Chelsea have extra motivation to make this a weekend of double FA Cup joy

Chelsea have endured a turbulent final few months of the Roman Abramovich era and will be aiming to start a new one with an FA Cup double. The men’s and women’s teams will be at Wembley this weekend in the hope of bringing trophies back to Stamford Bridge to end the season on a much-needed high.

Thomas Tuchel’s side have fallen short of the expectations Chelsea had in August. After winning the Champions League and investing heavily in Romelu Lukaku, the manager and fans will have been hoping for greater success. They lost in the Carabao Cup final to Saturday’s opponents, Liverpool, and revenge would be sweet. The prospective new owners will want to spend money on players and the club would be a far more attractive option with another trophy in the cabinet.

The uncertainty surrounding Chelsea has had an impact on the men’s squad. Players want certainty to help them focus on the pitch. Seeing Antonio Rüdiger and Andreas Christensen being unable to discuss new contracts, with the German poised to join Real Madrid, brings disruption. Chelsea’s success last season was built on defensive solidity, so the prospect of losing key centre-backs will concern many.

Not everything can be blamed on contracts, though. In the past few weeks the mistakes that led to goals were uncharacteristic. It could be down to fatigue because they played a lot of games last season and this and the squad could need freshening up to motivate the players.

Tuchel has navigated the situation impressively. He will have wanted to finish closer to Manchester City and Liverpool but it is hard to compete against two teams that have been all but flawless for so long. He has almost certainly secured Champions League football next season, which is imperative.

The