It’s no news that Chelsea crashed out of the FA cup a few days ago.
What would be news is what happens tonight at the bridge.
What would be news is what happens on Saturday at the Bridge.
Chelsea play two classic games in the space of 93 hours at the bridge: Liverpool in the Capital One semi final and Manchester City in the Premiership “semi-final”
Can Jose turn talent into end product tonight at the bridge?
Can The Special One turn his prodigies into Winners and champions?
Can this Chelsea team finally put their mark on the game and usher in a new era of trophies, medals and accolades?
That the team is full of talent is without doubt, but Liverpool and Manchester City will go to the Bridge, taking with them recent memories of Bradford FC at the Stamford Bridge.
Liverpool have recently re-discovered their mojo and have been playing well and chalking up points everywhere they’ve been, and Manchester City know that even 8 points between them and this Chelsea team may prove a bridge too far for them.
The bridge can be broken; Sunderland, Newcastle, Tottenham and most recently Bradford have proven that already this season.
If Liverpool and/or Man City bridge it again, the question to answer is ‘Would it be an irreparable one or would it be repaired in time for Chelsea to climb the podium at the end of the season?’
I have always said in my columns that Chelsea lack the 13th man, and so inevitably burn out during ‘FIXTURE CONGESTION’
Mourinho said after the Bradford game that, “It is easy for you to understand now why I play almost every game with the same players.I don’t make many changes. I try to keep stability in the team. Maybe now you can understand a bit better why…. If they can’t play against a team from the Championship or League One or League Two, what do we do?”
Mourinho’s statement after the Bradford game validated what I had always known, this team needs three to five more top quality players to compete successfully at the highest level, otherwise he’ll a have to start with the same team every other game until the team burns out again and again and begin to drop valuable points again and again. At the moment, the special one’s ability to bring the best out of his players has produced just enough to keep them relevant on three fronts.
Liverpool, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Everton and Paris Saint-Germain are all to be played in the next three weeks! Can this squad cope?
Jose Mourinho has given Roman Abrahamovich the football that he has always wanted, what Roman has to do now is sit down with Jose before the window closes and give Jose what he needs to bring him many years of silverware.
For Chelsea and Mourinho, tonight is a defining moment in the quest for silverware. For the boys, Saturday is decision time, particularly as to who stays, who goes and who comes in now and in the summer.
The first trophy is always the hardest for any team, then comes belief and confidence that turns talent into end product, and turns prodigies into world class talent.
No matter what happens, I know Mourinho would not agree to go a third season without silverware, and that I guess is why Roman and many Chelsea fans believe the Special One is the only one to start an avalanche of trophies into the Chelsea trophy cabinet.