Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta has thanked fans for their support following the club’s 2-0 FA Cup elimination at the hands of Manchester United on Monday. The Spaniard also urged the club to remain united as they look to find good form.
The defeat means that the Blues frustrating form continues. They were outplayed by the Red Devils who scored through Ander Herrera and Paul Pogba during the first half of the game. The Red Devils continued their impressive start to life under interim manager Ole Gunnar Solksjaer who has been with the club since Jose Mourinho was sacked in December.
The result will no doubt add to the pressure on manager Maurizio Sarri. The Italian tactician has attracted a lot of criticism recently, particularly following the club’s 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Bournemouth and 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Manchester City. Another reason as to why Sarri has attracted a lot of criticism is because he has persisted with playing N’Golo Kante out of position in an advanced midfield role while the underwhelming Jorginho has been occupying the holding midfielder role in which Kante is regarded as one of the world’s best. They are currently in 6th position on the Premier League standings and with United and Arsenal in better form at the moment, winning the Europa League could perhaps be the West London club’s best opportunity if they are to secure Champions League football next season.
In spite of their less than impressive form recently, the Blues can still claim major silverware this season. They are still alive and running in the Europa League and will play in the League Cup final against Manchester City this Sunday.
Azpilicueta has called for unity during this testing time. As quoted by BBC, he said: “It has been a tough night because we didn’t convert our game into chances. We are disappointed, we are eliminated, we are the holders.
“It is a frustrating night. It has been a tough night for everyone but we know that the fans support us in every moment.
“We are used to winning trophies, we have been the most successful team in England for the last few years. The only thing I can say is that we will give everything, we will work hard.
“We have the Europa League and the final on Sunday. Hopefully we can keep calm, starting on Thursday and win a trophy on Sunday.”
