Thomas Tuchel and Chelsea look to become only ninth ever club to retain the biggest prize in European football
The new season is well and truly underway as fans across the continent are enjoying the return of the beautiful game, many of them in stadiums. The transfer window remains open and thus players are moving to new clubs. The inflation of already ridiculous transfer fees and wages shows no sign of stopping despite the global pandemic. News outlets are breaking their necks to link elite players with as many clubs as possible. Coaches are trying to navigate this craziness and get their new ideas across. It's a wonderful, exciting time to be a football fan.
Around this time we also ponder who could have a good season and who could have a disastrous one. We speculate about who might win league titles and cups, which players might have breakout seasons, who will win the golden boot. One big thing we often wonder at this time of year, as teams start to take shape and the way they are going to play becomes more evident with each game, is who has got what it takes to win the big one. Chelsea were unexpected winners last time around after German coach Thomas Tuchel came in mid-season and turned around their previously disappointing campaign. Can the London outfit do the unthinkable and actually retain their crown?
Perhaps, but to do so they will have to fight off the likes of 2019/20 winners Bayern Munich, the team they beat in May's final Manchester City and most frightening of all the footballing supergroup emerging at PSG. The likes of Liverpool and Manchester United will be challengers having improved on last season's squads via players returning from injury or activity in the transfer market. Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are all suffering various financial crises but can never be counted out. Juventus should be back to their best under returning coach Massimiliano Allegri. Borussia Dortmund have hung onto the effervescent Erling Braut Haaland.
In the Champions League anything can happen and all of these teams will feel they have a chance, but who do the bookies feel have the best shot at winning this season's biggest prize?
🇲🇩 Sheriff Tiraspol will be aiming to become the first club from Moldova's Divizia Națională to reach the UEFA Champions League group stages when they take on Dinamo Zagreb in the play-off first leg tonight.
— The Sweeper (@SweeperPod) August 17, 2021
But who are they? And why are they so controversial?
A thread ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/m7f9WoyJe5
Paris Saint Germain (11/4 Favourites)
It should come as no surprise that the Qatari-backed French giants are in pole position to win this season's Champions League. They fell short in Europe last term, losing out in the semi-finals to Man City. They also missed out on winning Ligue 1 by one point, as underdogs Lille won the title. By their standards, it was a pretty poor campaign. The owners have stuck with Mauricio Pochettino and backed him with some of the best transfer window business in living memory. The club have managed to acquire Gigi Wijnaldum from Liverpool, Gianluigi Donnarumma from AC Milan, Sergio Ramos from Real Madrid and Lionel Messi from Barcelona, all on free transfers to assemble a starting lineup which seems to have been put together by a starry eyed child on FIFA. They also added Achraf Hakimi from Inter Milan for €60m. They may not be building for the future with these signings and they will all be on huge wages but signing four iconic players for a transfer fee outlay of €0 is good business in anyone's book. These players may not be around in 10 years time but they are here this season and together they represent an Avengers-like force which will be damn near impenetrable this season. Bookies would be crazy to make anybody else the favourites for the Champions League.
PSG’s summer signings:
— SportsBettingTipz (@SportsBettingTz) August 10, 2021
☑️ Hakimi - €60m
☑️ Wijnaldum - Free
☑️ Ramos - Free
☑️ Donnarumma - Free
☑️ Messi - Free
The best transfer window ever? 🔥pic.twitter.com/eln0OpaXc9
Manchester City (7/2)
Following closely behind are another less-than-popular club in some quarters, Manchester City. Last season's Premier League winners and beaten Champions League finalists are themselves bankrolled by the riches of Sheikh Mansour, billionaire member of the royal family of Abu Dhabi. His investment has transformed the club into the goliath it is today and he shows no sign of slowing down this summer. The club have already brought in Jack Grealish from Aston Villa for a British record £100m and are strongly linked with Spurs striker Harry Kane. With or without those players Pep Guardiola has a squad ready to challenge for domestic and continental trophies immediately. Last season they got as far as they ever have but fell at the last hurdle against Chelsea. This season they will hope that one or two blockbuster signings can push them over the line and help them capture the biggest prize of all, the one which Guardiola was undoubtedly brought to Manchester to get. On paper they are clearly PSG's greatest challengers.
Jack Grealish:
— City Report (@cityreport_) August 13, 2021
"I have spoken about @DeBruyneKev a good few times. I have always said apart from Ronaldo and Messi I think he is the best in the world." pic.twitter.com/Kn7n5QQpvc
Bayern Munich (13/2)
Bookies have 2019/20 winners Bayern right up there. New coach Julian Nagelsmann inherits a settled squad which is full of quality and possesses arguably the world's finest goalscorer in Robert Lewandowski. He will however need to get his ideas across quickly if he is to lead the German powerhouses to another European triumph in his first season in charge. Previous coach Hansi Flick played a different style of football to the 34-year-old and his players will need to adapt quickly to the philosophies of their new leader. With established winners like Lewandowski, Leon Goretzka and Joshua Kimmich in the side, as well as a raft of outstanding young players like Jamal Musiala and Alphonso Davies coming through, Bayern should have no trouble at all. They will be clear favourites to once again win the Bundesliga and will be right in the frame for the Champions League too. They've only lost David Alaba and have replaced him with the imperious Dayot Upamecano from Nagelsmann's old club RB Leipzig. The Bavarians are in good shape and are rightly considered by the bookies to be one of the favourites to win this season's Champions League.
The DFL-Supercup is the first trophy of Julian Nagelsmann's managerial career.
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) August 17, 2021
34 years old and managing Bayern? It probably won't be the last. 😅 pic.twitter.com/sWm5NLmXUW
Chelsea (9/1)
It is slightly surprising that Chelsea are so far down the list of favourites to win this year's trophy. They are after all current European champions. After Tuchel took over in January following the group stage, they conceded only two goals in seven games as they dispatched Atletico Madrid, FC Porto, Real Madrid and Manchester City on their way to winning the Champions League. They went 14 games unbeaten when he arrived. The German completely transformed the team from one which was exciting to watch but lacking guile into an unstoppable machine hell bent on keeping clean sheets. The squad depth at Stamford Bridge is second to none. Only Manchester City can compete in world football with the options Tuchel has on his bench. After spending big last summer on the likes of Kai Havertz and Timo Werner, they have gone big again this window bringing in Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan for £97m. With their rock solid back three led by the iconic Thiago Silva, an unrivalled engine room kept ticking by everybody's favourite player N'Golo Kante, and any selection of Werner, Havertz, Christian Pulisic, Callum Hudson Odoi and co either side of Lukaku, you would be a fool to look past Chelsea in Europe and at home.
Romelu Lukaku is back in Chelsea colours once again 🔵🟡
— Goal (@goal) August 16, 2021
📸 @ChelseaFC pic.twitter.com/TfwRouEsOI
There are other challengers but it would be some shock to see that famous Champions League trophy end up anywhere other than Paris, Manchester, Munich or London. Likewise a victory for any of these four clubs would unlikely be earth shattering news.
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