Chelsea vs Man City: What Life Lessons Can Possibly Be Learned From Football

We know, we were curious too…

Until we took time to watch the game again, and break it down in bits.

It probably sounds very cliche, like, Monday-morning-on-LinkedIn kind of cliche to try drawing out life lessons from a 90-minute game of football, but the truth is that we learned a number of things from seeing The Blues nullify their counterparts on a cold Saturday night. We want to share, and we hope you find them useful:

1. Trust your guts: Few days before the game, a video surfaced of Manchester City’s coach, Pep Guardiola, discussing what Chelsea’s game plan would be. Any other coach would have cowered and switched tactics, but Chelsea stuck to their original game plan, and it paid off in the end. Learn to trust your instincts.
2. Never gamble without assessing the risks involved: Guardiola had used a trusted formation for most of the season, but that night, he chose to tinker, starting the game without a defensive midfielder, and without his best striker. It proved costly, and by the time he fixed the formation in the 70th minute, it was too late. When it comes to making decisions, be careful not to deviate from a winning formula. For example, if you are processing a transaction and you know that Paga is your trusted payment platform — and we hope that it is — don’t be too quick to try something different just because you are curious.
3. Fear is the enemy: Chelsea was out of form, having lost three games out of four leading up to the final. They were still smarting from the FA Cup final loss to Leicester City, and judging from the quality of the Manchester City side, they were clearly the underdogs. They could have chosen to roll over, but they stood up to a side that was superior on paper, and the rest is trophy-clutching history.
4. Keep trying, you never know when you’ll strike gold: Chelsea midfielder, Kai Havertz, had received banter from fans of rival clubs as he struggled to find form in a competitive league. His numbers were not so great leading up to the game, but at the moment it mattered, he made a well-timed run, rounded the keeper, and scored an all-important goal. Each failed attempt, each goof brings you one step closer to your goals, so don’t think of giving up.

5: Cultivate a winning mentality: When Thomas Tuchel arrived at Chelsea in January, the players were low on morale, and the club was dropping points. He also had a point to prove, having been fired by his previous employers. Five months down the line, they are Champions League winners.

Few things typify our service culture like Chelsea’s winning mentality. Add to that the fact that our CEO, Tayo, is a devoted Chelsea supporter, and we’ve got a match made in Heaven.

As you grind daily, here is hoping that you never give up, that you take calculated risks, and that you tackle your challenges like Ngolo Kante intercepts the ball.

Keep it simple, and keep your eye on the ball.