Chapter 382: The Collapse That Was Meant to Be
After Barcelona's elimination from the Champions League, there were no more "easy opponents" left for Chelsea.
Real Madrid, loaded with experience in critical matches, a tough and resilient Atlético Madrid, and a Juventus whose defensive prowess had only improved since last season.
No matter who Chelsea drew in the semifinals, they were destined for two grueling matches that would test both their willpower and ability.
From the perspective of fans of the other three teams, none of them wanted to face Chelsea either.
After all, Chelsea — carrying the aura of defending champions — had been performing brilliantly in the knockout stages, putting enormous pressure on every opponent.
Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich were both strong enough to reach the semifinals under different circumstances.
But encountering Chelsea early meant both were crushed — one in the Round of 16, the other in the quarterfinals.
In terms of pure strength, Chelsea were undoubtedly the strongest team among the final four — a consensus shared by fans and media alike.
It felt a lot like Barcelona in 2011 or Real Madrid in 2013 — entering the final stages as overwhelming favorites.
Almost universally seen as destined champions, boasting a healthy main squad and no serious loss of strength.
Thanks to the enthusiastic coverage by the English media, Chelsea seemed almost as if they had already booked their spot as champions.
However, within the Chelsea camp, despite ongoing discussions about defending the Champions League crown, there was no trace of arrogance or complacency.
The coaching staff's persistent reminders and warnings played a crucial role at this critical moment.
After an entire season of being kept sharp and disciplined, Chelsea's players found it impossible to lose focus even if they wanted to.
After defeating Bayern, they immediately threw themselves into a new round of intense preparations — even their rest periods were tightly scheduled.
In this packed schedule of training and matches, no one had the leisure to overthink.
They simply wanted to keep winning until they captured the two trophies they craved most.
On April 16th, just a day after the quarterfinals ended, the Champions League semifinal draw was held amid great anticipation from fans around the world.
No seedings, no pre-arranged brackets.
Under the rules of completely random draws introduced at the quarterfinal stage, the semifinals were also determined by pure chance.
Chelsea vs Atlético Madrid!
Real Madrid vs Juventus!
Last season's Champions League finalists, Real Madrid and Juventus, would meet again in the semifinals.
Fans from both sides were delighted with their draw.
On April 26th, the battles for a place in the final would begin.
The four teams that made it to the semifinals had about ten days to prepare — but first, they all had to finish their final domestic league sprints.
Chelsea faced by far the toughest schedule.
First Manchester City, then Tottenham, and then back home to host Atlético Madrid.
Three brutal matches that could decide Chelsea's fate in both the Premier League and Champions League.
The pressure was immense — so much that many Chelsea fans began to grow nervous.
Inside the team, however, everything remained calm.
Except for Mourinho speaking at the pre-match press conference, no Chelsea players gave interviews to discuss the Champions League draw.
At the Premier League Round 34 pre-match press conference, Mourinho remained "friendly," not avoiding questions about Atlético Madrid.
Though he urged the reporters to respect Manchester City, their next opponent, Mourinho still answered questions about Atlético.
"This will be a huge challenge. Atlético have proven their strength in recent seasons.
They are an extremely tough team, and playing them demands enormous physical and mental energy."
"I regret the draw — it's not a good one.
But we have no choice; we must accept it. It will be a brutal endurance contest."
"I don't think we'll rotate anymore.
The next three matches are extremely important, and we have no room for retreat.
We have to go all out."
Mourinho praised all upcoming opponents extravagantly.
However, many reporters remained skeptical about his claim that Chelsea would make no further rotations.
Premier League fans who read the press conference coverage mostly believed Mourinho was sending a tactical smokescreen.
Against Manchester City and Atlético, Chelsea likely wouldn't rotate.
But against Tottenham in between? Mourinho would have the depth to rest a few starters.
It would all depend on whether Mourinho dared to take the risk when the time came.
On the morning of April 17th, Chelsea completed their final pre-match training session as usual.
Manchester City had already arrived in London.
As the clock ticked closer to kickoff, both teams finalized their preparations.
Stamford Bridge was ready to host the "Premier League Grand Finale."
As 3 PM approached, both sets of starting players gathered in their locker rooms for final words of motivation.
And as the fans' roars thundered around Stamford Bridge, cameras caught the players following the referee team onto the pitch.
During the opening ceremony, commentators from all countries hurriedly introduced both starting lineups and tactical setups.
By this point in the season, injuries were inevitable for both teams.
For Chelsea, Bertrand's return date remained uncertain.
Maguire had recovered in time but wasn't risked for the starting eleven.
Mourinho preferred to be cautious.
Manchester City, meanwhile, had suffered major blows during their Champions League clash with Real Madrid — losing both David Silva and Vincent Kompany.
Thus, neither side was at full strength today.
But in terms of determination, both teams were fully committed, ready to give everything on the pitch.
At exactly 3 PM, the referee blew the whistle, and the match officially began!
Manchester City kicked off, while Chelsea immediately locked down the midfield, preparing for a war of attrition.
Li Ang directed his teammates to quickly fall into defensive positions, while carefully observing City's midfield setup and attacking strategies.
With David Silva — the heart of City's creativity — missing, Guardiola abandoned his usual 4-3-3.
Instead, City lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
The two holding midfielders, Gündoğan and Fernandinho, remained in place, with Fàbregas still orchestrating play from the center.
However, on the right wing, Guardiola placed his trust in Nasri, who had largely been reduced to a substitute this season.
Sterling's position was also pulled back — he didn't push up into the front line — meaning City were fielding a five-man midfield that looked very solid on paper.
Li Ang quickly realized that Guardiola had reverted to his old tactical habits — overloading midfield and focusing excessively on intricate attacking buildup.
If that was really the case, then Mourinho's decision to relinquish midfield control and focus on quick wing counterattacks had once again struck directly at City's Achilles' heel!
As Li Ang dropped into the central midfield line, Chelsea immediately morphed into a three-defensive-midfield setup.
With this system in place, it didn't matter whether City had five midfielders or six — Chelsea simply clogged up the middle and half-spaces with overwhelming numbers.
And once Chelsea won the ball in their own half, whether it was Kroos, Li Ang, or Matić, all three possessed top-class long passing ability.
This sit-deep, counterattack style, combined with Chelsea's front line, allowed them to counter at will.
Li Ang originally thought that City wouldn't allow them many counterattacking opportunities — just like in their first meeting this season.
But he was surprised — today's City, playing away from home, repeated the same mistakes they had made in past seasons.
Thinking from City's perspective, though, Li Ang understood.
With Silva and Kompany injured, City's strength at both ends of the pitch had dropped significantly.
Their morale had taken a hit after losing to Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Missing both the defensive core and the attacking brain, there was no way they could dominate possession or maintain a secure defense.
Their confidence was shaken, so the only way to rebuild it was to focus on their strengths — offense.
Overemphasizing defense would only depress the squad further.
Thus, Guardiola's seemingly bold tactics weren't really bold — they were his only option.
City had no retreat left.
Their only hope was to attack with confidence and try to find salvation along the way.
Morale is a mysterious thing.
Sometimes you have to push yourself into desperation to ignite a hidden burst of energy.
If it worked — a comeback wasn't impossible.
If it didn't — then at least they would fall without regrets, fighting with their best weapon.
Li Ang quickly grasped City's tactical and psychological approach.
Since City had decided to go all-in on offense, Chelsea would let them have the ball.
Go ahead. Push up. Press even higher!
The more pressure Chelsea's defenders endured, the more space their forwards would find on the counter.
Li Ang had no doubts about his attacking teammates' ability to seize those counterattacking chances.
Patiently sweeping up danger around his own box, Li Ang watched City attack determinedly.
But through strong, organized defending, Chelsea held firm against City's onslaught.
When technique could no longer control the flow of the match, physical confrontation gradually became the dominant theme.
In this aspect, City were at a disadvantage — they never beat Chelsea in pure physical battles.
Still, driven by a desperate need to win, City's midfielders and attackers fought bravely.
It became a contest of raw courage, and the fierce tempo of the match had fans holding their breath, afraid to blink.
But this brutal physical clash didn't last long.
Under the astonished eyes of many neutral fans, City — who had been matching Chelsea blow for blow — visibly showed signs of fatigue after just ten minutes.
Their players weren't completely drained yet —
but they couldn't keep up with Chelsea's relentless physical rhythm anymore.
Had the pace continued, Chelsea might have lasted another 10 minutes comfortably, keeping the pressure high through the first half-hour.
But City couldn't even last five more minutes.
This wasn't the City the fans had come to expect.
From the sidelines, Mourinho watched and shook his head slightly.
"City's collapsing. They can't sustain high-intensity battles anymore,"
Holland excitedly concluded.
Mourinho didn't fully agree, but City's physical decline was undeniable.
Looking at their schedule, it made sense.
City had played deep into both domestic cup competitions, just finished a grueling Champions League run, and had no breathing room in the league either.
Last season, Chelsea managed to fight on four fronts because Mourinho had enough depth to rotate.
City's squad depth this season was good — but still not comparable to Mourinho's Chelsea.
Moreover, Guardiola hadn't rotated enough earlier in the season, relying heavily on his starters.
Now, facing the most critical stretch of the season, City were cracking.
Mourinho felt a mix of satisfaction and pity.
While he pondered, Kroos intercepted a loose ball from Li Ang and immediately launched a counterattack.
Hazard expertly controlled the pass on the flank and accelerated.
Faced with Zabaleta's pursuit, Hazard didn't force a dribble, instead calmly passing inside to Suárez.
The Uruguayan striker once again showcased his phenomenal passing —
a brilliant lofted ball found De Bruyne breaking free down the wing past Kolarov.
De Bruyne surged forward and whipped a low cross to the far post.
Charging into the box like a steam train, Li Ang reappeared in the camera's view!
With Otamendi desperately clinging to him, Li Ang planted his foot and exploded into a jump —
hammering a powerful header toward goal!
Bravo reacted quickly, diving full-stretch —
but the sheer force of Li Ang's "lion's header" was too much.
The ball smashed off Bravo's outstretched hand and still flew into the back of the net!
Stamford Bridge erupted in pure ecstasy!
Li Ang pounded his chest and roared, sprinting toward the corner flag.
Charging straight toward Chelsea's third consecutive Premier League title!
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