Man City vs Chelsea: The UCL final broken down by statistics

Chelsea faces Manchester City in the biggest game of the season as both sides look to win the coveted Champions League trophy. Manchester City has already won two trophies this season, the Premier League and the Carabao Cup. Meanwhile, Chelsea barely managed to scrape into the top four on the final matchday. Both teams have had contrasting seasons as Man City has been remarkably consistent while the Blues have struggled to sustain their good performances this campaign. Both teams have depended on their systems to win the games rather than individuals scoring regularly. Ferran Torres and Riyad Mahrez are Man City’s top goalscorers in the competition with four goals each. Similarly, Chelsea’s leading goal scorer is Olivier Giroud with six goals, four of which came in a group stage game against Sevilla.

The difference between good teams and the best teams is that the best ones function as a unit, and there is no clear gamechanger. Every player has a specific role and needs to do it perfectly for the system to work efficiently. This narrative has been visible in both Chelsea and Man City throughout the last year. Both have relied upon solid performances from all players to play their natural football. Due to this, the final could perhaps be a matter of who makes a mistake first. Teams tend to approach such big games with caution, and a single mistake could decide the trophy’s fate.

1. Edouard Mendy vs. Ederson

Chelsea and Man City have been terrific throughout the tournament as far as defence is concerned. Both the goalkeepers have made some match-defining saves and have kept their teams in the game on numerous occasions. Mendy was crucial against Real Madrid in the second leg, where he denied Karim Benzema on more than one occasion. Similarly, Ederson has just been consistent in general, and his passing prowess has on display throughout the tournament.

The first metric that comes to mind when discussing goalkeepers is the number of clean sheets. Mendy has a total of 24 clean sheets, with eight of them in the Champions League. Ederson has 26 clean sheets, with seven of them in the Champions League.

Mendy has transformed Chelsea into a defensive powerhouse. His presence has brought a lot of stability to the side as the Blues struggled with composure in defence on several occasions last season. Mendy’s has a towering figure in the box and is difficult to beat with long shots due to his extended reach. An essential aspect of Mendy’s game that often goes unnoticed is his distribution and long balls. The Senegalese shot-stopper has a calm mindset and has constantly made some brilliant passes in pressure situations. He averages 5.2 long balls per game in the Champions League, an astonishing number for a goalkeeper.

On the other hand, Ederson has been guarding Man City’s net efficiently, as well. The Brazilian has a unique vision for a goalkeeper, and many of his passes have resulted in goalscoring chances. His ability to spot a run and release the forward into a channel is something that is rare in goalkeepers. However, he falls shy of Mendy when it comes to long balls, as he averages 3.8 long balls per game throughout the competition. Ederson averages less saves per game than Mendy, partly because the defenders in front of him have been terrific. Ruben Dias has been one of the best players of the season and has protected his goalkeeper regularly.