It was only twelve kilometers from the Oriental Mandarin Hotel to the Allianz Arena. If traffic was smooth, it would take just fifteen minutes.
This had originally been the ideal hotel for Chelsea's plans. Although it was somewhat expensive, when Chelsea tried to book the Oriental Mandarin Hotel after the semifinals, the hotel informed them that it had already been booked out.
Although the hotel kept the matter confidential, the answer was not difficult to guess. There was only one possibility capable of booking out the entire Mandarin Hotel at once: Real Madrid.
Losing the battle for the hotel forced Chelsea to choose one that was slightly farther away. It was not really a problem, but losing the hotel battle before the final still left Chelsea's people feeling somewhat indignant.
Before the final, Di Matteo led the team out of the hotel on schedule. They boarded the bus and slowly headed north along the municipal road, under the watchful eyes of fans lining both sides, making their way to the Allianz Arena.
The bus was utterly silent. Chelsea's players were either resting with their eyes closed or silently gazing out the windows. A trace of solemnity could clearly be seen on every face. Clearly, they were not confident enough about the approaching Champions League Final, because their opponents were Real Madrid.
Real Madrid, who possessed Yang Yang, the number-one player in world football!
Facing Real Madrid, Chelsea's players and coaches felt as chilled as Munich's twenty-degree temperature at that moment—freezing cold.
Di Matteo had also made thorough preparations for the approaching final, even more carefully and seriously than for any match before it. He repeatedly analyzed and studied Real Madrid's tactics, as well as Ancelotti's lineup arrangements.
He and the coaching staff had prepared contingency plans for every situation