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Like this? Welcome, ladies and gentlemen,
to the Final Countdown, the podcast looking back at great
finals within the game of football.
I'm Lewis here, my Co host Adam, hello there.
And I feel like we're on a roll now, the FA Cup, modern times.
I feel steeped in that kind of nostalgia and in that I think as
its recent history. I don't know if you feel the
same. I feel like this is a time
period that I don't know. Where was your relationship with
football in kind of the late 2010, yeah.
It's a bit weird, isn't it? Because it's one of those times
where it feels like it was yesterday.
Yeah, but actually it's nearly 10 years.
Ago. Yeah, exactly.
It's frightening. I mean, I did fall out of love a
little bit with the not a fallout of love, but I just
stopped following the FA Cup as much.
Now modern day, I'm probably more into it.
Yeah, I don't know why that was. No.
Well, I think observing from the outside, I think kind of 2010 to
2016. I don't think you paid that much
attention to the FA. Cup Did you conduct research on
my football Watching Havis Just looking back, we met each other
over a 60th period. What are you doing, Lewis?
Adam's watching the TV again. Is it football?
No, it's another episode of.
Strictly not the FA Cup notes made in.
I'm never hosting a podcast for this guy.
No, the reason I bring it up is because I think this coincides
with the England tournament, like Southgate's tenure starting
to. Get into its flow.
I think that that reignited a a passion for football.
This was the year, wasn't it? This was the year.
Yeah, absolutely. I just thought it was
interesting. I saw 2018.
I thought, actually that really reminds me of you getting back
into football in a big way again.
I wonder if England's success is aligned perfectly with whether
I'm into football. I think, I think that's a
really, I think that would be interesting.
Yeah, I mean, I always keep an eye on it, but in terms of
acting. But the Hodgson years didn't
really. It didn't inspire a.
Lot. No, exactly.
Yeah. Not to say that you obviously
weren't following England because as we've discussed,
you're an England fan first. Yeah, but yeah, I just thought
it was an interesting, an interesting observation on you.
But we're not we're not here to do that.
We're not doing a deep dive into your.
Person when I was 6. So when did you love a football
first appear? What did your parents think
about that? We're going to talk about
observations of Chelsea and Man United because it's the FA Cup
final 2018 to, I was about to say heavyweights, but two clubs
that. Former heavyweights.
Yeah, and they were, I think, in quite similar position.
So I want to do that comparison. In today's episode, I want to
kind of bring up the similarities and the differences
between this era of Chelsea and this era of Manchester United.
So yeah, it's Chelsea, Man United and the FA Cup finals.
You've spoken about 19th of May 2018.
Michael Oliver would be the referee in charge.
He loves it. Interestingly enough, the
attendance was slightly less than the year previous, which I
thought was strange for two really.
I thought was a seller. That's weird.
Yeah, well, I think there's 1000.
In it, so whether I. Don't know whether the
corporates weren't as interested, not quite sure, but
nevertheless, let's give a little bit of context into the
two teams. So Chelsea, they entered the
final after a kind of fractious, very inconsistent season.
Antonio Conte was still the manager.
I say it was fractious but they won the league in 2016.
So the Antonio Conte side were defending Premier League
champions but had struggled for rhythm.
So yeah, you're right. They had recently been Premier
League champions as in the the year before, but they dropped to
5th place this season, meaning they missed out on Champions
League qualification. So quite the drop off between, I
mean, yeah, having won the league, which we spoke about
Conte quite glowingly last episode.
But yeah, it's quite a fool from Grace afterwards, yet again
highlighting, I think, the fact that it's so hard to retain a
Premier League trophy, which I know it doesn't seem that way
because Pep did four in a row, but like it was, it's always
been a struggle. Ferguson. 4 managers done it
there. We go, then 4 managers look at
that straight off the Dome. I've done a bit of research for
tension. Let's get bloody tension.
For those who. Don't know, it's our Christmas
quiz. It's a fantastic car game.
But yeah, TuneIn for our Christmas special for that one.
But Kante's relationship with the board, shock, horror was
deteriorating. Rumours of his departure
intensified, which yet again is another FA Cup final where the
manager either pretty much knows.
Yeah, it's. Very, quite a bit.
Aaron Ramsey, yeah. The Spectre just yeah, the grim
Reaper being like. Two managers are here.
Which one of which one of you is going?
Yeah, because one of you is. It's very strange.
And I think that back in the 80s and 90s, if you won the FA Cup,
even if you'd bottomed down the league, yeah, that bought you so
much stock. Whereas as we've bemoaned many
times, the FA Cup becomes just another trophy really, unless
you're kind of a mid table club or lower.
But for the big boys, I feel like it's kind of like, yeah,
cool, we won the FA Cup. That's that's good.
I feel like the owners are like is good for the fans, but we
don't care about it. Yeah, that's a realistically.
Good way of putting it. So the FA Cup became Chelsea's
only remaining route to silverware and as discussed,
possibly Conte's kind of last act.
There was a defensive wobble in the early in the year and they
had high profile fallouts for Diego Costa who had left the
season. Costa fell out with someone.
Yeah, sure, with Conte you. Know incredible 2 easygoing
characters. Antonio Conte.
One of my favorite ever stories about him is that when he was
manager of Juventus. Gigi Buffon, General Luigi
Buffon, obviously club legend, Italy legend, one of the most
senior players ever in that club.
He was having a request with Conte about some potential win
bonuses if they won the Champions League.
Speaking on behalf of the squad and context response was every
time you open your mouth, you disappoint me.
I'm walked off. The fact that content did that
to Gigi before I just, I think is incredible.
But would they have played? Together content.
Good question. Yeah, yeah, yeah, They must have
done. That's a really good.
Some some history there. Yeah, exactly.
Didn't like him? But I just love content.
He's so combustible. It's still the same.
He's obviously won Serial with Napoli last season and even this
season. Now he's kicking off about
everything. And I just I love the fact that
he refuses to change. There was a heavy reliance and
this is Chelsea under many managers to get heavy reliance
on Eden Hazard. This is kind of peak Hazard.
This is him at his the height of his powers, which we wouldn't
really see again. He had another season I think at
Chelsea after this and then he goes to.
It was never the same, was he? Yeah, no.
Never the same and instead of Diego Costa they had signed up
Alvaro Morata who was one of those strikers who on Wikipedia
his list of clubs is really impressive.
He's been Spain's starting striker at a number of
tournaments. Quite forgettable then.
Exactly. He's, he's always been, has
missed some obvious chances, which has made him quite a
figure of fun really. So that's where Chelsea are at
in this whole thing. Manchester United.
However, this is Mourinho's second season, so I.
Was going to ask if he was still there.
So again, a really good FA Cup in terms of narrative because
you've got Conte and Mourinho, these two kind of defensive
first managers that are very US against the world siege
mentality everyone else is. A You might not know this, but
would this be in the year that Mourinho got second?
Yes, yeah, it is so second place in the Premier League.
Which was unbelievable in hindsight.
Yeah, And actually, I think at the time people disparaged it a
little bit like, oh, OK. And the reason was they finished
nineteen points by Man City. So it wasn't close.
It wasn't. It was Man City are going to win
this league. Let's see who.
Finishes that was probably true of any like that was just what
was going to happen yeah that no one could compete could.
They No, absolutely. And Mourinho, I think he made
himself a figure of fun at the time by saying this is my
greatest achievement. He claimed getting second with
Man United yeah was his greatest achievement in management having
won the Champions League. Reporter and obviously we mocked
him four at the time and actually looking back at the
basket case of my knowledge, you kind of go he did incredibly
well like Marino. What were they doing?
Second, isn't that? Yeah, absolutely.
So there was a lot of criticism, United style, though we'd spoken
about Louis Van Hall and his kind of defensive heavy, reliant
on crosses football. This was effective but
conservative, typical kind of latter day Mourinho.
Yep, they had been knocked out of the Champions League by
Seville. The FA Cup was a final chance to
win a trophy. So again, Conte, Mourinho, Man
United, Chelsea coming in and this was kind of the only thing
to put a bit of Sheen onto their season.
Alexis Sanchez had joined Man United mid season, but he kind
of struggled. Obviously, we spoke about him in
previous episodes and here's. Another player that was never
the same, No. When he changed clubs, yeah.
Absolutely. Pogba was a a mainstay in this
my knotted side, but it kind of fluctuated.
Soonus was livid. I wonder.
He had a little smile and I thought, what's he thinking of?
Yeah, Graham Soonus just throw it.
It's just. So weird, like I'm not a Pogba
fan. I think he's a bit of a joke of
it. Graham Soonus's hate campaign
towards that matter is yeah, it's if it came out that Pogba
had been beaten up in the street, I would.
There's only one person, yeah. Absolutely.
Yeah, there's only one door you're knocking on.
Mr. Soonus, can you accompany? Us.
Where were you last night, Graham?
I think you don't up to it. So there was reliance on David
Dehaya. So this is that period where I
think David Dehaya won Man United player of the season for
five seasons in a row. So it's one of those that's like
if you're relying on your goalkeeper that much.
Absolutely. And United attacked United
attack, sorry, lacked a lot of fluency and kind of in the
decisive games. They just couldn't get it done,
which obviously kind of shows in the fact they finished nineteen
points behind Man City when the matches came that matter, they
weren't able to do it. So what I wanted to compare and
contrast is the the managerial struggles but also fairly
consistent trophy halls of both clubs post their iconic
managers. So I want to go through a list
of Chelsea's managers post Marino because he was there.
I can't. Manage a long podcast.
Well, it's interesting. Yeah, Don't worry.
I, I I will go through these. Questions.
I mean, there's a lot of them. Yeah, that's what that's what I
mean, that so from Ferguson and from Mourinho.
So the two iconic managers, when they left, how did both clubs
react? So Chelsea from Mourinho
sacking, they've brought in Gus Hidink as a caretaker manager
for one season. He did really well.
I think he won like 14 matches in a row or something like that.
But it was Antonio Conte that then took over for Chelsea.
Two seasons there he won the Premier League in the FA Cup.
So not bad from chop and change. But again they go to a new
manager, Moricio Sari. He's there for one season, wins
the Europa League. Then they change manager for
Frank Lampard who does two well 1 1/2 seasons, doesn't win any
trophies. That was during their transfer
embargo and kind of hitting the fan.
Then two call comes and takes charge for one season, wins 3
trophies, one major being the Champions League and then the
Super Cup and the Club World Cup.
Whether you count them on all the kind of charity Shields, but
nevertheless. European Championships.
In finals 2, core managed to play in three and one three, so
very impressive. Only there for one season.
Graham Potter there for one season, doesn't win anything.
Frank Lampard comes back in again for caretaker, doesn't win
anything. Then Pochettino's there for one
season, doesn't win anything and Enzo Mareska's come in obviously
currently in his second season, but the Club World Cup, which
actually means a bit more because it's not just a like 2
games you've had to win a tournament.
They've beat some decent teams. They obviously beat Parasanger
Man in the final which was unexpected even if the trophy
itself. But I thought that was
interesting that they kind of have this scattershot approach
of one season. We have this and we, I'm sure
you're going to make the same point with United, but just
these clubs that go from ultra success but they still have
success. Yeah, like it's weird and like
you support Everton, you know what not success is.
Yeah, sure. Yeah, hello old friend.
Yeah, after achievement. What's that?
A trophy in the far off distance.
It's driven. Past that's as far as as close
as we get like yeah, quarterfinal is a result.
Yeah, that is not success. These clubs haven't had that.
Yeah, it's just ingrained in the idea that even at your worst,
even at your lowest ebb, you still are having moments to kind
of hang your hat on and kind of and even.
Even the narrative, I'm not suggesting it's a good thing,
but even the narrative of like the, you know, I'm sure there's
a story behind each one, but like, you know, clubs win
trophies and then they change manager.
Yeah. Yeah, It's like, you know, Oh
yeah, they won this and they won that, and then the new guy came
in. It's like, why did he come in?
Well, I think a lot of clubs nowadays, because of the Pep
Guardiola ification, if that is a word of modern day football,
is it so much important to have a system and a brand of football
than it is necessarily to just win trophies by any means
necessary? I think most clubs want an
attractive brand of attacking football more than they want
like, oh, we're a really defensive counter attacking
team, but we've won 3 cups in five years.
I think most clubs would go for a kind of a brand identity in
attacking football rather than just, oh, we've won two League
Cups out of three years, but. Yeah, I think sometimes clubs
don't know what they want. Yeah, I honestly don't.
I just, it's so caught up in the knee jerk reaction of the way
football works is they don't, is anyone stopping to go like what
do we want here? Like there are so few clubs that
keep managers for more than three seasons.
It is nuts. Or even consistency of managers.
That's why clubs like Brighton have have continued to punch
above their weights because there is top down thinking of
this is the type of manager we hire.
They don't change the identity of the club every time, which
United have multiple. Times.
So that's a really good segue to talk about Man United's list of
managers because you look at the style of manager, the experience
of each manager, it's just scattershot.
It's who? Who's the biggest available at
the at the time? Yeah, exactly.
And then Ralph Ragnick. Yeah, oh, bless him the the
Professor himself. So David Moyes, as we call him
from his stint in rail. Sausage the.
Moyes, Ayer The. Moyes Ayer came in with the
ultimate poison chalice, probably the biggest one that's
ever been in football, takes over from Sir Alex Ferguson.
He does win the FA, the FA Community Shield.
Isn't it chalice? But unfortunately, that's all he
has to his name. He lasts one season, then Gigsy
takes over. I think he only has something
like 4 games. Yeah, very, very insistent.
Obviously doesn't win anything then.
Then van Hull takes over, is there for two years, they win
the FA Cup, then it goes to Jose Mourinho.
So yeah, as we said, nicking him from Chelsea, he wins the Europa
League, the League Cup and Chariot Shield if you count
that. But still 2 trophies in two
years. Maybe not the Premier League and
not a Champions League, but he's won what he can.
Then social comes in and despite the positivity and he gets three
years. Well, 2 1/2 years in the job
doesn't win anything, but you still have the Rio Ferdinand.
'S is it the wheel? Yeah, exactly, which is bizarre
looking back where it reminds you of how low things were for
social to come in and kind of bring the field back but
achieves nothing. Then Rang it comes in, in for a
season, doesn't win anything. Eric Tenhag, who became a figure
of fun in recent history, he's there for two seasons, but he
wins the League Cup, the FA Cup in two years.
So two cups, two years, including beating Manchester
City in a. Cup Yeah, yeah, it's a.
Huge achievement and then Ruben Ameren now, but you look at
Ameren, Tenhag, Ranjic, Solsha, Mourinho, like they're all
entirely different. Types of management, No
consistency at all, is it? It is very much even the
Mourinho appointment was like Van Hal just obviously just won
a trophy, but United were already looking at, you know,
looking at the rise and going who's next.
But there's there was no forward thinking at all.
There was no kind of like, Oh yeah, this guy's here.
Like what were they thinking when Van Hal is just is so short
sighted for a club that was the opposite of short sighted.
The identity of that club has changed in a decade.
God of a lifetime. So what I found interesting
along with the the managers and the similarities there, the
squads kind of reflected that chop and change system.
So both squads had long term servants that had done really
well for the club and players that clearly weren't up to par.
So just as an idea of some of the players that both teams had
in the line up, so Chelsea had TiVo, Courtois, Aspiricueta, Tim
Cahill and Golocante, Tim Cahill, Tim Cahill still going
strong, Cess, Fabregas, even Hazard, Olivier Giroux.
But they also had players like Tiemo Bakiyoko, Victor Moses,
Alvaro Marata, Davi de Zappa, Costa and a very faltering Ross
Barkley. So kind of it's a real
scattershot of these great players and players that weren't
up to it. Same with Man United today,
David Dehaya, Antonio Valencia, Ashley Young, Paul Pogba, Marcus
Rashford who had really emerged. But they also had players that
had kind of flat to the C, so Alexis Sanchez, Phil Jones, the
manager, Mattich Bay at centre back.
But they did have MC Terminator himself, Scott Mctominator 18th
in the Balandor this year. Let's just remember that legend,
MVP for Serie A in a Napoli winning squad.
I tell you what, what might not it would give to have him back,
but nevertheless. I saw I saw a Twitter thing
where it was a picture of him looking like an unbelievably
tanned sunglasses guy and it said Scott McDonald's glow up
should be investigated. It's more than espresso each
morning. It must.
Happen to this guy? Absolutely.
Incredible. And then also I thought it was
interesting that there was still a little bit of sharing between
Chelsea, Man United in this. So Lukaku, who was he's injured
at this, he starts on the bench for Man United.
So you'll see play for Chelsea, Man United and Amanda Matic
should play for Chelsea, Man United, Juan Matter, Chelsea,
Man United and obviously Marino, Chelsea, Man United.
So they were kind of really. One club.
Yeah, it was very strange how much they were kind of borrowing
from each other. But with that, let's talk about
the final itself. You just cannot write scripts.
Like. This.
So in order to get to the final, Chelsea's path was pretty
simple, as was Man United's. And again, I feel like we've
said that sentence probably the last three or 4 episodes where
it feels like we haven't had those Titanic clashes at like
quarter final, semi final stage. It's been.
Quite already gone, yeah. It's very strange.
Which heavyweight can make it through the easiest draw?
Yeah, I say you stay there. Exactly.
So Chelsea, despite what I've just said, they did struggle in
a third round replay win against Norwich City.
So they did manage to beat Norwich but it was nil, nil on
the first leg, one all on the second leg and they only won on
penalties. In F21 replay.
Yeah, yeah, sorry, but I thought that was strange.
But they then went on to Chelsea, went on to batter
Newcastle, three nil, bat hole, 4 nil.
They did beat Leicester but only after extra time in the quarter
finals and then semi finals was against Southampton, so no real
struggle there for a team that should be winning that man not
had something similar. They met Derby County in the
third round, then Yeovil Town, Huddersfield Town, Brighton
which aren't the Brighton of today, and Tottenham in the semi
final. So really Tottenham are the only
team that potentially could have caused man not a trouble.
Yeah, despite their inconsistency.
So both teams kind of arrive at the final feeling relatively
fresh in terms of we haven't had to beat any Titans here.
It's one game, winner takes all, unfortunately.
However, there were tributes held to Ray Wilkins, who had
died in the April of this year. There was a minute's silence
held during the game. There were memorials on the the
boards and the screens. But yeah, Ray Wilkins, for those
that don't know, won the FA Cup with both sides.
Man United as a player and assistant manager at Chelsea for
three titles. Yeah, 3 trophies.
You know, The funny thing about Ray Wilkins is like unbelievable
player, brilliant for England at two World Cups.
Yeah. And yet I remember him as the
voice of Tango. No, he was the voice of the
tango guy. You know when you've been
tangoed. Yeah, not that guy, no, but he
just did the kind of deadpan voice.
I had no idea. I'm gonna have to go back and
look at this. Look it up.
Yeah. Imagine that in the board rooms
at. Yeah.
Usually we got. We've got this voice over actor.
We've got this celebrity here. No, no, no, no.
I've got just the man, right? It's time.
Pack up your mic. Come over here.
Yes, Ralph, the big orange fellow running from the left.
And he gives him a good old slapping.
It just illustrates the bite and buzz.
All of real. Oranges in tango?
Yes Ralph, super taste sensation smashing drink.
Lovely. You know where you've been
tangled. Ridiculous, Ray.
Wilkins. Did he get that?
He must have just known someone. It must have just.
He did have a good voice for it. Sure, Yeah, I'm not doubting
his. I'm not doubting him.
I'm not doubting his. I mean, he went on to have a
great voice over career doing nothing else.
No, very, very strange. But for a moment.
Then I merged. Like you know when you've been
tangled. Yeah, what did that guy?
Wilkinson just fire in the booth.
He's just going in there. Boo, Boo, Boo.
But let's talk about the game rather than Ray Wilkins.
So I'm sure that's the memorial that he would want as we talk
about his achievement. As a player, yeah, exactly.
It's really about the voice over artistry.
So in the first half the game immediately settles into one of
those KG finals and you get the idea.
Early on, the first kind of 10 minutes, it's probably going to
be a little bit dull because you've got 2 defensive first
managers that both kind of want to control the game and not
allow freedom other than. The likes of Conte just
basically going to Eden Hazard, can you win US the game?
Other than that, we'll stick to our system.
But it is Eden Hazard sharp movement that causes the first
alarm. So he's played through with a
really good ball from Seskabregas.
Hazard's first touch is amazing and he basically is drifting
inside from the right wing. He's got Phil Jones desperately
trying to keep up with him. And as he enters the penalty
box, Phil Jones does a terrible slide tackle, goes to ground.
It's one of those you like. I understand why he's gone to
ground, but he's in no position to do it.
He's the wrong side of Hazard. He just panicked.
He slides in, takes Hazard out before he even gets him.
He strikes me as that kind of defender they.
Do yeah, it's that desperation the the kind of like.
I like slide tackles more than I like discipline.
Yeah, he was not a aesthetically pleasing player in any sense of
the word. It's like, I mean, facially it's
him and Ian Dowie. How do you explain to them that
not selling any photos in the club shop?
Sorry, Phil. Yeah, I know you've signed the
batch, but they're still sat here, mate.
Do you wanna hand out friends and family?
But yeah, Phil Jones, he always looked a little bit too
desperate. Unfortunately, he he he looks
very amateur. By within 10 minutes, giving a
penalty to Chelsea, Hazard is is just wiped out.
There's no sense of diving. He's just clattered in the
penalty area. So stepping up, Hazard decides
to take the penalty himself. Sends to hay the wrong way.
Scores it. Sends to Hay the wrong way.
A. Short approach almost halfway
through the first half and Hazard rolls it past the hair.
Chelsea League Manchester United at Wembley in the 2018 FA Cup
final. It's one nil Chelsea which feeds
into exactly the type of football that Antonio Conte won.
And to be fair, this kind of game plan of Conte, which is
will remain really tight and allow our creative players to do
their thing. 13 minutes in, Hazard's done exactly that.
It's it's Fabregas with his creativity and an amazing
through ball, Hazard's great first touch and then just his
pace and frightening defence. And it's kind of like, OK, well,
advantage Chelsea now because Man United have to do what they
don't want to do. And then Marino would just come
out and try and break him down. United try to settle into kind
of some sustained possession, but they just struggle to break
Chelsea down. Pogba starts trying to roam and
find some space. And he looks good in the first
kind of half of this final despite not really having shots
on target or being able to set anyone.
And he seems to, and I think he did do this all night.
He seems to take ownership of the game a little bit.
He probably didn't do it too often enough.
But obviously for France, he's been a very totemic figure.
He has been the kind of heartbeat of France when they've
won major tournaments. But unfortunately, Pogba is
surrounded by an Alexis Sanchez that looks way off of it.
And bigger players like Lukaku, Anthony Martial are on the bench
either through injury or lack of form.
So he's kind of doing it on his own about anywhere to really go.
So, you know, it's best openings in the first half come from kind
of crosses and speculative shots.
But Chelsea managed to hold firm and Golo Cante in particular,
breaking up everything and not allowing talk of a room.
More on Angola Cante later, because of course I should just
do an Angola County minute. Him and Ronaldo, just yes, yeah.
And there all day. Yeah, exactly.
So it goes into the second-half after a fairly cagey, poor
quality first half, but pressure begins to build so Marcus
Rashford starts to come into the game for man.
United Marcus Flashford. Marcus Flashford, the one and
only he, he managed to cut inside from the left and he
leashes an absolute fierce shot straight Tebow quarter, which is
very disappointing. Honestly, going through the
highlights, highlights of this game, the amount of shots that
go directly at the keeper where they've done some great work on
both sides to Chelsea and Man United.
So are they beaten two players then leash a shot straight at
the goalkeeper and the honestly, it must be four or five shots
that you just think just a little bit of quality like.
Anything to the side. You're a striker, it's not a
game of hit the target. It's not like one of those
moving, you know a fairground. When you've got one of those
moving targets, can you hit it? It's like no, avoid it, go for
the corners, look for the net, just do anything other than hit
it at the. Key Are you giving Marcus
Rashford shooting advice? Absolutely.
He's too Flashford for my liking.
What he needs to do, Meat and potatoes, centre forwards, play,
just hit the corners, you know what I'm saying?
Come on, Marcus. Jesse Lingard, who we've spoken.
I was gonna ask. He's still there.
Still there. And he's kind of made because.
This was his big year, wasn't it?
Exactly. Woke up.
Didn't. Yeah.
This again the peak of Jesse
Lingard, he starts to stretch Chelsea, but again there's not
enough kind of clear cut opportunities.
So about 55 minutes in Alexis Sanchez does manage to score,
but the celebrations are short lived because it's very
obviously offside. There is a shot that is parried
by quartile that falls right into Sanchez has.
Two disallowed in the Arsenal final.
Yes, he did. Yeah, you're.
Right. I wonder if he's got the title
of the most display goals at Wembley.
That's will say he definitely. Has well done, Alexis.
Yeah, well. On a record that you never want
to. And we just made-up.
He's there just invoking a witch doctor.
I need to break this case. Excuse me?
I don't know. I'm trying to do a Spanish
accent even though he is Chilean.
I don't know what a Chilean accent sounds like.
This doesn't sound like Spanish. Either, but I mean I listen back
to your field level impression that sounded like Brian Clap, so
I don't know why you keep doing impressions.
No, you're right. Yeah, terrible.
This is not my Forte, but Chelsea struggle to maintain
possession. But Hazard and Kante, they
worked tirelessly. Marcus Alonso, the Chelsea left
back, manages to roam into the penalty box.
The ball finds him and there is a great opportunity.
It finds him for one of those that he's on the right side of
the penalty box. He can open up his body, use his
stronger left foot to kind of teary on rear into the corner,
which I know, you know, if everyone could teary on rear.
Yeah. I was going to say, yeah, yeah.
I'm more than like the aesthetics of when you can open
up your body and go go against what the direction the ball's
coming from. And he clearly panics because
he's like, I'm a left back in the penalty.
Yeah. And he just has a complete brain
fart weight, doesn't go on his left foot and then tries to
spank it with his right foot and surprise, surprise, goes
straight to hair. But yeah, that's kind of the
only opportunity. So then cometh the hour, cometh
the man. There is an A really good ball
from a corner that is placed directly on the head of Paul
Pogba. He is 6 yards out, unmarked on
the penalty spot and he powers the header wide.
And it's like that is. One straight the keeper.
That's true, yeah. Maybe that he got in his own
head, anything but at the keeper and he's headed it wide.
I've heard what that guy said on the podcast.
I'm a time traveller and I've remembered and what information
I've taken from this. I went forward and the only
thing I heard was a podcast. Listen about your band
substances there pool. But anyway, I don't know why I'm
taking shots at Paul Bogger. Paul Manson just created.
Story this time mate. Yeah, but yeah, it's one those
way. Like big game player, these are
the moments that matter. You might get one chance.
We said this before. I'm we.
Yeah, yeah. Big, big finals are about those
big players taking the chance that they know this might be it.
Yeah. And.
Unfortunately it's pretty unforgivable for Pogba.
He is like completely unmarked. It's not like he's being put off
by another defender. He is on the penalty spot.
All he has to do is put it either side of the keeper and
unfortunately drags it far too wise.
And that really is is the last clear cut chance of my night.
So Chelsea still one nil up the last 15 minutes.
Mourinho gamble's he chucks on Lukaku and Marshall, both that
have been injured of kind of a desperation of let's Chuck a
load of attackers on and see what we can get.
But as we've spoken about Chelsea's defensive line, Tim
Cahill, Antonio Rudiger as Poliquetta, that three man
defence were immense. They were really, really good at
this point. They're such a cohesive unit.
They've played together under Conte in this system for a long.
Time. Can I just pause you?
Is it Gary Cahill? What do?
I say Tim Cahill. You said Tim three times in this
pocket. Don't cut that out, Lewis sings.
Tim Cahill plays set the back for Chelsea Have.
You ever seen Tim Cahill and Gary Cahill in the room at the
same? Time.
When you said it, I was like, Tim Cahill, you're like, yeah,
yeah, he's still there. Like play Foreverton.
I just accepted it. Australian midfield maestro.
He's like 5 foot tall. He's playing centre of average.
Really good in the air though, that is one thing.
Like Tim Cahill, he was fantastic.
I let it ride the first time. I was like, there's no way you
mean. I can't believe, yeah, I can't
believe I've kept on saying 2 KM.
It was a surprise to everyone that Conte made it work.
Brilliant management, Absolutely brilliant.
It was even more surprising that he had a squad place in the
England squad to be an Australian, but he was there.
Some magic of Conte that's. It gets nice.
Let's try that again. Gary Cahill, Cesar's Pilliquetta
and Antonio Rudiger, a really, really solid unit.
So add into the mix and go Locante just being able to cover
every blade of grass and TiVo quarter just being a bit of a
Titan. It was only going to end one way
after Chelsea went one all up and that's what happened.
So United crosses became more desperate but Chelsea held firm
and despite not being classic, Antonio Conte walks away with an
FA Cup winners medal and Chelsea lift the FA Cup in 2018.
You have just witnessed 90 of the most terrific minutes of
European football you will ever, ever see.
But the good news is there's more to come.
So as we go into the extra time of our podcast, just want to
talk about and go to cante a little bit.
So some facts I wanted to bring up that you may or may not know
about. S 70% of the earth is covered by
water. The other 30%?
I've heard that before, doesn't. Like go to Cante, I don't know
if you know this but he can in fact touch MC Hammer.
He once intercepted a pass that haven't been played yet.
He he haunts many midfielders and they check onto their bed at
night for Angolo Kante. Angolo Kante once won the ball
back from himself. Angolo Kante once intercepted
Wi-Fi. He has two lungs but chooses to
use 6 and midfielders Dreamless space Kante wakes up already
there and finally Kante plays box to box, touchline to
touchline and occasionally car park to car park.
There is nothing that Angolo Kante cannot do.
One of my favorite players ever because he it is the reminder
that even though he was technically good, that
essentially it doesn't matter what level you are at Sunday
league football at amateur veterans level or the ultimate
elite. If you have a player that runs
and runs and runs like obviously he can read the game very well
and it's about positioning. But there is just something I
don't know that I fall in love with where it's like I recognise
that because just goes and goes. At my peak I wasn't in go to
Canto myself, if I do say so myself.
People referred to that peaks. My amateur peak.
I'll tell you what, there was not, I might not have been a
good passer or a good shooter or a good dribbler.
All very good in. Yeah, I tell you what, I could
run. God damn it, I could run.
I was once described as a Robin Reliant 400 horsepower but can't
drive. But anyway, moving on from
Angola, Kante. And your career?
Yeah, and my peak, my peak similar to Angola Kante.
Yeah, yeah, man of the match, despite in my opinion should
have to go to Angola Kante. I was in on him.
No. Antonio Rudiga.
It's a lot bigger, just you want to.
I just want to talk about Angola Kante, but it's Rudiga who would
go on to Real Madrid I think in a seasons time.
I think he moves to Real Madrid where he still is at as
president of the FA Prince William the the Duke of
Cambridge would normally have attended the final and presented
the trophy to the winning captain.
Do you know why he wasn't there? No.
He was playing best man. Oh.
Was he? Yeah, he was just.
Royal wedding the same day. Royal wedding the same day,
which you'd be fuming. Wouldn't you be like Harry?
Have a word, mate. Why did you miss this?
Pick the FA Cup final. I've got a very important role.
I get the best seats in the house and you've decided to have
your wedding there go the day after.
Come on, man. But nevertheless, yeah, Meghan
Markle and Prince Harry. To.
A wedding on that day, Marino shot car.
I didn't take defeat well, his quote was I congratulate them
because they won, but they didn't deserve to win.
I congratulate them because I'm a.
The bloody royal wedding there. I congratulate them to win.
Is that alright? Harry's done alright.
I think Harry has one. If we're being completely
honest, there's no way that Harry should be with Meghan
Markle, but he's done very well there.
But Mourinho was indignant about.
Chelsea, sorry. Yeah, yeah, I should, I should
introduce there should. Have been a hard cut between
yeah, speaking about the royal wedding and Mourinho's opinion
on it, but yeah, he says. I congratulate them because I'm
a sportsman. So again, Mourinho just being
the. Bigger man, of course.
Well, not really, but yeah. Yeah, this was in three
newspapers that I found declared declared as one of the worst
finals of the 21st century. I've done my best to make it as
interesting as possible, but I couldn't bring myself to sit
through the game. I just watched the highlights
because everyone was like, this is dire.
It was the first time that Marino, I thought this is
interesting. It was the first time that
Marino had lost a cup final in charge of an English team after
7 finals. So he'd gone 77 finals, 7
victories and then finally come up short.
In contrast to that, this was the first ever domestic cup won
by Kante. He'd never won one in Italy,
haven't won one in England. Yeah.
So this was his. First one as much as he has.
Yeah, exactly. He's a league specialist, but it
seems that he struggles in cups and that still, you look at his
managerial career since then, that's still kind of true.
He's very good at winning leagues, but he really suffers
when you like his record and Champions League is terrible.
And people talk about the fact that he needs so long for his
system to kind of put in place that having like only two days
in between matches just doesn't work for his managerial style.
But interestingly, this was going back to Marino only the
third ever season in his manager managerial career where he
didn't win silverware. So at this point, even though
there was a talk of is Marino coming to the end of himself?
Is this kind of Yeah. Are we seeing the the?
He got a lot of heat, didn't he? For not he.
Did, but as a manager only three seasons.
He never won silverware. I mean, he was, we talked about
it a couple of weeks ago where the managers come in and defend
themselves. But actually, as embarrassing as
it is when managers do that, Mourinho kind of made some good
points. Yeah, Yeah, he did.
Yeah, he's talking. What was it?
The three held up three fingers or something, I can't remember.
What it? Was Premier leagues maybe?
Yeah, It's like, yeah, like there's a lot of managers that
couldn't sit there, A lot of managers that couldn't sit
there. Jurgen Klopp, heralded is one of
the greatest managers in Premier League history, has one Premier
League title to his name. Marino has three.
Yeah, amazing stuff. And then just a final word on
Chelsea, really. So this was their 8th FA Cup, so
they had a bit of a history in the competition.
They were a bit of a cup team. But up until now it's their most
recent. So like you say, coming towards
10 years and Chelsea haven't really threatened.
To so they've won nothing in 10 years now.
I'm guessing they're part of the Club World Cup.
And Champions League. Oh yeah, of course.
Yeah, that. Random, but yeah, yeah, the the
one where they out well, it was more down to Pep doing a Pep
where he overthought himself and decided for the first game that
entire season not to play a hole in the.
Pep won it for. Chelsea, Yeah, yeah, pretty
much. But with that, that's the end of
the 2018 FA Cup final. Fantastic.
Yeah, I think I did well with one of the worst ever.
Finals. Yeah, he's won over that nicely.
Yeah, exactly. But join us next week where I
can promise you the final will be far more interesting than
this.