Pulse Sports explore five talking points ahead of the FA Cup final on Saturday.
The curtain will be drawn on the 2017/2018 top flight football season with the FA Cup final between Manchester United and Chelsea.
These are five talking points ahead of the game.
1. Jose Mourinho and Conte need the title to win over fans
Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte face off in Wembley on Saturday with similar relationships with their respective clubs’ fan base.
A huge section of the Manchester United supporters are still not convinced with Mourinho despite leading them to a second-place finish in the Premier League, another Champions League for next season and their highest point tally since Alex Ferguson’s last season.
Seeing their team finish 21 points behind Manchester City and their rivals winning the title in such a convincing manner has been stomach-turning for a lot of them.
A large section of Manchester United fans also has a problem with Mourinho’s style of conservative and ultra-defensive styles of football especially seeing the two flair and exciting football of their two fiercest rivals Liverpool and Manchester City.
An FA Cup final win against Chelsea at Wembley would go a long way in galvanising Manchester United fans ahead of next season.
Conte, on the other hand, is on the verge of being sacked just a year after leading Chelsea to the Premier League title.
This season, Conte has failed to lead Chelsea to a top-four finish and after failing to get Champions League football for next season, many fans are for the first time in support of Roman Abramovich‘s ruthless dealings with managers.
Although an FA Cup win Cup final win over Manchester United might not be enough to save Conte’s job, it would go a long way in placating fans and leaving him in their good books.
2. Manchester or Chelsea, who needs the title more?
Although Manchester United have had a better season than Chelsea, both clubs are still without a trophy this season.
Manchester United finished second on the Premier League table which guarantees them Champions League football for next season but Chelsea disappointingly finished fifth with the less glamorous Europa League available for them.
The FA Cup is the only opportunity for a trophy for the clubs who have dominated English football in the last decade.
For Manchester United, it would be a fantastic ending to an above-average season while for Chelsea, it’s would be a much-needed consolation.
3. Mourinho Vs Conte feud
After clashing in one of the nastiest managerial feuds in recent Premier League history Mourinho and Conte now have a chance to get one over each other in the FA Cup final.
The root of their feud is well known and while it’s been a while they threw words at each other, the scrap is still fresh in their minds and win in the FA Cup final would be duly savoured.
4. Mourinho/Conte contrasting records in domestic cup
Mourinho and Conte have contrasting records in domestic cup competitions. While the Manchester United boss has been hugely successful his Chelsea counterpart is without a single title in his over 10-year coaching career.
Mourinho has won a domestic cup title in every country he has managed, Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Manchester United.
For the FA Cup, the Manchester United has won it once and will want to add another to his trophy cabinent.
Conte, on the other hand, has had an awful record in cup competitions, highlighted by his failure to win even one when he was the coach at Juventus where he won three consecutive Serie A title.
During that dominance in Italy, Conte’s Juventus managed to reach only one Coppa Italia final which they lost.
Juventus have since won four consecutive Coppa Italia titles since he left in 2014.
In two seasons at Chelsea, he has failed to reach the final of the League Cup and lost in the 2017 FA Cup final to Arsenal.
5. Mourinho Vs Chelsea
Despite his strained relationship with Chelsea, Mourinho remains a fans favourite at Stamford Bridge. After his two stints at the club, he has had to face Chelsea eight times and has lost three of those encounters.
He beat Chelsea with Inter Milan in two legs of the 2010 Champions League and had two wins against them with Manchester United.
He has lost his three visits to Stamford Bridge with Manchester United including the 1-0 loss to Chelsea in the quarter-final of the 2017 FA Cup.
-News Agencies
