Road to being Champions League winners

The journey to the 2021 Champions league final was not an easy one for Chelsea with many factors such as the changing of manager halfway through the season and the out of form players in the starting 11.

They entered and navigated through a tough group stage, which included teams like Sevilla, Krasnodar, and Rennes.Even with shocking draws of 1-1 and 0-0 against sides Krasnodar and Sevilla respectively, both teams of which were not in their best form, Chelsea still came on top to become the group winners.

In the knockout stages, Chelsea faced tough opponents, eliminating Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16, Porto in the quarterfinals, and Real Madrid in the semifinals.Real Madrid being a club that has won the most Champions League titles,Chelsea went into the game knowing that they had to overcome their first major competitor and beat them to cement their place in the finals.With the first leg between the 2 sides being 1-1,Chelsea knew they had to score a goal at their home ground to win the tie.Chelsea played with their full force as they eventually won Real Madrid by 2 goals to nil.This meant that they were playing Manchester City, a team that just finished off a fantastic season and having great form on their side, in the Champions League final.

Chelsea faced Manchester City, an English club that has not won the title before, in an anticipated clash between u English titans. Even with the injured key players that were left out, Chelsea produced a tactical masterclass, effectively neutralizing Manchester City's front 3. Chelsea's defence led by Thiago Silva, César Azpilicueta, and Antonio Rüdiger, was solid throughout the match, making little to no mistakes throughout the whole game.Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy also made crucial saves to keep a clean sheet.

However, in the 42nd minute when Chelsea's Kai Havertz connected onto a perfectly waited pass from Mason Mount and rounded the Manchester City goalkeeper, Ederson, before calmly slotting the ball into an empty net for the only goal of the game.Although Kai Havertz was not in his natural position, he was still able to provide the attacking threat needed which led to him scoring the crucial goal. This secured the win for Chelsea, making them 2021 Champions League winners.

The win marked Chelsea's second Champions League title, with their previous title coming in 2012 during the golden era of Chelsea with the likes of Petr Cech, Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and Didier Drogba. It was a remarkable achievement for Thomas Tuchel, who had taken charge of the team mid-season, replacing Frank Lampard which led the team to a run of disappointing results in both the Champions and Premier League. Thomas Tuchel's tactical ability to get the best out of the players were instrumental in the club's success. The discipline instilled into the players not only improved their mentality but also the attitude they brought to the game. Even before the game had started, Chelsea players were organised and even had their game faces ready whereas Manchester City players were still talking and were not ready to exit the tunnel for the game.Their mentality build into by Thomas Tuchel was crucial and vital as this prepared the Chelsea players to disappoint the Premier League champion's, becoming the underdog's to eventually win the game by 1 goal to nil.

The victory brought joy to Chelsea supporters but also showcased the club's resilience and ability to perform at the highest level even with the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner, both important to Chelsea's attack, not being at full health and were both in bad form. It cemented their status amongst the likes of teams such as AC Milan, Real Madrid, Liverpool as the winners of the Champions League.This provided a conduit for further success in the season's to come and attracting more players to join Chelsea, increasing it's squad depth.

This was the story of how Chelea turn the tides in their favour, winning the Champions League.