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The FA Cup, it's a lot different things for different people: magic, romantic, lucrative, overflowing, exciting, boring. It's an important and prestigious competition while you participate, and a distraction that has long lost its luster when a 41-year-old part-time plumber drops you in front of 2,000 fans.
There is a reason why he has the reputation of being the great equalizer, providing many Davids with the means to reverse many comparative Goliaths. It reduces the widest of gulfs, balances the uneven playing fields and reduces the most tempting odds.
Watching Manchester United hold Chelsea at arm's length on Monday, stopping only to bring them close enough to pick them up twice, gives the impression of not matching a clbadic cup. The current difference between these two teams seems much bigger than the point which separates them in the Premier League, even the two goals that distinguish them here.
It was not really the "best performance of the season" United, as said Martin Keown, an underrated man. Nor was it Chelsea's worst game against a Manchester team in the last eight days. This, however, highlighted their respective momentum changes: the visitors started their season from below but are now running up the stairs, while the guests reached the top floor before rushing into an apparently broken lift.
If Zinedine Zidane is as wise as his Champions League medal collection suggests, its list of claims The recovery at Stamford Bridge will include more than three vague points about renewed contracts, more money and more influence. Chelsea needs a complete transplant of his personality and a more invasive than cosmetic surgery.
The Blues must be without mercy. Marcos Alonso, who lost Ander Herrera for the first goal, should not be a regular starter. César Azpilicueta, intimidated by Marcus Rashford at some point in the second half, can no longer bear the defensive burden alone. Jorginho, anonymous from the beginning, can not carry the weight of the midfielder either. Kepa's ability to catch a low shot must be tackled without preventing him from crossing the line. And how much magic Eden Hazard can summon without a competent badistant?
Maurizio Sarri has been unjustly described as Chancellor by a media desperate to launch his nasty pantomime, but over time you worry that Roman Abramovich will soon come down from the stands to greet him with a cream pie while the fans scream! "
While the results and performance continue to deteriorate, there is not much to fight against this tide. One could hear the collective whine echoing around the stadium when Willian replaced Pedro after 58 minutes and Ross Barkley took the place of Mateo Kovacic after 70 years, that was the painful predictability.
It does not help that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer does much more despite boarding a sinking ship in mid-season. Those (named Paul Ince) who suggest that anyone who could have enjoyed the same success simply by not being Jose Mourinho must recognize that the Norwegian won more matches at the Big Six opposition (three in three matches) than the Portuguese never made as manager of United (two in 14 games).
It was a much more difficult task than simply feasting on his team of stories about "The United Way" and how he had won the Treble under Sir Alex Ferguson. Solskjaer was the victim of an injury inflicted on Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial, two of the most influential players in his counterattack system. The fear was that he was trying to reunite Nicolas Sanchez and Juan Mata in the same formation. the reality was that Mata was sitting behind a wandering Rashford and Romelu Lukaku to watch Jorginho and pull the strings that were attacking him.
It worked perfectly, giving Paul Pogba the license and freedom to make Stamford Bridge his own playing field. The Frenchman badisted the brilliant Ander Herrera with a sumptuous center from the left for the opening scoring and then placed Rashford right before finishing the move for a fantastic second.
Even during the most concentrated pressure of Chelsea, they never felt like they were going to reach Sergio Romero's goal. Both of their shots came in the 11th minute. Luke Shaw, Chris Smalling and Victor Lindelof were determined and determined to defend only a partial explanation.
That United had an idea and that the hosts should not be the most overwhelming. They triumphed early, exploited the flaws of armor that began to break and protected themselves from the Chelsea wind instead of facing a subsequent storm.
Perhaps the difference was that Solskjaer was heading for the present, while Sarri was working for the future. The Italian would certainly say that his task is more difficult, succeeding a man whose last match was to win this competition, rather than taking over from a convicted dictator. But Solskjaer is the short-term coach offering better long-term prospects than the project manager.
The fact is that Solskjaer has adapted to a difficult situation, while Sarri continues to show that he may well be too stubborn, too reluctant to change, to survive long enough to implement an ambitious plan. One found diamond formation at a time when the other is struggling to get out of the rough.
Matt Stead
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