FA Cup 2024: A Ray of Hope for Manchester United and Chelsea Fans
In the realm of English football, Manchester United and Chelsea, once titans, now seek solace in the FA Cup as their sole chance for silverware this season.
Both clubs, amidst turbulent times, look to appease their loyal fan bases with a potential cup triumph.
Appeasement, indeed, yet that’s what two of the biggest English football teams have to do to keep their supporters at ease. The FA Cup seems to offer the best chance to that aim as of right now. It has been a very difficult few years for Chelsea and Manchester United alike. During the 2000s and for some years after, they were the largest football clubs in England.
After Russian billionaire Roman Abramovic took over the team in 2003, Chelsea quickly became as successful as Manchester United, which was already a huge club. United has won the most premier league titles in the history of the competition with thirteen, while Chelsea earned their fifth trophy in 2016–17.
Both Chelsea and Manchester United witnessed significant declines after the eras of Abramovic and Alex Ferguson, respectively, in 2013 and 2022. United have not won a single Premier League championship since the 2012–13 campaign. Chelsea hasn’t triumphed since 2016–17. It’s not so much that they aren’t taking home trophies as it is that they aren’t in the running for the championship, especially in recent years. While there have occasionally been strong periods, they haven’t lasted long enough.
After their demise, Manchester City has amassed an enormous trophy collection and emerged as the greatest club in England, having won seven championships in a row beginning in 2011–12. The two new challengers for the title are Liverpool and Arsenal. Liverpool has finished second behind City three times in the last ten years, including their 2019–20 league victory.
Chelsea had won the Champions League the year prior to Abramovic’s departure. They haven’t achieved any noteworthy victories since.
For the first time in this century, Chelsea finished in the lower half of the standings during the previous season. Currently, this season, they are once more in the
to be honest, the lower part of the table. In their worst-ever performance in a European club competition, United finished third in the previous season to earn a spot in the Champions League. However, they were unable to advance past the group round. They were successful in winning the League Cup last season, which was their first major victory since 2016–17.
Although there were high hopes for this season, there hasn’t been much to be happy about thus far. They currently rank sixth in the standings and, to be honest, don’t seem to be in a fantastic position to finish the season among the top four.
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Now that the FA Cup has become a focal focus for both clubs, it makes sense. While it won’t satisfy, it will definitely placate their admirers. An FA Cup victory can help them lessen the existential crisis they are now experiencing. It makes sense that both teams celebrated their quarterfinal victories on Sunday as if there were no tomorrow. To get to the competition’s final four, United shocked Liverpool 4-3 while Chelsea defeated Leicester 4-2.
Should their semifinal matches on April 20 proceed as planned, they very well may find themselves in the winner-take-all encounter. United should have confidence in their ability to defeat Coventry, a second-division team, when they play them.
Chelsea, though, will have a very difficult test in City. Following their loss to Liverpool in the League Cup final last month, Mauricio Pochettino’s team is currently under increased pressure. Chelsea will find great comfort in the fact that Pep Guardiola’s team was unable to defeat them in their two Premier League matches this season, even though City is the clear favorite going into the match.
It is impossible to overestimate the significance of an FA Cup victory for both clubs. They also haven’t won the Cup in a very long time. Chelsea won in 2017–18, and United last triumphed in 2015–16. Without a doubt, Erik ten Hag and Pochettino are engaged in a survival struggle. Both have had ample opportunity to turn around the club’s situation, but little discernible progress has been made. It’s safe to argue that the FA Cup represents their last chance to keep their jobs.
