We might have an FA Cup semi final game this weekend but it seems some of our players are far less bothered about that than you’d imagine. Shame really because despite us wetting ourselves in the days when it was regarded as an achievement in a Chelsea season, it’s a trophy that’s clearly lost some of its former magic over the years (although personally with us being the holders I’m quite excited about the possibility of us retaining it). Not so for our players though, and not without good reason really, because they have their sights firmly set on the title.
Given our early Champions League exit, John Obi Mikel obviously regards the FA Cup as scant consolation, suggesting “I’ve won the FA Cup twice and I think if I win the Premier League I will be happier. We are disappointed with how we went out to Inter, but that’s behind us now and we’ve got to focus on winning the Premier League. That’s just as important a trophy. We’re still in the race for the title and I think the belief is there. We’ve got the right mentality, everything seems to be in place, so it’s up to us to keep it going.”
Didier Drogba, likewise after our win – and his goal against United says “Maybe you don’t need to score a lot – just the important goals – and maybe this one was one of those. I’ve scored only twice against them, once in the FA Cup final and now this. It’s nice to score against them because they have one of the world’s best defences. We’re proud of what we did, the desire was so good. This was a very big result and we showed we are a good team and deserved to win. But we know we’re not there yet. All I know is we want to win it a lot, to prove to people the team we are.”
Focusing firmly on the title, Drogba says “I’ve always believed we could do it even though we lost points last month. We have some important games coming but we are more determined now. It would mean more for us to win the league now having waited four years to win it back again. There are still five games to go and a lot of things can happen. But we’re going to do everything to stay there and win this league.”
It goes without saying we share their sentiments when it comes to the title. I suppose for me, as much as I loved us getting to win back-to-back titles in my lifetime, I’ve always felt they were easily dismissed by everyone outside of Chelsea, particularly after Mourinho’s departure. Those titles are often written off because they were simply ‘bought’ or regarded as a fluke that wasn’t to be repeated under any other manager.
Fair play, we did spend a shed load of money and I’ve never shied away from admitting it made all the difference between us competing with the opposition and genuinely challenging them but Roman isn’t lashing out these days. And take nothing away from TSO, he really knew how to get the best out his players and did so for a couple of seasons. We’ve had a couple of dodgy managers since then, neither of whom I had any faith in whatsoever and whilst I’m still pretty indifferent when it comes to Ancelotti, he doesn’t have me foaming at the mouth or cringing with embarrassment in the same way his predecessors (Hiddink excluded) managed.
So, given how easily our previous titles are waved away – and given how deep our Champions League exit to Mourinho’s Inter cuts, it’s little wonder our players feel only the title is good enough now. After all, having got ourselves into a two point lead with only five games to go, I suspect that even that game will feel like a scratch compared to the bloody great laceration losing the title to United would inflict.
So whilst it’s a little disappointing to hear our players sound a bit unbothered ahead of this weekend’s semi-final, if winning that was at the cost of the title, as much as I still cling to what little magic the FA Cup holds, obviously it’s a no-brainer that I agree with them completely.
Blue is the colour
