Maurizio Sarri must not panic and must respect Chelsea’s FA Cup history

Normally, there would be no worry about Chelsea and the FA Cup. But recent weeks have made it lowest priority for Chelsea and Maurizio Sarri.

Besides Arsenal, no modern side has as much of a connection to the FA Cup as Chelsea. In the last decade, Chelsea has reached four finals while winning three of them. Even in the years where they have not reached the final, they have generally gotten far and taken the competition very seriously.

But recent losses and upheaval has seen the FA Cup fall to the bottom of the pile of priority for Chelsea. Maurizio Sarri knows he needs Champions League to be at the Blues next season. The league is teetering on a cliff and the Europa League will only get harder.  The Blues also has the League Cup final to consider. So suddenly, the FA Cup looks more like a sacrificial option.

The temptation is there and while there is no indication Sarri would sacrifice the match, there is little to think he will have the side firing on all cylinders either. Malmo may be down but they are not out. Manchester City looms. Sarri must be careful that he still shows respect to the FA Cup.

Winning the League Cup and making up (in a small way) for the absolute beatdown against Manchester City will likely be high on Sarri’s list. As will advancing in the Europa League days before. And Sarri will not want to get into the Champions League through a backdoor so top four is still a high priority. But the FA Cup is just as important to this Blues side.

Chelsea has now made back to back finals. And even the last time the Blues struggled in the league, they won the FA Cup under Roberto Di Matteo. This trophy is vitally important.

Furthermore, it is a chance to build momentum which Sarri desperately needs. Sarri has said he cannot motivate these players but silverware is a mighty motivator. The title being gone in the league could go a long ways towards explaining why Chelsea has struggled. But that should be no excuse.

If Chelsea beats Manchester United, they can go into the League Cup final on a high (they should defeat Malmo once more). It will take the best squad and likely something beyond the normal set up.

But Sarri has only tweaked for an opponent once this season and it worked. The first match against Manchester City was a blend of what Sarri wanted and what Chelsea had in place. But he pulled away from that the second time and was smacked aside.

Sarri should be careful that “his way” does not get in the way of his results. A loss to Manchester United, especially a lopsided one, would surely deflate Chelsea ahead of the League Cup final. The temptation to rotate and put a stronger side up for Malmo will be there for Sarri. He must not fold.

The FA Cup matters. All silverware matters. Sarri needs to show he understands who Chelsea is as a club as he goes all out against Manchester United and gets the win through whatever means necessary.