Posts Tagged ‘FA Cup’

A Blue Day – Making history, not reliving it

Chelsea held on to beat Liverpool 2-1 to win the FA Cup Final on Saturday evening as the stars of past glories proved they are not yet over the hill as many have suggested in recent times. The Chelsea goals came in either half courtesy of Ramires and Didier Drogba, while Liverpool looked dangerous with the introduction of Andy Carroll who scored their only goal.

This was a day for Didier Drogba, who now has 8 goals in 8 games at Wembley, including goals in all 4 finals he has played (2007, 2009, 2010, 2012). If Peter Osgood is the King of Stamford Bridge, Drogba is undoubtedly the King of Wembley.

This was a day for Frank Lampard and Petr Cech, both still in their prime despite their ages, the former supplying a fantastic pass for Drogba’s goal, the latter preventing a second Carroll goal with an amazing acrobatic save. Cech has NEVER lost an FA Cup game. Unbelievable Jeff!

This was a day for Ashley Cole, who already had the record of maximum FA Cup wins with 6 before this final. Now he stretches his record to SEVEN, another player much-maligned in the media but producing the goods week in week out.

This was a day for John Terry, who now has FOUR FA Cup trophies as captain, the first post-war captain to achieve that feat and the first to do so with one club. Captain Leader Legend.

Let us not forget the relative newcomers – Ramires, Juan Mata (Man of the Match), Fernando Torres, Raul Meireles, Ryan Bertrand, Oriol Romeu – who have played important roles through the cup run and have their first taste of success in Blue. Hopefully the first of many. Also a mention to the unsung work of John Obi Mikel, rejuvenated under the new boss.

But most of all, this was a day for Robbie Di Matteo, goalscorer in the FA Cup wins of 1997 and 2000, and Eddie Newton, his midfield partner, good friend and now assistant, who also scored in that 1997 final. How poignant that events so played out that they hold aloft the famous trophy in 2012 for THEIR CLUB. Our club. Robbie becomes the 15^th person to win this prestigious competition as both player and manager.

He defines humility with the way he gives credit to his players, even going on to mention Andre Villas-Boas who saw Chelsea through the first two rounds in this competition. His appointment has come as a breath of fresh air for the players and fans who were rotting under AVB. Most importantly, he is one of us…..

In the end, this was a BLUE DAY, Chelsea winning their fourth FA Cup in six years. Not since the Wanderers team in the amateur times of the 19^th century has a single club so dominated the history of the FA Cup. We now have SEVEN Cup wins overall, the same as Liverpool. We ain’t got no history?

CAREFREE and on to Munich!

You can find me on Twitter @Celeryphile.

We Ain’t Got No (FA Cup) History?

Here we are again. Despite the tumultuous season and change of manager, Chelsea are still in with a shout for an FA Cup + Champions League double as we enter May. This weekend sees Blue versus Red at the new Wembley as we take on Liverpool in the FA Cup Final.

Chelsea have a particularly good record in recent times at England’s national stadium. Since the new Wembley opened, Chelsea have visited there EVERY season with 7 wins out of 10 visits, and two of the losses were Community Shield games. In contrast, Arsenal have played just twice losing on both occasions.

This is the fourth time out of six finals since Wembley was renovated that Chelsea will be one of the participants. We have won on all three previous occasions. It is no wonder then that the 90,000-seater in North-West London has come to be known as Chelsea’s second home.

The Blues’ regular success in the Cup is quite surprising as modern teams tend to focus more on the league, often playing sub-standard selections in Cup games. This has not been the case with Chelsea, and all the managers who have taken charge in Cup games have given due importance to the most prestigious knockout tournament in world football.

Despite being inevitably involved in the league and Champions League till the final stages, the club has always shown respect for the Cup.

Ironically, it is the clubs whose supporters most often mock Chelsea as having “no history” which show the most callousness when it comes to this most traditional of competitions.

Of course, anyone who knows a little bit of football history and is not blinded by red-tinted glasses will know that the “no history” talk is complete nonsense. Chelsea may not have 19 league titles or 5 European Cups to boast but we have a prestigious history of our own, which supporters can be proud of. Moreover, we continue to live in the present to compete to our best in every competition we play.

The early years:

It was in the spring of 1905 that businessman Augustus Mears was convinced (in an incident involving his colleague Fred Parker and a dogbite!) of the idea of starting a football club at an unused piece of land in West London which he planned to redevelop. Hence on 10^th March 1905, Chelsea Football Club was born and the club has since played at Stamford Bridge.

The club was the first to be elected to the Football League without kicking a ball in 1905. In the same year, Chelsea had their first experience with the FA Cup, a qualifying game against the First Grenadier Guards which we won 6-1.

However, we failed to make it into the FA Cup at the first time of asking and it was only in the next season that Chelsea played their first proper FA Cup match, an away game at Lincoln City on 12^th January 1908 which ended in a 2-2 draw. The Blues lost 1-0 in the replay at Stamford Bridge in front of a crowd of 11,883.

The next season Chelsea lost away in the second round to Manchester United, but not before handing out a 9-1 thrashing to Worksop Town in the first round. This still remains our highest victory margin in the FA Cup till date.

In the 1910-11 season, Chelsea Football Club had a good cup run, which proved to be the first of many. The club had been hit hard by relegation the previous spring, but it was a then-record crowd of 77,952 people which made it to the Bridge to watch the 3-1 fourth round win over Swindon Town.

The third round had seen us travel to mighty Wolverhampton Wanderers and come away with a win, inspired by England international Vivian Woodward and George “Gatling Gun” Hildson. However, the run was cut short in the semifinal at Newcastle, but Chelsea were to make the final 4 years later.

The First World War was taking its toll on the country but football continued, Chelsea overcoming Swindon, Arsenal, Man City, Newcastle and Everton on the way to meeting Sheffield United in the FA Cup Final in April 1915 at Old Trafford. Although the Blues lost the final, it is still remembered as the “Khaki Final” due to so many of the spectators wearing army uniforms.

Gus Mears had envisioned big games (not necessarily involving Chelsea) being played at Stamford Bridge and that dream came to fruition after his death as SW6 played host to three FA Cup finals before Wembley Stadium was opened in 1923. Chelsea could have made it into the 1920 edition, but lost in the semi-final to Aston Villa.

The 1930’s saw Chelsea reach our third semifinal in 1932 thanks to the record £10,000 signing of little Scottish striker Hughie Gallacher from Newcastle. He did score in the semifinal but we lost 2-1 to his former club. Diminutive Scots would continue to play a huge role in Chelsea history.

The post-war years:

Much of the 1940’s was lost to the War but Chelsea resumed the FA Cup trail in the early 50’s, reaching the semifinals in 1950 and 1952. On both occasions, Billy Birrell’s side were beaten in replays by Arsenal. He retired after the second occasion and was replaced by Ted Drake who overhauled the club to lead us to the first league title in 1955.

Soon, a crop of extremely talented youngsters was coming through the youth ranks, including the likes of Peter Bonetti, Ron Harris, Barry Bridges, Bobby Tambling and Terry Venables. This group had won back-to-back FA Youth Cups in 1960 and 1961, and was pushed into the limelight by Drake’s replacement – Tommy Docherty, 33 years old at the time of his appointment in 1961.

These young men, who were also close friends  off the pitch, went on to thrill the Stamford Bridge crowd, particularly the core section of partisan supporters who congregated in an area of the southern terrace which came to be known as “The Shed”. Their brand of exciting football led to Chelsea’s first knockout cup success with a League Cup win in 1965.

In the same year, the club was also competing for the FA Cup till the final stages, but unfortunately succumbed to Liverpool in the semifinal. The league was also lost despite Chelsea being very much in the hunt till the end, famously due to disciplinary issues which led to 7 players being sent home before a game at Burnley.

The following season Chelsea had a taste of European football as the likes of Roma and Milan were overcome before Barcelona proved too hard to beat in the semifinals of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. Docherty’s Diamonds also reached the FA Cup semifinal this year but again the semifinals proved an obstacle, this time lowly Sheffield Wednesday being the victors.

That meant Tommy Doc opted to dismantle his squad, issues between him and captain Terry Venables reaching a breaking point leading to the latter being sold to London rivals Tottenham. By this time, goal machine Jimmy Greaves, a Chelsea youth product himself, had also made his way to Sp*rs after a short stint at Milan.

The two would be our opponents as early as the 1967 FA Cup final as Chelsea finally broke the semifinal jinx to reach a Wembley Cup final for the first time. The win still proved elusive though as the first all-London FA Cup final (or the “Cockney Final”) was won by the North London side.

From Docherty’s Diamonds to the Kings of Kings Road:

Docherty was soon forced out and the club brought in Dave Sexton as his replacement. However, before leaving, Docherty had signed a young Scot named Charlie Cooke and a relatively unknown 17-year old striker by the name of Peter Osgood, who began to make waves in the club’s reserves. The latter missed the 1967 Final due to a broken leg.

He was already being hailed in the stands as the Wizard of Os, but soon he would have a new nickname. It was Dave Sexton who led Chelsea to our first FA Cup win but the foundations were laid by Tommy Docherty, and many of his “Diamonds” were a part of that winning side.

The Blues had overcome Watford in the semifinal of the 1970 FA Cup, and had to face Don Revie’s Leeds side who were in the middle of their most glorious years, winning trophies in both domestic and European competitions with their brand of uncompromising football.

Sexton had added steel to the flair with the likes of John Dempsey, David Webb and Ian Hutchinson, and it was a well-fought final played in front of 100,000 at Wembley. It was the first Wembley final that went to a replay thanks to Chelsea twice equalizing during the 90 minutes.

The game had been billed as a clash of footballing styles with Chelsea’s flamboyance measuring up against Leeds’s physical approach. The replay was played in midweek at Old Trafford with a television audience of 28 million, second highest ever following the England World Cup win in 1966.

It was a bad-tempered encounter in which both sides kicked lumps out of each other, and Leeds were leading 1-0 with 12 minutes to go when a flowing move by the Blues ended up with a Cooke cross being put in the net with a diving header by Peter Osgood, the defining moment of his illustrious career. Born was the King of Stamford Bridge….

Chelsea went on to win that game in extra time, with Osgood achieving a unique record of scoring in every round of the Cup. The same team went on to win the European Cup Winners Cup the next year, Osgood again scoring in the replay win over Real Madrid. Chelsea had won a European trophy three years before Liverpool….

The Great Depression:

The squad lost senior players Osgood and Alan Hudson due to issues with the manager and with the stadium being refurbished, the team struggled and the next two decades were full of turmoil both on and off the pitch as the club rollercoasted with relegations and promotions.

There were a couple of wins over high-flying Liverpool in 1978 and 1982 in the Cup which brought a level of joy to supporters, but as the nineties approached, fans were left wondering if they would ever see the glory days of the past return to Stamford Bridge.

The Nineties and after:

As the Premier League was initiated in 1992, the Blues began to settle down as a mid-table club who on their day could beat anyone. With the installation of Glenn Hoddle as manager in 1993 though, the club began to get noticed more as we instantly returned to the FA Cup final at Wembley in 1994.

However, we lost 4-0 to Manchester United on that day despite dominating the first half. Many long-term supporters felt a sense of anti-climax as our first moment in the limelight after two decades ended in disaster.

But the seeds had been sown and with football and footballers becoming more professional, Chelsea were on the rise. We reached the Cup Winners Cup semifinals in 1995, but there was a major boost for the club’s profile next season as we saw the arrival of internationally known stars like Ruud Gullit, Mark Hughes and Dan Petrescu.

Till then, the club had had dedicated players who plodded on for the club but this was a major injection of international class, with Gullit particularly taking the eye. Beautiful and exciting football returned to the Bridge once again. The club appointed Gullit as player-manager when Hoddle left to manage England in the summer of 1996.

Soon, more international stars were being enticed to the Bridge with the likes of Gianfranco Zola, Roberto Di Matteo and Frank Leboeuf. This team reached the FA Cup final in 1997 in a run which involved a famous Hughes-inspired comeback over Liverpool. If the 1994 Final had come too early for the group of players, they were ready in 1997.

Middlesborough were the opposition and it took only 43 seconds for Di Matteo to score the first of two Chelsea goals on the day. It was a record earliest strike at that time. The second goal came courtesy of homegrown boy Eddie Newton. In a quirk of fate, the same pair is the management team as Chelsea take on Liverpool on Saturday.

That kick-started what has become the most glorious period in the club’s history, with the club going on to win 3 league titles, 4 FA Cups, 3 League Cups, a European Cup Winners Cup and a European Super Cup following that incipient win against Boro.

Particularly looking at the FA Cup, Chelsea have reached the final in 2000, 2002, 2007, 2009, 2010 and now 2012. The only occasion we have lost is against Arsenal in 2002. We hold the historical feat of having won the last final at the Old Wembley and the first at the New Wembley.

Closing Notes:

It is easy to look at where we are today and think that the club’s recent success is because of the influx of Russian money. However, the arrival of Roman Abramovich only served to boost the already growing profile of the club in England and in Europe.

Much of this can be attributed to the Cup runs of 1994 and 1997, with the latter heralding the beginning of this new Chelsea with all the success and glory. This is one of the reasons that the Cup is held in such high esteem by the club and by the fans.

Also, a lot of our favourite players are associated with the Cup. Although the club’s first major trophy was the league in 1955, the Cup has played an important role in Blues folklore, being an important part in raising the likes of Peter Osgood, Roberto Di Matteo, Gianfranco Zola, and more recently Frank Lampard, John Terry and Didier Drogba, among others, to legend status.

Hence, it is refreshing to see the club and various management teams in recent teams give due respect to the Cup. This is something other clubs, and more experienced managers, could probably learn from given that this is the oldest and most prestigious Cup competition in the world.

It may also be wise for the “no history” brigade to consider our whole past, not just the post-Abramovich years, before casting ignorant remarks on the club. We have history, 107 years worth of it. We’re proud of our history and still going strong – Making history, not just reliving it.

CAREFREE and Up the Chels.

If you found this interesting, check out club historian Rick Glanvill’s blog “The History of Chelsea FC” and his book “Chelsea FC: The Official Biography” for more detailed info and interesting trivia.

You can also find me on Twitter @Celeryphile.

Time to Catch FA Cup Fever

The last few weeks this blog has gone a little bit crazy with Champions League fever, however for the next two days we are going back to our roots and focusing on the FA Cup.

FamousCFC.com loves the FA Cup and it would mean the world to us to see Roberto Di Matteo lift the trophy on Saturday.

Therefore expect a shed loads of FA Cup memories and preamble over the next day or two as we celebrate a cup run that has helped but a smile back on our faces.

Need an FA Cup fix now, check out the following

Chelsea FA Cup Final Songs

1994 FA Cup Run

1970 FA Cup Final Video

FA Cup Semifinal Report – Chelsea v Spurs

Wembley continued to live up to its reputation as Chelsea’s second home as we handed T*ttenham Hotsp*r a 5-1 thrashing in the semifinal of the FA Cup on Sunday. With both league games ending in draws, the scoreline asserted the Blues’ superiority over our London rivals despite the battle yet to come in the league.

It is the sixth year that the FA Cup final has returned to Wembley following its renovation, and Chelsea have been part of the showpiece event on 4 of those occasions. In all the three previous finals that we have played, we have come out as winners.

Interim manager Roberto Di Matteo continues to cast his magic spell in cup competitions, which serves as a good omen as we move into what could be another epic battle with Barcelona for a spot in the final of the Champions League.

This semifinal win meant the Italian has the opportunity to return to Wembley for the final in May, the same stage where he himself excelled as a player for Chelsea during the late 90’s. On this occasion, the opponents will be Liverpool who overcame their neighbours Everton in the other semifinal on Saturday.

Team selection:

Chelsea were without the suspended Branislav Ivanovic, so the right-back spot was taken by Jose Bosingwa who got the nod ahead of Paulo Ferreira. David Luiz started in central defence alongside captain John Terry.

Up front, Didier Drogba was given the chance to extend his fantastic record at Wembley, with Fernando Torres on the bench. He was flanked by his compatriot from Ivory Coast Salomon Kalou and Brazilian Ramires, with Juan Mata in a supporting role behind him.

Sp*rs manager Harry Redknapp did not have available the services of centre-backs Michael Dawson and Younes Kaboul. In their absence, it was the veteran duo of Ledley King and former Chelsea defender William Gallas who started. Another former Chelsea favourite, Carlo Cudicini, made a surprise start in goal for the North London side.

They had captain Scott Parker, also a former Chelsea player, back from injury in the middle of the park, alongside Chelsea transfer target Luca Modric. Up front, Redknapp opted to go with Emmanuel Adebayor supported by Dutch international Rafael van der Vaart, with width being provided by the pacy duo of Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon.

First Half:

The first chance of the game came on 12 minutes when David Luiz booted a long ball up to Drogba who shook off Gallas, but failed miserably in his shooting attempt. The same method of attack would pay off later, though.

The big man was in the thick of the action on what is his most prolific ground (except Stamford Bridge), this time picking up a booking for a trip on Lennon in the middle of the park. Both sides had started off reasonably brightly compared to the dull 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge 3 weeks ago, but neither goalkeeper was called upon in the first 25 minutes.

Soon, Chelsea had a genuine chance when Kalou raced away down the left into space vacated by T*ttenham’s advanced personnel. He found Mata in the area with a beautiful through ball, but the little Spaniard failed to control and the ball landed in Cudicini’s grateful arms.

Chelsea were always likely to get opportunities to capitalise on from wide positions with T*ttenham heavily favouring the wings while attacking. Another break on the left by Kalou ended in a good cross towards a marked Drogba. The striker did manage to get a header away but it went wide of the near post.

T*ttenham then had a couple of good chances of their own from the wings. First, Gareth Bale managed to cross into the area and an exchange of headers between Lennon and Van der Vaart led to a headed effort on goal by the latter. John Terry was on hand to clear off the line, not for the first time in his career.

Next, a teasing cross into the area by Van der Vaart, initially aimed towards the head of Adebayor, missed everyone and turned into an effort on goal. The ball curled towards the far post with Petr Cech stranded in the middle of the goal. Luckily for him, the post came to the rescue and the danger was averted.

In the 42^nd minute, Drogba struck. And it was a vintage goal. From a long ball by Lampard from Chelsea’s half, the Ivorian controlled brilliantly and spun past Gallas before unleashing a shot into the roof of the net. Cudicini had no chance. Gallas had failed to obey the first rule when dealing with his former teammate – not to get too close.

As a result, T*ttenham went in a goal down at the break despite having equality in terms of play and probably the better chances. Chelsea would have been happy with the half-time scoreline but wary due to recent games when we have let the game slip after going ahead.

Second Half:

It was Chelsea who started the second half on the front foot, with Ramires racing Sp*rs left-back Benoit Assou-Ekotto on the right wing before crossing. The ball was cleared, though. A couple of minutes later and Cudicini was called upon again to push away a low shot from Mata after Chelsea had worked the ball well on the left flank.

From the corner that followed, Chelsea scored a controversial second goal. Cudicini had initially done well to save Luiz’s header. The ball eventually came to Mata who shot into a mass of bodies at the T*ttenham goalmouth including Cudicini, Terry and a couple of Sp*rs defenders.

Replays were inconclusive as to whether the ball crossed the line, but referee Martin Atkinson pointed to the centre circle, and Chelsea had a two-goal cushion. There was much fury among the T*ttenham players and fans, and although the goal may or may not have been legitimate, it was no more than the Blues deserved after coming out positively after half-time.

Perhaps it was the anger at the supposed injustice that spurred on T*ttenham and they did threaten more in the subsequent minutes. Seven minutes after Chelsea’s second, this threat bore fruit as T*ttenham pulled a goal back.

Their captain Parker played a well-weighted ball through the middle of the Chelsea defence towards Adebayor. Once his marker Luiz pulled out of the race, he was able to beat the onrushing Cech to slip in Bale. The Welshman turned the ball into the empty net.

In the build-up to the goal, Luiz had pulled up and gone to ground with what seemed to be a hamstring-related injury. With the important fixtures coming up in Chelsea’s season, it will be a blow to miss the tenacity of the curly-haired Brazilian. Gary Cahill was brought on in his place.

He was quickly into the action, but at the other end. From a corner on 75 minutes, Drogba headed down setting up the England international for a volley on the turn. It went just over. He also did well soon after in his own half to keep pace with Bale and clear the ball out of danger.

A minute later, though, Chelsea had restored their two-goal advantage. This time it came as a result of pure footballing class. Lampard played in Mata who was surprisingly given a lot of space in the middle and he made T*ttenham pay.

He dinked a delightful chip to find the run of Ramires, who had managed to shake off the attentions of Assou-Ekotto. The Brazilian took a good first touch before chipping over Cudicini for a well-deserved goal. He had been keeping the Sp*rs left-back busy all game and had done well to pounce at the exact moment when the latter went to sleep.

T*ttenham seemed to have the wind taken out of them and soon Chelsea were piling on the misery. Drogba had tormented Gallas and King throughout the game and slipped past Gallas near the centre circle, the latter again making the mistake of getting too close to the powerful Ivorian.

The French defender was forced to clip Drogba from behind to stop him and earned a yellow card for his efforts. The foul had occurred 30 yards from goal and it was prime Drogba territory, but it was Lampard who stepped up to take the free kick.

And what a free kick it was. It wasn’t so much the curl on the ball as the power and placement that did Cudicini. The ball dipped just as it was nearing the goal and the Italian stood no chance. It was 4-1 to Chelsea on 80 minutes.

The game was effectively sealed and delivered, so Di Matteo took the opportunity to rest some tired legs ahead of the visit of European champions Barcelona to the Bridge on Wednesday. Florent Malouda and Fernando Torres replaced Ramires and Drogba respectively. Both had put in stellar performances.

The newcomers should have been the participants in Chelsea’s fifth goal, however Malouda overcooked a cross into Torres with the latter free in front of goal. The Spaniard may yet get a chance for glory on the Wembley turf against his former side in three weeks.

But it was not yet over. Most of the Sp*rs fans were not there to see it as they had already left, but Mata was again given acres of space in the middle and this led to Chelsea’s fifth, a carbon copy of the third goal by Ramires.

This time, the move was on the left of the area and it was Malouda on the receiving end of another perfect chip over the defence from Mata. The Frenchman did well to roll the ball under the feet of Cudicini. He is another Chelsea player who relishes the big occasion, and Wembley in particular.

Closing Notes:

It was a perfect evening at Wembley, despite news of the one-minute silence for the victims of the Hillsborough tragedy not being observed by a minority of fans, and the controversial nature of the second goal.

It was a lesson in footballing class handed out to Sp*rs who were lagging behind the Blues in all departments of the game. In some ways, this was the most complete performance we have seen under the stewardship of Di Matteo.

There was superb play in midfield with Mata being the primary catalyst, but a mention must also go to Lampard who controlled the game from a deeper position, one he is getting used to as the games go by. John Obi Mikel continued his excellent form in defensive midfield. Together, they were able to stifle the likes of Modric and Van der Vaart.

On the wings, Ramires was his usual energetic self and got himself a well-deserved goal and equally well-deserved rest. It was also interesting to see Luiz, and later Cahill, coming across to cover for Bosingwa and deal with the threat of Gareth Bale with minimum fuss.

It was fantastic to see the interim boss smiling after Chelsea had completed their romp, celebrating with his assistant Eddie Newton. Together, their goals won Chelsea two FA Cup finals, in 1997 and 2000. It will be fitting that they will be at the helm when we return to Wembley Stadium for the final on the 5^th of May.

We’re going to Wembley …. Again!

CAREFREE.

You can find me on Twitter @Celeryphile

FA Cup Semi-Final Preview – Chelsea v Spurs

The new Wembley sees this season’s third edition of the London derby between Chelsea and T*ttenham this Sunday as England’s national stadium plays host to the semifinals of the FA Cup. The two league games between these sides both ended with honours even, but this time one team will ensure bragging rights for the season.

The two teams are also involved in the race for Champions League qualification, with the North London side 2 points ahead in fourth place. It is a busy period for Chelsea but supporters won’t complain. Being involved in major competitions in April and May is what all fans wish for at the start of the season.

Interim manager Roberto Di Matteo has steadied the ship since he replaced Andre Villas-Boas at the helm. He has a perfect record in cup competitions, while the league form has improved but is still patchy.

Chelsea at Wembley:

The Italian is no stranger to the Cup though. The last time he was part of a Chelsea contingent at Wembley, he was scoring the winning goal against Aston Villa in the Final in 2000. That was the last Cup Final played at the Old Wembley stadium before it was reconstructed.

Since the stadium was reopened in 2007, Chelsea have visited the stadium EVERY season – a remarkable feat. This will be the 10^th occasion the Blues will step out on the famous turf. On the 9 previous occasions, Chelsea have a very good record with 6 wins.

Two of the losses are inconsequential Community Shield defeats to Manchester United, but the other one was the Carling Cup final in 2008 when we lost to Sunday’s opponents in extra time. The older heads in the team will be keen to erase those memories for good.

The men for the big occasion:

Di Matteo will have had almost a week to assess and prepare his squad for the busy schedule ahead. This week sees us take on T*ttenham, Barcelona and Arsenal as we continue to compete in three different competitions.

The Italian could be tempted to base part of his selection on the visit of Barcelona to the Bridge on Wednesday night, less than 72 hours after the end of the semi-final game at Wembley. However, he of all people will know the importance of the Cup to the Chelsea fans and in the club’s history. He will not be taking it lightly.

There is a different “dynamic” to the Cup game, as Di Matteo said in this week’s press conference. Form and stats go out of the window in the one-off encounter. Also, it is a different stage which sees some players step up, while others hide away from the pressure.

There is no dearth of players from the former category at Chelsea. Most of the “old guard” which supposedly caused the downfall of Villas-Boas are proven performers at this stage, so it will be no surprise if the manager tweaks his selection to include these experienced heads.

Team news and tactics:

In defence, he is without Branislav Ivanovic who begins his 3-match suspension for an off-the-ball incident in the recent league game against Wigan. His replacement at right-back will most likely be Paulo Ferreira considering the attacking threat posed by Gareth Bale on T*ttenham’s left wing, with another option being the more error-prone Jose Bosingwa.

The other choice is between Gary Cahill and David Luiz to partner captain John Terry at the heart of defence. Previous Chelsea managers have sometimes opted to flood the team with English players who know the importance of the Cup. But in the case of Luiz, an exception can surely be made considering the passion with which he plays each and every game for Chelsea.

The double pivot in Di Matteo’s 4-2-3-1 will probably be John Obi Mikel and Frank Lampard, with Juan Mata in an advanced central position. Ramires has been used on the right-wing in recent games, partly as a defensive ploy. He will likely be used there again keeping in mind the threat posed by T*ttenham’s wingers.

On the other side, one possible option could be Florent Malouda. The Frenchman has been sparingly used this season, and his relative freshness could be important in the coming weeks as Di Matteo looks to use the full squad.

He has a good record of performances at Wembley, and with Aaron Lennon’s return from injury for Sp*rs, he also provides a defensive cover when Chelsea lose the ball. The same argument could be potentially applied to the Barcelona game.

Torres or Drogba (or both)?

However, the biggest selection dilemma for the interim boss is up front where he has recently preferred Fernando Torres. But there is no doubt that if there is one man at Chelsea who is synonymous with big games at Wembley, it is Didier Drogba. The Ivorian has scored six goals in appearances at the stadium, not including penalty shootout goals.

T*ttenham are likely to be without their centre-backs Michael Dawson and Younes Kaboul. In their previous game (a 1-0 loss to Norwich at home), their veteran centre-back Ledley King was heavily bullied by striker Grant Holt, which could also tip the scales in favour of Drogba’s inclusion.

They have also struggled in wide positions of late with Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Kyle Walker being somewhat unreliable full-backs. Torres has done well recently to exploit space behind opposition full-backs, so if the manager deduces this to be T*ttenham’s Achilles’ heel, then the Spaniard will be preferred.

Another option, of course, is to use both. The prospect of an in-form Drogba and Torres partnership should be frightening to any defence, but it is unlikely that Di Matteo will diverge from his preferred formation.

The opponents:

Our rivals from North London have gone off the boil since the turn of the year, with just 1 win in their last 8 league games. Their cup run has seen them take on lower league opposition in Cheltenham, Watford and Stevenage before their quarterfinal win over Bolton.

The tie against Stevenage went to a replay, which Sp*rs won 3-1 at White Hart Lane. They also had to replay the game against Bolton, this time in different circumstances. On the scheduled day of the game, Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba collapsed on the pitch with a cardiac arrest, so the game had to be rescheduled.

Sp*rs have been boosted by the return of Aaron Lennon from injury. However, even in the creative presence of him, Gareth Bale, Luca Modric, Rafael van der Vaart and Louis Saha, the North London side were lost for ideas during their loss to Norwich last weekend.

Their captain Scott Parker missed that game through injury but should be back for this one. In the absence of Kaboul and Dawson, the Sp*rs centre-back pairing is likely to be the veteran duo of Ledley King and former Chelsea man William Gallas.

Manager Harry Redknapp will hope his midfielders can produce enough moments of quality to feed in the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor, Jermaine Defoe and Louis Saha. The latter tends to get the better of John Terry and has a good record against the Blues.

Closing notes:

Despite the turbulent nature of Chelsea’s season, this is an exciting time for the club with big games coming up in three competitions. It is these times that supporters live for and why players join the club – to play in important games and big atmospheres.

The Blues have players who thrive on these pressure situations and fans will hope that they can do an encore this season to achieve some silverware. It would be fitting for Chelsea to have Di Matteo and his assistant Eddie Newton, cup heroes of Chelsea’s past, lead us out at Wembley once again in May.

In a week where the Under-18’s at the club continued their fantastic run in the FA Youth Cup, beating Manchester United to reach the final, the seniors will do well to emulate them.

CAREFREE and Up the Chels!

You can find me on Twitter @Celeryphile.