Chelsea’s bid for an unprecedented quadruple came to a sudden end when the Premier League leaders suffered a 4-2 loss to Bradford City. It was a very surprising result given how heavily they were favored but it eliminated them from FA Cup competition nonetheless. It was a disappointing ending for a team that has looked nearly unstoppable at times throughout this season and anybody that watched the display likely would have seen the obvious fury that manager Jose Mourinho displayed late in the game. In fact, Mourinho was so desperate to rally that he forced rested player such as Cesc Fabregas and Eden Hazard in to action and switched to a 1-3-2-4 formation in what last desperate effort to rally back.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYvheJE7rgE
Mourinho’s efforts were made in vain and while it didn’t work out for the Blues in the FA Cup, their elimination had shed light on the bigger picture. The club’s outlook moving forward is still quite positive and there are those that have pointed out that Chelsea’s FA Cup exit may very well be a blessing in disguise.
Their Eye Should Be On A Bigger Prize
The mind games began soon after the FA Cup exit when Paris Saint-Germain boss Laurent Blanc called Mourinho, “a genius” following the elimination. Blanc went on to say that Mourinho, “lost his cup match 4-2 and he has given himself a week to prepare for his match against us in the Champions League.” Chelsea fans will be quick to dismiss the idea that Mourinho did not want to win versus Bradford City – especially given his tactics at the end of the game – and they have their point, but Blanc might have shed light on the bigger picture. The FA Cup title shouldn’t be nearly as big of a concern for Mourinho as a Premier League title or Champions League trophy, and now the club will have the opportunity to narrow its focus and work towards the most important goals ahead of them.
Blues Respond Well With Extra Rest
It is very rare for Chelsea to have a full week off in the middle of a busy schedule and it’s even rarer for that week to coincide with one of their biggest games of the season to this point. The fact that the schedule worked out this way is more coincidence than anything else but that doesn’t mean it isn’t beneficial for the Blues. Blanc never actually meant that Mourinho intentionally gave a game away versus Bradford City in order to rest his players and prepare for their Champions League match, but by pointing out the benefit of it he deflected the pressure off of his team and in Chelsea’s direction. It’s funny how everyone is just completely disregarding Chelsea’s match with Burnley this coming Saturday. Poor Burnley. It is pretty much a week off for Chelsea as Burney is second-last in the EPL table with just four wins in 25 games this season.
Regardless, the Blues have thrived in moments such as these and the extra preparation will undoubtedly impact their approach to the game versus PSG.
Focus Immediately Shifts To PSG
By the time the Champions League date with PSG arrives, Mourinho will have had a full week to prepare his team physically, mentally and tactically and they should be very confident heading in to the game. They better be as PSG is looking for revenge after last season. It also helps that it’s a short trip for Chelsea and it will make this game feel like they are playing against a fellow Premier League team. That’s something Mourinho already said he was happy about before this quirk in the schedule came to light.
The FA Cup exit was disappointing at the time and there is no doubt that it truly did frustrate Mourinho. However, with an opportunity at the treble still ahead, it’s highly unlikely that fans will care much about the loss if Chelsea is able to bring home more important hardware moving forward – including, of course, the coveted Champions League trophy.
