep thinking ? Arrogance maybe ? Who cares. He cocked it up.....again. Well done Chelsea.....confounded all the media peeps who were clearly pining for a City win. Shame, that....scouser Lawrenson obviously included. On 70 minutes, Darren Fletcher enthused “Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Aguero is warming up”. He never had a kick ! Go-eth forth and multiply, Sergio, lol. City were dealt a very harsh lesson last night....and it was brilliant to watch.

36 years ago today saw one of the most tragic events unfold at a European Cup Final when 39 Italian football fans were killed at Heysel. A further 600 were injured. History has essentially been swept under the carpet by the British media, and Liverpool FC. Rather than the players ‘taking the knee’ before kick off tonight, it would surely be more appropriate if UEFA called for a minute’s silence prior to the game commencing. JTF39.

.......and hopefully the file now closed for good. Time for the great Liverpool public to move on ?

If Klopp didn’t think the game was up regarding a top 4 finish, then he certainly would have done when he saw Man U’s team sheet announced yesterday. Brilliant by OGS. Let’s hope Liverpool’s season is finally brought to a close tomorrow evening. Not a day too soon !

The one thing you can say about Abramovich, unlike the owners of Man U, Arsenal and Liverpool, is that he absolutely loves the club and is hugely admired by the fan base. Granted though, you could argue that since 2003 it has been what some might call a money laundering exercise !