Agency:
If Manchester City thought next season’s Premier League was going to be a repeat of the last two campaigns, fending off Liverpool and Manchester United again, then Saturday’s Champions League final defeat to Chelsea will surely have made them think again.
Liverpool should indeed be a bigger threat with a fully fit squad including Virgil van Dijk and some new additions, and United are expected to invest heavily on key upgrades.
But the Thomas Tuchel factor makes Chelsea a genuine contender. In just four months, the German manager has transformed Chelsea from a team struggling to qualify for next season’s Champions League into the new European champions. City manager Pep Guardiola will relish the challenge and believe that his own recruitment moves this off-season will give him everything he needs to push for a fourth Premier League title in five seasons.
But he will also need no reminding that Tuchel has rapidly become a specialist in beating his team.
Saturday’s final was the third time that the former Dortmund and PSG coach has masterminded victories over Guardiola’s team – following wins in the FA Cup semi-final and at the Etihad Stadium in the league.
