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Thirty two years ago, Glenn Hoddle led Chelsea into an FA Cup final against a Manchester giant – this weekend, Calum McFarlane is charged with the same task.
In 1994, the Blues faced a Manchester United side at the height of their powers under Sir Alex Ferguson, and ultimately succumbed 4-0, with Eric Cantona scoring twice from the penalty spot.
Hoddle's Chelsea gameplan
On Saturday, Chelsea will be huge underdogs against Manchester City, after a terrible run of recent form led to the exit of boss Liam Rosenior, with McFarlane taking interim charge until the end of the season.
City, though, were shocked by Crystal Palace in last year’s FA Cup final, and also lost to Wigan Athletic in 2013.
Asked how he’d go about trying to mastermind a Chelsea win on this occasion, Hoddle gave his thoughts to FourFourTwo.
“It’s a tough one, not knowing the players inside out, but I think you’ve got to understand, similar to when we went into that final in 1994, that they’re playing a very special team,” said the TNT Sports pundit.
“United were a very special team, they won the double that year and this City side are too. You’re not going to have possession, so they’re going to have to come up with something that’s going to give City something to think about.
“Too many teams just drop in, their number nine comes so deep and they try to defend, defend, defend.
“I understand that, and that’s what will happen, but there are a few things they’ve got to try to come up with, to try to cause them a problem and make them think. If not, they’re going to be in for a tough day.
“I would say that they’ve got to really sit down with the staff and say to themselves ‘Where can we hurt them?’ And play a team that suits that. If it’s going to be on the counter, you’re going to need some pace – and maybe pace from midfield, rather than just up front.
“But Chelsea have got individuals, they can still win this game. They’ve got individuals who could turn it on on any given day, even though they’re in bad form. A cup final is a cup final. City found it hard last year against Palace, and it’s happened in the past in cup finals. I don’t think it’s all negative for Chelsea. It’s a one-off hit.”
Hoddle was talking ahead of a month like no other, with five major football finals live on TNT Sports & HBO Max kicking off with the Emirates FA Cup this Saturday. Enjoy a full day of FA Cup coverage live on TNT Sports & HBO Max from 9am.
