Belfast: Champions League winners Chelsea will like to continue their winning momentum when they square off against Europa League champs Villareal in the traditional UEFA Super Cup at Windsor Park On August 12.
Thomas Tuchel, who had just been appointed in January, brought a change in the Blues setup after the tremendous work done by Frank Lampard, led the side to a top-four Premier League finish and also became the champions of Europe defeating Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the final.
For Villareal, they did not have a great La Liga season but Unai Emery’s men defeated Manchester United in a tight penalty shootout to get their hands on the Europe League Cup or as Tuchel calls it the ‘Unai Emery Cup’.
With the beginning of the first full season in charge of the Blues, Tuchel will be looking forward start the campaign with another trophy. Chelsea have had a few pre-season friendlies boosting up the preparation as they defeated Bournemouth and Arsenal before being held by Tottenham Hotspur.
The 24-man squad that Tuchel announced for the Belfast includes a series of variated talents. From fan favourite Mason Mount to Jorginho who has been Chelsea’s best player in the previous season and in all probability Eduardo Mendy will be starting under the bars.
You don't save those! 🚀
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 11, 2021
𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗔𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀. ⤵️
Ceaser Azpilicueta, Thiago Silva and Antoine Rüdiger will be in front of Mendy. A four-man midfield featuring Calum Hudson-Odoi, Marcus Alonso, Mateo Kovacic and magnificent N’Golo Kante seems to be predictable with Hakim Ziyech and Kai Havertz teaming up.
Timo Werner might start ahead of Tammy Abraham whose future still seems uncertain. Marcus Bettinelli and Trevor Chalobah might also come in for some time during the match. Things have not been so good for the Yellow Submarines with 12 players out due to injuries or coronavirus effects.
Emery’s side have failed to register a win in the last six matches they played, the latest being a 2-2 draw with Leeds United. Nevertheless, the clash of the two former Paris Saint-Germain managers will be a treat to watch.
Villareal will be missing the services of Dani Parejo, Francis Coquelin, Geronimo Rulli, and Samuel Chukwueze all out with injuries. New signing Boulaye Dia is expected to be available, however, along with striker Paco Alcacer might not start ahead. Sergio Asenjo will be guarding the posts, while Juan Foyth, Raul Abilol, Pau Torres and Chelsea target Alfonso Pedraza line up in front.
Mentality from the boss. 👌
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 11, 2021
'It's not over, it's just started.' 💬
Yeremi Pino and Moi Gomez would form the heart of the midfield with Fer Nino and Gerard Moreno in the front. Chelsea who are unbeaten in all their six encounters with the Spanish sides, last season, hope to keep their momentum.
Tuchel seemed fairly confident ahead of the class for his second silverware in such a short time. “It doesn’t feel like pressure because this is what we demand of ourselves, me at the very first point. I demand to get better every day, use my experience and to be the best coach I can be every single day,” he said.
“The courage now is to face the challenge, does anybody have a recipe how to do better after a Champions League victory? I don’t know, it was my first win so I think the courage is to face the challenges, step up and keep on demanding,” he continued.
“We have some things we need to develop and improve, there were things that were very strong last season and we have to maintain that level. We have to, clearly, rebuild the same spirit that put us in the position to get these results. “There are a lot of different tasks to fulfil and the most important is that we don’t lose sight by thinking too much about pressure and expectations,” he added.
