Sports Calendar

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New York’s expensive signings paid off handsomely in the regular season, as you would expect. The team have baseball’s best record in league play since 2000. But in the postseason, where there is little margin for error, especially in a best-of-five series, they have fared poorly.

“Luck tends to average out over a season, but when you get to a knockout stage it can play a much bigger role,” Sauer says, comparing it to the Champions League, which, unlike the Premiership, is decided on the same knockout basis and which, notably, Chelsea have failed to win.

It is still remarkable that the Yankees have failed so consistently in the knockout stage of a season. This, Sauer says, might have something to do with the mental effect of sudden death.

Knowing that your season will end if you lose might require a special psychological quality that perhaps is not necessarily easily identified. If such a psychological capability does exist, you can rest assured that the Yankees — and, presumably, Chelsea — will be willing to pay good money for it.

• Gerard Baker is US Editor of The Times

FLEXING THEIR PLATINUM CARDS

COST: Chelsea (annual player wage bill, estimate): £120 million (£40 million more than nearest rivals).

New York Yankees (annual player wage bill): £110 million (£43m more than nearest rivals).

TOP EARNER: Chelsea: Michael Ballack, £6.76 million a year.

Yankees: Alex Rodríguez, £13.5 million a year.

THE CAPTAIN: Chelsea: John Terry. The 25-year-old centre back and youth product has become a mainstay with wholehearted, solid displays.

Yankees: Derek Jeter. Also a one-club man, the 32-year-old shortstop has been consistently excellent and has a reputation for performing when it matters.

THE UNDERACHIEVING SUPERSTAR: Chelsea: Andriy Shevchenko. Still early, but the Ukraine captain arrived from AC Milan in the summer with a big reputation and a massive price tag but has failed to impress.

Yankees: Rodríguez. The third baseman is the highest-paid player in the sport, but “A-Rod” struggled in the post-season, leading to speculation that he would be traded.

THE MANAGER: Chelsea: José Mourinho. No playing career to speak of, but the 43-year-old rapidly rose up the coaching ranks and has won four successive league titles — two with FC Porto, two with Chelsea. Yet he is under pressure because he has failed to replicate his Champions League triumph with Porto at Stamford Bridge. Cocky and controversial style puts him at risk of burnout.

Yankees: Joe Torre. The 66-year-old had an outstanding playing career and the Yankees are his fourth club as a manager. His appointment in 1995 was greeted with great scepticism but he has been an enormous success, bringing in four World Series. However, there had been speculation that he may be dismissed this week after a sixth successive season without a World Series. Generally calm and patient.

THE OWNER: Chelsea: Roman Abramovich. The 39-year-old Russian oil billionaire is the eleventh richest person in the world, second in Britain, with an estimated fortune of about £11 billion. He bought Chelsea in 2003, but his motives and personality remain mysterious because he has kept his counsel.

Yankees: George Steinbrenner, AKA “The Boss”. Born in Ohio in 1930, the shipping magnate bought the Yankees from CBS in 1973. Infamously volcanic and prone to public eruptions, he has changed manager 20 times, including hiring and firing one, Billy Martin, four times. His pursuit of costly free-agent players has driven the prices up for everyone.

THE STADIUM: Chelsea: Stamford Bridge, capacity 42,500. Yankees: Yankee Stadium, capacity 57,500.

THE HONOURS: Chelsea: Three championships, three FA Cups, three League Cups, two Cup Winners’ Cups. Yankees: 26 World Series wins. Nine successive divisional titles, but no World Series success since 2000. Not reached World Series since 2003.

TOM DART