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7 months ago
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It was 1996, the last time Chelsea had gone two seasons without a trophy or finishing at least fourth.
Glenn Hoddle departed at the end of that campaign, his club desperately disappointed when they failed to persuade him to stay after a sneaky approach by England.
Mauricio Pochettino faces a fight to win the same support at the end of the season when it is understood a review will take place, yet when his owners are picking over the carcass of this campaign, this FA Cup exit to Manchester City should not be held against the manager.
He should not be blamed for there being more waste at Wembley than your local tip. Tactically, he coached Chelsea to a win.
It was the players whose inadequacy led to a loss which confirmed this will finish a stinker of a season for a club that have spent so lavishly in their pursuit of competitiveness.
Mauricio Pochettino was left to rue countless missed Chelsea chances as they lost to Man City
Nicolas Jackson was among several Chelsea players who had an afternoon to forget as they were beaten in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley
The Senegal international spurned multiple opportunities for the Blues at Wembley Stadium
He missed this header from point-blank range as Chelsea looked to reach the FA Cup final
Just like Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp's kids in the Carabao Cup final, Manchester City's tired troops were there for the taking in this semi-final.
More than enough chances were created but none were taken as Chelsea made it 344 minutes since they last scored a goal at Wembley.
The Nicolas Jackson one-on-one which did not even end in him shooting. The other Jackson one-on-one which led to an expected save by Stefan Ortega.
The Jackson header from a Cole Palmer cross which was begging to be buried. The Ben Chilwell ball into the box which never arrived when Raheem Sterling was all on his own, waiting to take this semi-final into extra time.
It was this allergy to scoring at the national stadium which killed another avenue into Europe, Chelsea's only hope now being via the Premier League where they currently sit a lowly ninth and face Arsenal on Tuesday followed by Aston Villa on Saturday, both away from Stamford Bridge.
Eyes rolled when Pochettino previously suggested that his team 'should be fourth' because their data says so.
This was a game which backed up that theory to an extent, given how they created a glut of chances but were nowhere near clinical enough once they cropped up.
Not even in-form Cole Palmer could find the net for Chelsea as their trophy ambitions ended
Pep Guardiola and Man City knew they'd got away with one as they reached another final
Jackson is on 10 Premier League goals – the same total managed by Didier Drogba in his first season – yet this was a performance which only encouraged those who say he is not good enough to lead the line.
The 22-year-old passed through the Wembley mixed zone without stopping but he was not alone in shunning the scrutiny. Nobody fronted up after this disappointing defeat.
Though it would be wrong to pin this loss on Pochettino, he is the one under the most pressure.
Often he spends his press conferences explaining why he is the perfect man for this project. It is the ownership who he will need to convince once we know their final position in the Premier League.
Raheem Sterling also saw a late chance to force extra time go begging as Chelsea went out
Bernardo Silva sent City to the FA Cup final with a late goal to break Chelsea's hearts
European football has long been seen as a factor which would be taken into account at the end of the season.
The Europa Conference League went via the Carabao Cup final. The Europa League has gone via this FA Cup semi-final.
It is over to the Premier League and a tricky seven-game run-in where pride must be salvaged if Pochettino can extract the performances required from his players.
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