Chelsea will play Manchester United in the Women's FA Cup final on Sunday. Photo: Getty Images/Harriet Lander
Everyone "wants us to fail" Helped Chelsea become even stronger as they seek to maintain their dominance in the fight for the biggest domestic trophies in England, according to midfielder Erin Cuthbert.
Chelsea will try to win the Women's FA Cup for the third straight season when they face final debutant Manchester United at a sold-out Wembley on Sunday. The two clubs are also in contention for the Women's Super League title. Chelsea will earn a fourth WSL crown in a row if they win all four remaining league matches, starting with Wednesday's home game against Leicester.
Scotsman Cuthbert says he's proving to Manchester United and their other rivals that Chelsea are still the best team in the WSL, give extra motivation by saying: «Honestly, I feel like everyone was against us this season, so it just added fuel to the fire.» .
“Everyone expects a winning team to lose all the time, so our job is to keep proving we're still at the top and trying to stay there is probably the hardest part. Having a goal on your back every season is pretty hard, it's hard to stay on top, it takes a lot of mental preparation, mental preparation, mental toughness, mentality. But this is taught to us every day in training to be competitive and to be winners.
It is also the third year in a row that Chelsea have appeared in both major domestic cup finals, although they lost in the Continental Tire League Cup final this season and last, most recently against Arsenal, and Cuthbert says she was "raging" when they lost their March clash against Arsenal at Selhurst Park. However, she says Chelsea have shown their strength by recovering from that disappointment.
Asked if there was a chance losing Sunday's FA Cup final could undermine their title bid, Cuthbert replied: «Is there a chance? Always. Of course, there is a chance, but we need to make sure that this chance does not fall next week. We didn't let the Champions League campaign or the Copa Conti final derail our season. For the last two years we have been losing in the Conti Cup final, and everyone thought: «That's it, Chelsea are out.» That's it, they're falling apart.» Everyone wants us to fail, but I think the great thing about this team is that we bounce back and show ourselves at the big moments."
Cuthbert, 24, says Chelsea quickly abandoned their Champions League semi-final exit because of Barcelona, adding: «We really wanted to leave, but the dressing room took it as a turning point and fueling the fire to really hit . We all said: «Now is the time to go ahead and win two titles.»
Sunday's Wembley final sold out for the first time in women's competition history, and Cuthbert knows how important this means not only to her team, but to the sport as a whole. in general.
"This is a big event and my family always comes to it, they never miss an FA Cup game. It's a very, very special thing for me.» added the former Rangers and Glasgow City star. “My mom once described it as one of the best days of her life, so if I can give her this every year, I will be absolutely delighted. It's also a motivation for me to go there and give my family a day they'll remember after all they've given me.
"We're two teams that matched very evenly. I wouldn't say there is a favorite because I think both teams have done very well this season. We respect United, what they have done this season, their resilience to bounce back from last year and their will to grow is amazing. But I also think we've picked up a bit of momentum. These are two equal teams, with a difference in a small margin or individual skill that day"
Свежие комментарии