Chelsea face possibly their biggest challenge of the season when they take on the in-form Liverpool in the FA Cup final at the Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday (May 14, 9:15 pm IST). The Blues have not been at their best after facing elimination from the UEFA Champions League at the hands of Real Madrid, before losing ground in the top-four race to the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham.
It also will not be the first time Chelsea will be facing Liverpool in a cup competition final this season. The two sides met back in February for the Carabao Cup final, and the Reds edged their opponents on penalties in what was a closely-fought encounter. It was their first trophy of the season, and since then, Liverpool have reached the CL final, and are also in contention for the Premier League trophy, their second in three years.
But former Chelsea player Terry Phelan believes that this final would be the perfect opportunity for the Blues to get one over their esteemed opponents, and end their dreams of winning a 'quadruple of trophies' this season, "it's up to the players to focus. Yes, they have been to one final and have got beaten. It's up to the players to focus now. And get one back over Liverpool. That is up to them and put a smile back onto the fans' faces. They have not been in great form but they are still a very dangerous team. They still have world-class players.
The current Club World Cup champions have been plagued with issues off the pitch as well. They have had transfer embargoes placed on them after their previous owner Roman Abramovich had sanctions placed on him due to his connection with the Russian government. But Phelan expects the players to rise above these issues and fight for the trophy.
"I think they will give their 100 per cent. I think the Chelsea player have had a little bit of a sticky patch. But doesn't everybody have a little bit of a sticky patch? You have to think about what is going on with Chelsea in the last few months. It hasn't been good, or nice. But at this present time, that has been put to bed now. They have new owners coming in."
At the same time, many of their key players will also be leaving the club, the most prominent of them being Antonio Rudiger. However, Phelan is sure that all these players will give their 100 per cent to win the oldest cup competition that Europe has to offer, "Yes, we know that players will leave at the end of the season, there's nothing you can do about that. Players will be coming into the final year of their contract and there is not a lot you can do about that. Thomas Tuchel, I can assure you, he has sat down with every player who is looking to leave.
Rudiger is the big one. How to replace him, who to replace him with? He has been absolutely fantastic. But I can assure you, Rudiger is not going to go on that pitch and say, 'I am going to sit on the beach for the next six weeks.' He will work his butt off for Chelsea to win the FA Cup."
"As I said before, it's the biggest and oldest competition in the world and everybody wants to play in the FA Cup and win it. Supporters, players and managers. I think it will be an interesting game," Phelan concluded.
Where to watch
Watch The Emirates FA Cup Final - Liverpool vs. Chelsea LIVE on SONY TEN 2 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) & SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels on 14th May 2022, at 9:15 pm IST.
