Football and the discussion of the sport inherently brings out two things: hype and hypothetical situations. When a good team consistently does well the mixture of these two can have frightening outcomes.
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Chelsea have had a wonderful season so far and started the campaign better than any fan could’ve hoped to believe. In all competitions the Blues played exactly to their own high standard despite a worrying lack of depth. These worries can be laid aside when a team is winning — although the hope is that those in power are not jaded by results.
The hypothetical situation that Chelsea’s early season success had manifested most in the minds of Blues fans everywhere was that of a quadruple winning season. How even the great clubs of Spain and Italy would watch in awe, how our rivals would be forced to concede and pay their respects, how a team goaded so often for a lack of history would be responsible the greatest piece of history.
Yet, it was little Bradford City. League 1 residing Bradford City. Seventh place in the League 1 table Bradford City who brought it all down, in Stamford Bridge no less.
There are no excuses and nobody to blame. Bradford came to Chelsea and resoundingly beat Jose Mourinho’s men 4-2 in what will likely be the greatest upset of this season’s FA Cup. It hasn’t been since 2008 that Chelsea has exited at the hands of a lower league club in the FA Cup.
Another home loss in what is usually Mourinho’s fortress just days after the manager was quoted saying a loss to a team like Bradford City would be disgraceful.
Indeed, the Chelsea boss had plenty to say during the post-match press conference; an equal mix of praise for an incredibly defiant Bradford side and scorn for a ‘disgraceful’ Blues squad:
"By one side this is the beauty of football, because in not many sports is it possible for the best players to lose against a team or players with completely different potential…For the other part I repeat the words I used yesterday in the case that we lose, that it is a disgrace."
It should be noted that it was nothing close to a Chelsea B team that faced the Bantums today. Aside from a notably absent Andre Schurrle — who was left out at the last minute due to back pain — this team was quite similar to the one that beat Watford 3-0 in the previous round. It also wasn’t compromised by inexperience or any of that nonsense as Andreas Christensen was the only youth player to get any minutes.
As Mourinho stated:
"What I did is normal. The players who played are not a team of kids and the selection was more than good enough."
Mourinho’s words are sure to be echoed by many a Chelsea fan in the upcoming days. It was a trophy we hoped to win, but, in truth, it was third place in terms of importance. For a club of Bradford’s stature this is the holy grail and a win against Chelsea was icing on the cake. This is not meant to be an excuse for the loss, it is simply a fact.
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At the end of the day, Chelsea fans will get over the embarrassment of such a loss and the disappointment of exiting a competition in which the Blues have seen so much success, and will know that it allows for more focus on winning the Premier League, Champions League, and Capital One Cup.
In a day that’s brought very little in terms of good moments for Chelsea fans, here is a little piece of cheer given to us by Bradford City’s Twitter account:
Jose Mourinho has just been in an ecstatic away dressing room to congratulate every City player and staff member. A real touch of class.
— Bradford City AFC (@officialbantams) January 24, 2015