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| Pet the puppy gently, Lenny |
Chelsea have always taken the FA Cup seriously. While other clubs seem to view it as an inconvenience until the very late stages of the competition, Chelsea have consistently fielded a strong XI no matter who they faced. To the disappointment of fans who want to see the youth get a chance. In so doing, Chelsea have an impressive record - losing just 3 of their last 21 matches. Two of those three losses came against Sunday’s opponent. As the 5th round draw happened, it looked like Chelsea’s luck had run out in their only realistic opportunity at a trophy this season.
But things aren’t always as they appear - and not everyone rates the FA Cup as a real trophy apparently. Case in point,
Chelsea manager-elect Manuel Pellegrini.
New to this whole Champions League lark, Pellegrini could not understand that the FA would not step in to assist with the scheduling of domestic matches with Champions League in mind - coefficients be damned. Obviously this is the first time that any team has ever been mucked about because of TV licensing money / ‘policing issues’. So Pellegrini's complaints were completely warranted and balanced.
