SPARKY DREAMING OF MORE WEMBLEY MAGIC
Chelsea v Southampton Tomorrow, Wembley, 3pm
WILLY CABALLERO recalls the speech he gave his Chelsea team-mates before their FA Cup quarter-final win at Leicester.
Wounded by a battering in Barcelona, their Champions League hopes had gone the same way as both their nonexistent title defence and League Cup bid. They were in need of a lift. “I told the players, ‘We don’t just want to win to get to Wembley – we have to win because we want the trophy’,” said the Blues goalkeeper.
“This has to be our motivation. Winning a trophy is special and sometimes in not a good season like this one we have to take this kind of opportunity. We have to think about this and treat it like a battle, a war – and win.”
Chelsea ran out 2-1 winners at the King Power Stadium to set up tomorrow’s semi-final against Southampton.
Despite claims the FA Cup will only paper over the cracks, Caballero wants to help add it to the 14 trophies of the Roman Abramovich era. The Argentinian, signed on a free from Manchester City last summer, added: “When I arrived at the club I was walking through the corridors looking at pictures over the last 15 years or so. There are a lot of trophies at this club.
“When I see this kind of picture, of players lifting trophies, I want to have this kind of trophy in my hands.
“I want to be in the next picture with it and this has to be our next target – to continue filling the walls with pictures every season. It’s the best feeling as a player.”
The 36-year-old has impressed when called on by Antonio Conte. He deputised on occasion for Thibaut Courtois in the Champions League – and is expected to keep his place if Chelsea progress. He added: “When I arrived I knew I’d play in both cups. I tried to do my best in every single match. Sometimes it’s really difficult to just focus on playing in the cups because it’s really difficult from one game to another.
“But I think we did well to reach this point and it’s been my motivation to do it well, to try to convince the boss, to say to him, ‘You don’t have to doubt me because I can do a good job also’.
“That’s the way to repay the faith the boss has had in me as when we started the season he could have brought in five or six goalkeepers and he chose me.
“I’m very happy with my performance but I think it’s not the best season for the team, for the club. We have not achieved any of our targets we talked about in pre-season.
“But I knew it would be difficult. A season after a club wins a trophy is always difficult. It was the same when
I arrived at Manchester City and look at them now.
“At Chelsea we just want to finish as high as possible and win the FA Cup.”
Chelsea fought back from 2-0 down last Saturday to win 3-2 at struggling Southampton, then ended Burnley’s fivematch winning streak to suggest they are returning to form.
Yet Caballero warned against complacency. “We’ve beaten Southampton already in the Premier League but this is going to be very different,” he said.
“It doesn’t matter that they are in the relegation zone. A semi-final is always a semifinal. Of course, we’re probably a little more confident about going through because our name and this club is more important in history.
“But history means nothing. We have to fight for it.”