Chelsea three things to look for in FA Cup semifinal: Ending history

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Manchester City’s Spanish manager Pep Guardiola elbow bumps with Chelsea’s English head coach Frank Lampard after during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Stamford Bridge in London on June 25, 2020. – Cheslea won the match 2-1. Jurgen Klopp’s legendary status at Anfield was secured on Thursday as he became the first Liverpool manager to win a league title in 30 years. (Photo by PAUL CHILDS / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo by PAUL CHILDS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /

Chelsea won’t have had long to celebrate advancing to their first Champions League semifinals in half a decade as they have a much more pressing semifinals. The hype of the Champions League may have allowed this fixture against Manchester City to fly under the radar but it will still be a key moment in the end of season pursuit of silverware. Pep Guardiola will want to keep marching on and it is up to Thomas Tuchel and his squad to stop him. What should fans be looking for?

1. History with Manchester City and preventing future history

It is hard to separate Manchester City’s sudden rise from Chelsea’s sudden rise just years before. Yes, the starting points are different (one being a relegation battling side and the other fighting the top half), but the process after their respective takeovers was largely the same.

One thing City has done differently than Chelsea, however, is show patience with their managers (at least comparatively). Even with it being Pep Guardiola, it is hard to see Chelsea having been as forgiving about his first season in England. Patience paid off for City as they are, once again, eyeing down a quadruple.

Of course, every other time they have gotten near a quadruple, they have slipped up in at least one. Chelsea can’t do much about the Champions League at the moment, but the Blues can ensure that the right shade of blue advances in the FA Cup.

Matches between the two sides have been rather one sided since the 6-0 beatdown Guardiola’s side did against Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea. Chelsea has won just once since and has shown struggles in nearly every match.

Thomas Tuchel’s own record against Guardiola isn’t great either. In five matches against the Spaniard, the German lost twice while in charge of Mainz. At Dortmund, Tuchel managed a loss, a draw, and a match lost via penalties.

Tuchel will want to flip Chelsea’s recent fortunes against City. He will want to flip his own against Guardiola. And more than anything, he will want his Chelsea side to end the near yearly talk of a quadruple from the blue side of Manchester.

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