Chelsea verdict: Blues dominated Real Madrid but must be more clinical to really stake a claim to be Europe’s best
CHELSEA beat Real Madrid 2-0 to see them head through to the Champions League final in a memorable match for the Blues.
Thomas Tuchel’s men ultimately won the tie 3-1 on aggregate following the first-leg draw in Madrid.
But it could have been even more comfortable for the Blues, who bossed it from start to finish at Stamford Bridge, apart from a couple of world-class saves from Edouard Mendy to deny Karim Benzema in the first half.
Mason Mount’s late strike eventually made it safe for the Blues.
But it could, and should, have been a totally different ball game for Chelsea as chance after chance went begging. In the end, they could probably have actually won by four or five.
It was a world-class performance from Chelsea over the two legs to get to the final of domestic football’s most prestigious competition.
But – without being too negative – they were wasteful and on another night may have fallen foul of a sucker punch and not made the final in Istanbul.
Their attack is young and still learning, so it is something that will improve and get better in time.
When they get better in the final third and make better decisions they will be challenging to be one of the best teams in the world under Tuchel.
The German coach has come in and brought confidence to this whole squad – getting them playing some great and pragmatic football, too.
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They looked organised and professional over the two legs against one of football’s giants in Real Madrid, who they actually ended up making look fairly average in the end.
Chelsea are said to be in the hunt for a new big-name striker this summer.
Can you even begin to imagine just how good they can be when they bring that player in?
The sky will be the limit for this team and Tuchel is building something special here.
The former Paris Saint-Germain chief is creating a team no-one will want to play against.
And that’s exactly what Tuchel promised on his arrival at Chelsea.
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