A look ahead to the Champs League final

In last years Champions League final Spurs were bumped off the stage by an official that gave a penalty to Liverpool after 25 seconds of play. You couldn’t make it up. A dubious handball, so dubious in fact that the authorities changes the God damn rule in the aftermath of the incident. No VAR intervention. He killed the game. The biggest game in world football (ignoring internationals). It deserved better than this.

Yes, of course I’m bitter. All the hype and the build up and anticipation and wallop, it’s killed dead within half a minute. Less than half a minute. Brutal. So cheap. If I was a betting man and I would have been straight onto 888sport to lump everything on Liverpool to win (after their penalty). Spurs had their soul snatched. Everything (rival fans will disagree) got cheated out of a proper game.

Instead, Klopp got it tactically spot on. Contained and congested and sat back whilst Spurs struggled to find their mojo. It wasn’t a decent game. Of course, nobody in Liverpool will care. All the graft came before, in the group games and knock-outs. If you get to the final, you win it, nothing else matters.

I’m bitter. It might have been us if those opening 25 seconds were just a bit different. That was last year. This year? It’s been a bit different but still the game goes on nothing can stop it.

The Champions League has, however, provided us with some great entertainment. City being slapped out of the competition again. Bayern Munich destroying and humiliating Barcelona, a highlight nobody will ever forget. And two French sides (Lyon and PSG) making it to the semi-final stage whilst both Ronaldo and Messi failed for the first time in one hundred and sixty years. No English clubs. No Spanish clubs. Just the two farmers and the Germans (RB Leipzig included).

The semi finals resulted with PSG, that little club from France that have underachieved for a generation and Bayern Munich; that big club from Germany with vorsprung durch technik. The technology in this case is stone cold killer efficiency. As opposed to the French club that prefer progress through untold millions spent to achieve success.

Never liked Munich since the day they bottled the Champs League final in their own backyard against Chelsea. But they are head and shoulders above all in this seasons competition. We (Spurs) attempted to compete with them and got slaughtered 7-2 at home. Ruthless and brilliant. Muller. Lewandowski. Thiago. Alaba. Gnabry. Perisic. Maddening talent. A proper team.

And PSG have their marquee show-offs like Neymar, Di Maria, Thiago Silva, Mbappé and so on. A club that has tried to buy the title in Europe and might just do that if they can find a way through the Germans sheer professionalism to dismantle opponents.

I would say that Neymar is still searching for that golden moment (he’s assists are fire and he’s been outstanding thus far), that crowning glory in this competition. Along with Mbappé (yes, he’s won the World Cup, the bloody show-off). If they both ignite, then we have a game on our hands. What is perhaps more important is that both are playing for their team. Which is far more important when facing the likes of Munich. Neymar is a leader now, matured and seasoned. Bayern are a team of leaders.

So what of the final? What should we expect of the occasion?

I’m hopeful for fireworks. What are you hopeful for? I’m hopeful for a free flowing game and not a whitewash. Hand on heart, I’d prefer the Germans to win. Simply because of PSG and their money train and state ownership. Not that Munich aren’t a super rich football club. I guess their heritage and tradition is more appealing.

PSG looked comfortable and confident against Leipzig. Bayern survived Lyon, especially in the opening twenty minutes (before Gnarby scored a worldy). The French side, having conquered Juventus and City couldn’t find the edge to shock again with the Germans finally getting past a semi-final.

Does Thomas Tuchel complete the project with a win? Will Hans-Dieter Flick unleash another spanking? PSG will have to stop a side that’s won 28 of their last 29 games. Wow, right?

I do think the French have the ability, on the day, to produce magic. The Germans will always shock and awe. So perhaps, if both go for the jugular it will come down to the players and side with less nerves. But if there are tactics at play, if there is containment and counters…then imagine a game of chess whilst sat in the middle of a nightclub in peak season, lights and music and sweat and dilated eye balls.

The worst case scenario, both decide to play it safe and are too scared to commit to sheer entertainment and beautiful brute force…

…nah, that ain’t happening.

My money is on Bayern, as long as the official doesn’t dish out a penalty in the opening 25 seconds. It’s a historic night, a surreal one too with no fans in attendance. Enjoy.