If you could pick one sponsor, our first sponsor, which one would you like to get the kickback from? A coffee company? A mattress company. Crown paints. One of the best. What you just cannot? Write scripts. 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? 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. 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.