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Between them Chelsea and Manchester United have won seven of the last fifteen FA Cups, an impressive duopoly that amounts to a modern-day strangle-hold on the tournament.
It is a mutual cup pedigree made all the more astounding by the fact that every single triumph was overseen by a different manager and this suggests no matter who is in charge there is something in the psychological make-up of both clubs that highly values a trip to Wembley in May.
It shouldn’t be forgotten too that for the last two years Chelsea and United have taken it in turns to be the losing finalists and while the doom-mongers insist that the cherished competition has lost its allure among the big boys this particular duo can hold their heads up high.
Of those seven gloried afternoons some were viewed as significant bonuses to round off successful seasons while others were more substantially welcomed, adding a silver gloss, even purpose to an otherwise disappointing campaign. There is no question that should either team go all of the way this time out the achievement will fall into the latter category.
It would matter greatly to Maurizio Sarri or Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – to Chelsea or United – to lift the cup in three months’ time as it will potentially redeem and restore a troublesome 2018/19. It will not have escaped their notice either that elsewhere across the ties only Manchester City remain as an intimidating obstacle.
How perfect then that the fifth round has pitted these desperate foes against one another in a fiery showdown at the Bridge this Monday and determining who needs progress more is easy at first glance but trickier when you dig a little deeper.
At face value it is Chelsea and Sarri surely who are in urgent need of a boost at present and who knows, with the right wind perhaps a trophy come the season’s end. After all it is they who were trounced beyond recognition last weekend at the Etihad Stadium, a comprehensive and mortifying loss that followed a recent 4-0 thumping at Bournemouth and with the meagre accruement of just seven league points this year, it is they who languish in genuine crisis.
Right now the implementation of Sarri-ball in England is a busted flush and worse yet it is being executed poorly by a set of players who have shown time and again that if there is an excuse to hide behind they will take it. It should be of huge concern too that the woeful performances have led to the Blues slipping outside of the top four.
What the nicotined Neapolitan wouldn’t give then for a rousing response from his side on Monday and a further three cup wins thereafter. A trophy (to possibly add to a Caribao Cup for an ultimately positive domestic double) would not only silence his critics but crucially offer him time and a summer transfer window to correct the glitches in his meticulous matrix. It would end an annus horribilis in hope.
As for the visitors the initial interpretation of how important Monday’s game is for them plays it down in comparison to their other ventures. An immediate resurgence of form and results under Solksjaer following the acrimonious sacking of Mourinho has seen the Red Devils claw back a long-standing deficit and become front-runners for a Champions League spot. It is surely that which they must maintain going forward at all costs, with a cup jaunt only proving a distraction they could well do without.
Perhaps. But then again, that ignores Tuesday’s loss to PSG which, when taken in isolation is hardly a disaster for United given the full circumstances. When coupled with a further cup defeat to Chelsea just six days later however it amounts to back-to-back failure that stymies the momentum so far accrued under the Norwegian. And it should not be under-estimated how vital a role momentum has played in turning United’s fortunes around.
Solskjaer then will be extremely keen to immediately right the wrongs that set in at Old Trafford this week and not risk losing the belief and optimism he has smiled so hard to attain. Furthermore, as an alumni of the Sir Alex Ferguson school of thinking he will view the FA Cup as a realistic route to glory, one it would be unprofessional to not go all-out for.
On a personal level the 45-year-old will be acutely aware too of the cup’s importance in helping him possibly secure his dream job on a permanent basis. Manchester United surely view a top four finish and a progression past the Champion’s League group stage as the base requirement for any given season and one has been achieved with the other now a viable target. A trophy though, won in an interim capacity after rescuing the club from calamity: how much would that assist his cause?
Determining who most needs a win this Monday night results in a score draw for both managers and both clubs. And with losing not an option you can forget about the possible upsets and fairy-tale quarter-finalists. It’s at Stamford Bridge where the real magic of the cup casts its unmissable spell.
