World champions . . . but miles off being champions of England
Chelsea need summer shake-up to challenge City and Liverpool
As the celebrations spilled on to the pitch of the Mohammed bin Zayed stadium late into the Arabian night, all the old faces were emerging. Petr Cech, now club technical adviser, was there, as was Didier Drogba, both heroes of Munich 2012. John Terry wasn’t in full kit as in Munich but was celebrating with gusto nonetheless while, at the centre of it all, was Roman Abramovich. Another task could be ticked off the ‘to-do’ list since his 2003 takeover: all the trophies that he could have won have now been won by his team.
Thomas Tuchel embraced the owner and dedicated the trophy to him. The new kids had surpassed the old gang and become world champions by beating Palmeiras thanks to Kai Havertz’s 117th-minute penalty, just as Cech had urged them to do during the week.
They were not at their best and their performance was not especially coherent but Chelsea do have that knack of collecting trophies, this their 21st (including Community shields) since 2003 and their third in nine months under Tuchel.
‘It’s amazing for the club to be on top of the world,’ enthused Drogba, the Club World Cup coming after the Champions League in May and UEFA’s super Cup in August. ‘This was the ambition when I joined the club in 2004. Then we managed to achieve the one with the big ears (the Champions League).
‘The objective was to win trophies but also to inspire the next generations, you know players like Callum Hudson-Odoi and Mason Mount and all the guys, to inspire them and, hopefully, winning another trophy.
‘That’s exactly what they did, another Champions League and because they are competitors they remember we lost the one, the Club World Cup in 2012, so they knew how important this was for the club.’
The ghosts of their 2012 loss to Corinthians hung heavy here. Cech had urged them not to be caught up in the luxury of the five-star Ritz Carlton Hotel where they stayed in Abu Dhabi and treat this like a pre-season trip.
Cesar Azpilicueta, now captain and who has completed a clean sweep of trophies at the club, was a new kid in 2012. ‘Before I left home, I wanted to look at the medal I got in 2012 and I couldn’t come back with the same colour medal again,’ said Azpilicueta. ‘I have a lot of medals but the silver ones p*** me off a lot.’
Yet this is a subtly different Chelsea to the 2012 model. Though only three academy players started on saturday, 10 years on, it is delivering. Reece James would doubtless have played if fit, Trevoh Chalobah is growing in influence and loanees Conor Gallagher, Billy Gilmour and Armando Broja continue to thrive. And though Mount went off injured and Andreas Christensen will probably leave this summer, Hudson-Odoi provided the superb cross that allowed Romelu Lukaku to open the scoring.
Hudson-Odoi said: ‘It’s a special feeling, especially when it is the first time for the club as well.’
Told that this team had achieved something historic, that potentially they would be legends, he demurred. ‘I don’t feel like a legend at all. At the end of the day I’m young, I’ve got a long way to go. you can’t say you’re a legend at 21. It is too early to say that. There is a lot more to come hopefully.’
Indeed, there was one troubling note amid the confetti and fireworks lighting up the Abu Dhabi sky and it was that 16-point gap on Manchester City. Chelsea can enjoy this moment but they will need to go again this summer if they want to challenge City and Liverpool.
Key players are out of contract this year in man-of-the-match Antonio Rudiger, Azpilicueta and Christensen. And too many expensive signings are not hitting their stride, Lukaku and Timo Werner the obvious examples. They may be champions of the world but being kings of England will take some work in the transfer market.