BEN THRILLED THAT THOMAS TALK PAID OFF Guardiola wants more from his frazzled stars

BEN CHILWELL admits he had talks with boss Thomas Tuchel after the German left him out of the side when he first arrived at Chelsea.

The £50million England full-back had been first choice under previous manager Frank Lampard but Tuchel left him out of six of his first eight games in charge, preferring to play Marcos Alonso.

But Chilwell (above) has fought his way back into the side, starting the last four games, and the 24-year-old said: “When you play at a top club like Chelsea that is what you have to expect.

“You accept it, train hard and ask the manager where you think you can improve.

“I did that. And when you get the opportunity you must make sure you play well and give the manager a headache.

“I had it at Leicester with Christian Fuchs for a number of years, so it put me in good stead for if it happens again in my career.”

Chilwell added: “This is my first cup final. You come to a club like Chelsea to get to the cup finals and to win trophies.

“We have got the semifinals of the Champions League coming up as well, so hopefully we can push on there and get to another final too.

“Last year at Leicester we got to the semi-finals of the League Cup and that is as far as I have got.

“When we got into the changing rooms we were screaming and shouting.

You could see how much it meant to people.”

PEP GUARDIOLA admitted he needs more from key players like Raheem Sterling and Ferran Torres after Manchester City’s Quadruple hopes were shattered.

City are praying Kevin De Bruyne will not be out for too long after he limped off with an ankle problem at

Wembley. But, after an

FA Cup semi-final defeat, Guardiola wants others to step up to ensure City don’t throw away another trophy.

The Etihad chief said:

“The others will step up. We were without Kevin for part of the season and he came back stronger. Now we must wait for the doctors to find out the pain he has.”

City, with Sterling (upper circle) and Torres (lower) way below their best, gave a lacklustre performance against Chelsea but Guardiola (above) insisted they were fully focused.

“The players put everything into it,” he said. “I saw their faces and behaviour before, during and after – and that is enough for me. “Football is a difficult game. In England it is so tough, this season more than ever. This season has been incredible on many terms. We are sad because we wanted to reach the final. But we’ve played a lot of games this season and the guys have limits, mentally and physically. “The players know if they are playing well or not. I never point the finger.”

Play, the domestic and international match calendar, as well as fixtures for the Europa League and European Conference League and other issues. But now the ECA and the super clubs appear to have lost the PR battle and fans see them as the greedy ones.

The Football Supporters’ Association reacted angrily when they said: “The FSA is totally opposed to the proposals which seek to create a breakaway ‘European Superleague’.

“The motivation behind this so-called superleague is not furthering sporting merit or nurturing the world’s game, it is motivated by nothing but cynical greed.

“This competition is being created behind our backs by billionaire club owners who have zero regard for the game’s traditions and who continue to treat football as their personal fiefdom.”