Why a Man City vs Chelsea final gives Gareth Southgate a headache

An all-English Champions League final leaves lots to look forward to, but not for the England manager whose Euro 2020 preparations have now been significantly hampered

England manager Gareth Southgate (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

A third all-English Champions League final is now set with Manchester City facing Chelsea for the game’s biggest prize in Istanbul later this month.

Thomas Tuchel's side joined the Premier League leaders in this year's final after finally easing their way past Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night.

Goals from Timo Werner and Mason Mount, added to Christian Pulisic's away strike in Valdebebas a week ago, secured what proved to be a comfortable win over the 13-time winners and safe passage to the final.

“We are in the Champions League final and we have got to finish it off,” said Mount. “We need to keep going and we can achieve greatness. It was a big two games to push through and beat this team, one of the best in the world, and we’ve done it.

“Now we need to do it again. It’s not over, there’s one more game left. We are going to give it everything. We are going into it with full confidence, like we have with this whole road getting there.”

They will meet City, who saw off French champions and 2020 finalists Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night, in a battle to be crowned European champions on 29 May.

An all-English showpiece underlines the position of strength the English game is now in - but not everyone will be pleased.

As a consequence of the semi-final results, England manager Gareth Southgate could now see as many as seven players involved in the game, a match that comes just four days before the Three Lions' first Euro 2020 warm-up against Austria in Middlesbrough.

Blues Mount, Ben Chilwell and Reece James all have safe spots on the plane - or bus with as many as six fixtures on home soil this summer - with Kyle Walker, John Stones, Phil Foden and Raheem Sterling from City all set to be involved too.

That's not all. With Manchester United all but certain to make the Europa League final after a 6-2 first-leg win over Roma and Arsenal, behind 2-1 to Villarreal in their own semi-final, possibly set to join them in Gdansk on 26 May you may be able to add as many as five more to that list.

It's certainly not what Southgate needs with contact time with his squad already at a premium as the tournament adapts to new emergency coronavirus protocols.

He already has long-term concerns over the likes of Declan Rice, Jordan Henderson and Jack Grealish too with all enduring long periods on the sidelines as the end of the domestic club season nears.

He will, however, be boosted by the news that Uefa will allow expanded squads - from 23 to 26 players - to help cope with the extra demands of a Covid-impacted competition, although privately it is understood Southgate does harbour concerns over how to maintain and manage a squad where as many as 15 players could now not be playing regular football in June and July.

It is all part of an England manager's role, of course - it is known as the "impossible job" for a reason.

And it is also no doubt a good thing. Southgate now has a young, exciting and, more than anything, hugely talented squad at his disposal, the most promising since the 'Golden Generation' of 15 years ago. That so many England-qualified players are part of the game's biggest domestic and European matches is testament to that.

But nonetheless, ahead of a summer where expectation will be higher than it has been in years, it is somewhat ironic that England’s players’ preparations for it could be hampered by just how good they have now become.