NO CHIL UNTIL GLORY
Ben wants a cup double after losing three finals with Blues
BEN CHILWELL wants Chelsea to reach TWO cup finals this season after admitting he has “unfinished business” at Wembley.
The England defender returned from a three-month injury lay-off to help the Blues reach their 13th domestic final in 17 years – and the first on manager Mauricio Pochettino’s watch – in the Carabao Cup annihilation of Middlesbrough on Tuesday night.
But Chilwell, handed the captain’s armband on his comeback, has a score to settle at the national stadium, where Chelsea have lost six of their last seven finals against Liverpool (twice), Leicester, Arsenal (twice) and Manchester City.
Now approaching his century of Blues appearances after an injury-hit four seasons at Stamford Bridge, he said:
“It’s three finals we’ve lost in my time here, so 100 percent there is unfinished business at Wembley.
“I was talking to Thiago
Silva in the shower and saying how we’ve both been there three times and lost all three.
“For sure, we want to go there and win this time and, as a group, we need to make sure that we really enjoy the experience and soak it in.
“That’s equally important for a group like ours because there’s only a few of us who have won a trophy at Chelsea and it’s a club that demands trophies.”
Chelsea’s 6-2 rout of Boro on aggregate in the semi-final has released the pressure on Pochettino, who has never won a trophy in English football after five years of blanks at Tottenham.
And Chilwell believes it has given them a licence to attack the second half of the season – starting with tomorrow night’s home FA Cup fourth-round date with Aston Villa.
He said: “We’re still fighting for two domestic cups, we’ve got a final and now we’ve got another massive game with Villa.
“We’re not happy getting to one final – we want to get to the FA Cup final as well. It’s eight out of nine wins at the Bridge, so it’s becoming a good place for us again.”
Chilwell revealed he had taken on a more pro-active role behind the scenes during his lay-off after being appointed vice-captain, behind Reece James, last August.
He added: “I had a conversation with the manager and said, ‘Now that I’m injured and I can’t help on the pitch, how do you want me to help away from it?
“It was making sure that I’m in meetings and I’m helping the young boys. For a few of them it’s a big step to come to Chelsea and play in front of demanding fans who,
rightfully, want us to win.”