Champions League

JORGINHO could well have been lining up for Manchester City against Chelsea in tonight’s Champions League final.There are plenty of Chelsea fans who probably wish he were.
Jorgino cracks a smile as he prepares for the Champions League finalCredit: Getty
The Italian is nearing 100 appearances for the club but still struggles to win over a large body of sceptics who cannot take to his measured style of football.
Jorginho was signed for £57.4million by former boss Maurizio Sarri and his support team, which included Blues legend Gianfranco Zola.
Zola, voted the club’s best-ever player by the fans, spent a year in the dugout trying to convince the punters that Jorginho was worth his place in the team — one he has kept ever since.
In Zola’s 12-month spell Chelsea finished third in the league, won the Europa League and lost only on penalties to champions Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final.
The Italian legend said: “Maybe the fans just like to see someone who is always flying into tackles, winning the ball back or is knocking players over all the time. He is always questioned. When something goes wrong and Jorgo makes a mistake, it is always picked up straight away.
“But it is no coincidence that the owner of Manchester City wanted to buy him. I don’t know how close they got but he decided to come to us.
“It’s not like he wasn’t being noticed by other clubs.
“If you are a team that wants to be organised, a passing team, then Jorgo is the man.
Jorginho worked under Gianfranco Zola at Stamford BridgeCredit: Rex
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“He is always in the right place supporting defenders and the other midfielders when they have the ball. He is always available when the ball is becoming hot.
“This is a player who never hides. And just look, he played under Sarri but he then played under Frank Lampard and now he is becoming an important player for Thomas Tuchel.
“The fans have to understand that he is perfect for a manager.
“Jorgo is not only an important player to have control of the ball but he has also been the skipper many times.
“They gave him responsibility, which means they value him as a player but also as a character.
“You can rely on him all the time. A lot of players under pressure don’t want the ball — but Jorgo is not one of them.
“When you have a player who doesn’t hide when you need to control a game under pressure, you value him a lot. Maybe at times people don’t see this.”
Jorginho had agreed personal terms with City before following Sarri to Stamford Bridge.
Jorginho was in and out of the team under Frank LampardCredit: AFP
The Italian is a regular in big games under Thomas TuchelCredit: AP
He is a regular starter under Tuchel — especially in the big games: the FA Cup final, key Champions League matches and Prem games against the top opposition.
Chelsea face the biggest game on the club calendar with an emerging team.

Zola, 54, was the stylish focus of a Chelsea team also emerging from years of mediocrity to begin the trophy hauling back in the 1990s. The biggest was the now defunct Cup Winners’ Cup in 1998 — and it has led them all the way to the very top.
Zola said: “That was the beginning of what you see now.
“We were a team building and trying to catch up with Arsenal and Manchester United, who were the best in the country then. We were rising.
“I can only smile at the enthusiasm, the supporters… every player was so happy to be part of that team.
“Now it is an established team. Now when you talk about Chelsea you talk about one of the best teams in Europe.
“It’s two beautiful stories in different ways. The club is much more settled.
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“The front players will be key in this final. City are so good offensively because they can bring a lot of players forward.
“They attack very well, are organised and have so many variations in their attacks.
“But in their strength also lies their weakness.
“Because they bring so many players forwards they risk being put under pressure when they lose the ball.
“When you have good players at attacking space, like Mason Mount, Timo Werner or Christian Pulisic, or putting the ball into space, it can be a problem.”
Chelsea have lost three of their last four games and looked a jaded image of the team which embarrassed Real Madrid in the semi-finals.
Zola said: “Back then, if I had  £1,000 in my pocket, I would have put a bet on Chelsea to win it. Right now maybe I would put £500.”
Zola is backing the Blues to win their second Champions LeagueCredit: Getty Images – Getty
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KEVIN DE BRUYNE has warned old club Chelsea that he is hungry for more silverware – after admitting he does not remember their night of glory nine years ago.The Belgian won his ninth major trophy in six glittering years when Manchester City picked up the Premier League on Sunday.
Kevin de Bruyne is desperate to add the Champions League to his impressive trophy cabinetCredit: Getty
But he is looking to make it double figures when he goes up against his former employers in Porto tomorrow night.
KdB was a Blues player when they won the Champions League in 2012 – but is not even sure he watched the final after he was not invited to Munich.
He said: “We’ve been winning so many trophies over the last six years, been competing in every competition and that’s what I like.
“I want to win again – I can’t wait for the next one to come round so we can try to win again.”
Thomas Tuchel masterminded two victories over City in the final few weeks of the season.
But Pep Guardiola had made wholesale changes to his side for both matches – and KdB does not believe it will have much bearing on the game.
He added: “I just think it’s a different situation. We changed a lot for both of the previous ones but the manager thought we could win both the games with that team.
“In the semi-final we didn’t perform well. But in the league game we could have been two-nil up at half-time. I think it would have been difficult to come back from there.
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“It’s a totally different situation playing in the Champions League final where it’s all or nothing.”
The Belgian superstar had signed for the Blues four months before their glory night in Munich – and made his debut for them in a pre-season game for them that July.
Yet he was not invited to the match when club legend Didier Drogba rolled in the winning penalty.
And having spent the previous few months on loan back at Genk, he does not even remember watching his new club’s triumph on television.
De Bruyne shrugged: “I wasn’t there. I don’t think I was invited. I don’t remember much about it to be honest.
“With Champions League finals, sometimes I watch them – sometimes not. It just depends on the situation. I don’t recall too much about that one.”
It is a story typical of his two-and-a-half years on the books at Stamford Bridge.
He made only nine appearances for the London side and spent much of his time there out on loan in Belgium or Germany.
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How ironic that his long wait to reach a Champions League final will end tomorrow night – against his former employers.
Asked if that made the game in Porto extra special, KdB said: “Not really.
I’ve not really any bad feelings towards them. It was a part of my life that happened.
“It was a good step for me but I just wanted to play.
“People think about the couple of months that I didn’t play but before then I’d done the pre seasons, I’d been on loan to my old team and to Germany. I grew up a lot as a player.
“Then I came back and I didn’t play a lot so I made a decision and in the end everyone was happy with it. So I don’t think anyone looks back at it as a bad decision.”
While it never worked out for him with Chelsea, he looked a perfect fit for City the minute he walked through the door.
He has lived through six years of frustration in this competition – reaching the semi-final and three quarters before finally making the big one.
The Belgian maestro played just nine times in a Chelsea shirt across two-and-a-half yearsCredit: PA:Empics Sport
He is not sure if he even watched the shootout win over Bayern Munich in 2012Credit: Getty
The Belgium international always knew it would come, saying: “I had the feeling from the beginning here. People talk about failure when you don’t win the Champions League but it’s so difficult to win it.
“We’ve been fighting for it for the last six years – we’ve always been around the quarter finals, semi-finals. Always been around the best eight teams in Europe.
“But when you play knock-out, small situations can make a difference.
“In the bad situations, we maybe made too many mistakes and this year we didn’t. We’ve been very compact when it became difficult. We’ve done it in the right way this year.”
Having broken boss Guardiola’s last-eight hoodoo against Borussia Dortmund, KdB felt the shackles were off.
He noticed a ‘freedom’ in the semi-final victory over Paris Saint-Germain and that could spell bad news for Thomas Tuchel’s men.
De Bruyne said: “I felt the second game there was some nerves. Everyone was thinking ‘not this again’ – but I think the way we responded was really good.
“Controlled the game, then in the semi-final I didn’t feel any of the nerves. It maybe felt like a hurdle was past.
Everyone has a sense of regret if you don’t win a Champions League but I think Vinny helped to create the history for this clubKevin de Bruyne
“The games against PSG we felt free. It felt fairly good in that aspect.”
His fellow Belgian and former team-mate Vincent Kompany spent 11 years at City and left two years ago without lifting this trophy.
Other legends such as David Silva, Yaya Toure, Pablo Zabaleta and Joe Hart were the same.
The midfielder – who turns 30 next month – has a few years left yet but wants to make sure when he does go it will be with no regrets.
De Bruyne said: “These guys played a major part. If we won it on Saturday then I’m sure Vinny would be really happy.
“Everyone has a sense of regret if you don’t win a Champions League but I think he helped to create the history for this club.
“He won so many things so I think he’ll be fairly pleased with his career.”
Having waited all this time, there is no way De Bruyne will be missing his first chance to star in a final.

City have had to tread carefully with their superstar nursing three separate injuries over recent weeks to his knee, calf and a tight hamstring.
But he showed no ill-effects in the 5-0 thumping of Everton on Sunday and he confirmed that he will be raring to go in Portugal.
He added: “I could have played against Brighton but the manager decided not to put me in.
“But I’m happy I was able to play the full 90 against Everton and show that I’m a good rhythm.”
De Bruyne picked up a ninth winner’s medal with Manchester City on SundayCredit: PA

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