Guardiola and Tuchel face a very different set of questions after their final games of the football season

The Manchester City manager faces a difficult summer, whereas the sky is the limit for Thomas Tuchel and his Chelsea team, writes Ben Burrows

Thomas Tuchel reacts after victory in the Champions League final with Pep Guardiola in the background (Getty)

A thrilling Champions League final brought the curtain down on another club football season over the weekend.

Chelsea beat Premier League rivals Manchester City in Porto with Kai Havertz’s first-half goal enough to secure a second European Cup in the club’s history.

It was a thoroughly entertaining and engaging game with Thomas Tuchel getting the better of managerial rival Pep Guardiola – as he now has in the last three meetings between the two.

While the Spaniard, looking to win the most famous trophy of all for the first time in 10 years, again seemed to be the architect of his own downfall on the biggest stage, Tuchel was exemplary, setting up a perfect game plan before ensuring it was executed to the letter on the night.

“We knew that we needed a top-level performance and we needed a strong bond today to overcome this match and to have a chance to win this match,” he said afterwards.

“This is what we did, and I’m almost speechless, very, very happy to share this moment with this team, staff and support.

“It’s for them, for our team manager who is at home, it’s for my parents, my family, my kids. And it’s fantastic to share that.”

For City and their manager, it’s a case of what if again in Europe’s premier competition, with this defeat the latest example in a long line of coming up short when it matters most on the continent.

With a Premier League title – a third in four years – to go with a fourth Carabao Cup in a row it was still a hugely successful campaign for them, but falling at the last and most important hurdle once again will hurt.

It will also spark yet more questions over the summer. For Chelsea, though, the only question is how far they can go.

Yours,

Ben Burrows

Sports editor