It is exactly a year since Chelsea visited the Bernabeu. It is 365 days since one of the great displays of doomed heroics in their history. Same place, another time. Real Madrid ultimately illustrated why they are Europe’s comeback kings but only after a stunning fightback from Chelsea. They went 3-0 up in the Bernabeu. Now the architect of it, Thomas Tuchel, is gone, along with two of the scorers, Antonio Rudiger and Timo Werner. The other one, Mason Mount, could be gone this summer.
But the differences extend beyond the names and faces. After three goals in the Bernabeu, Chelsea have now gone three games under three different managers without scoring. It is a strange sort of hat-trick, but one to sum up Chelsea’s season. The club who have spent more than anyone else in football had over two transfer windows now have 14 goals in their last 22 games. Karim Benzema has six goals in April to Chelsea’s none, 19 since 30 December to their 12. A reunion 12 months on may not feel a fair contest.
