A 'disgrace' it was, but will Chelsea's FA Cup exit help their league ambitions?

26 January 2015 09:33

Chilly winds of FA Cup defeat blew past stadia of premier league giants on Saturday, Chelsea, Manchester City, Southampton and Tottenham Hotspurs alike. Truly, the oldest and all inclusive competition will always spring up surprises nonetheless odds of lower tier sides beating the top two league leaders, the blues and the citizens, were low, only that the upset signals were overlooked even after Manchester United drew against Cambridge united earlier on Friday.

Talk about the FA cup and you cannot afford to miss the exceptional record etched in the annals of this tournament by Chelsea in recent times - Four triumphs in the last eight seasons. It is with this feat that the blues count the quadruple as a not so far achievement. Well, a reality that was checked by League One outfits Bradford City. The League side brilliantly responded from two goals down after 38 minutes to flick the Barclays Premier League leaders out of the FA Cup with some cheeky ease winning by four goals to two.

Prior to the match, Mourinho’s presser hugely defined what cliché should be used in case Bradford city win the match. "If I lose against Bradford I don't say that. I say it's a disgrace." True to his words, the post-match presser was no different. "I repeat a word I used before this match - It's a disgrace for a big team to lose to a small team from a lower league," said Mourinho, who won the FA Cup during his first spell at Chelsea in 2007. Question is how bad can it get? Is it a one-off loss? Are hopes banged on premier league title? To the last question, Mourinho provides some hint. "To help the title race, the best thing is to lose against Bradford and to lose against Liverpool and to lose against Paris St Germain and to play only Premier League until the end of the season’. This is the perfect situation! The statement is only ideal but with no premier league title sureties.

Another talking point that will linger on for a while will be with regards to the much talked about quality Chelsea possesses - great strength in depth. Certainly the upset by the Bantams provides a little yardstick to fuel the argument. Still more games for Chelsea to play, three other competitions to participate in. Treble chase at stake!

Next stop for the blues is to keep their heads up even with tough duels against Liverpool in a Capitol One replay, the chance to widen the gap between themselves and the citizens, Manchester city in the premier league plus a ‘#to be continued’ match away to Paris St-Germain in the champions league. The bridge has let go one trophy, how many more to go?

Source: DSG