Chelsea vs Scunthorpe: A Win, A Clean Sheet and The Youth

That FA Cup Life

Saturday saw Guus Hiddink and the FA Cup reunited - as if it were meant to be. But with an hour until kick-off, he quickly found out he was damned if he did and damned if he didn’t with the eleven who would make the cut for the starting lineup.

Hiddink was facing an uphill battle with the ‘play the youth’ crew. They were expecting an average age of foetus to start against League One side Scunthorpe. Only to be slapped in the face by one of the strongest teams Chelsea could have fielded.

It’s essential to the progress of the team as a whole that youth team products do get an opportunity to play in actual games rather than simply testing themselves against their peers. But they need to be integrated into the team rather than all thrown in at once with the pressure resting souling on their shoulders. They're still growing boys. As it stands, Hiddink chose the right side to start - and not just because they did their jobs and got the win.



As it pertains directly to Chelsea, the lineup made sense because — and let’s be honest here - it’s possibly definitely the only chance that the team have of getting a sniff of silverware this season. After going 2-0 up against Bradford last season only to c*ck that right up, Hiddink took no chances to ensure Chelsea made it into the hat for the next round.

As part of the bigger picture, it shows a respect for both the opposition and the competition itself. The press rightly panned teams that made sweeping changes to their sides in order to prepare for their mid-week league matches. The FA Cup is magic. Slaven Bilic, quite rightly, said in a press conference this week he'd rather win it than qualify for the Champions League. "I would like to win the cup. Of course. Over the Champions League? Yes. It is a cup! Win the cup and I can hold it up. Get in the Champions League and I have to buy a magazine to show the league table and shout 'look where we are, look where we are. The proof is silverware. So I would prefer to win the FA Cup...and then finish fifth or sixth!"

Not everyone seems to share the same forward thinking ideas as the Croatian. When teams like Liverpool have maybe 1 recognisable name on their team sheet it shows they haven’t prioritised one of this country’s most historical tournaments. And you thought they cared about history …

While Chelsea did come away with the points and earn themselves a trip to Northampton or MK Dons - it wasn’t the easiest game to watch considering there are currently 45 places between the sides. Chelsea started brightly but seemed to turn into a bunch of Sloppy Sues the moment Diego Costa hit the back of the net.

Not that Chelsea struggled per se - at least when compared to some of their earlier performances this season. But they definitely lacked some incisivness. The upside to that of course is a haphazard Chelsea midfield reinvents itself as Kurt Zouma’s time to shine with a trademark sliding tackle. Glorious as ever.

Hiddink used the second half to shake things up and ease the anxiety of those more worried about who plays than the actual result. Ruben Loftus-Cheek came on and only went and did a goal. It was a fantastic moment for him and us. Hopefully he’ll continue to challenge for a position. But let’s all dial it back a bit and reserve the comparisons to the former Mr Jenny Frank Lampard for now.

jb xx