Conte’s on his way out and winner Hazard could follow

NO PARADE. No fanfare. No guarantee the manager is staying. This is not the way FA Cups are supposed to be won.

But for a club like Chelsea, which goes through coaches like toilet paper, nobody should be too surprised.

Perhaps it proves again how far the competition has fallen in recent times.

Manchester United sacked Louis Van Gaal shortly after he won it in 2016. Chelsea could well do the same with Antonio Conte.

Champions League qualification is everything these days – everybody knows it, including Conte.

He failed on that count. But it’s not just his future which is uncertain. Thibaut Courtois and matchwinner Eden Hazard have big decisions to make, too.

Hazard won the game by earning and scoring a 22nd-minute penalty after being brought down by Phil Jones, and there was no way back for United.

But at least Hazard and goalkeeper Courtois will get to decide their own fate.

Chelsea want both to stay. Conte is still waiting to hear if they feel the same about him.

That may explain why the Blues have no victory parade planned despite winning the trophy for the first time in six years. After all, it wouldn’t look great to let the fans toast the manager and then sack him the next day, would it?

Whatever happens, the players want clarity. Amid the intense speculation, some of them gave up on Conte weeks ago.

Bored by his training methods and fed up of his constant moaning about transfers, they just stopped listening.

Uncertainty

So it was no surprise to hear Chelsea skipper Gary Cahill, shortly after he lifted the trophy, say the board need to let everyone know what happens next.

Cahill said: “The uncertainty needs to be put to bed and whatever is going to happen, to happen.

“I don’t know. We’ll see what happens at the club. It is out of our hands. We just have to try to deliver on the pitch.

“We fell short in some aspects this season. But in this game, we produced. The rest behind the scenes is not down to us. So we will wait and see. You certainly feel the sense of uncertainty. That is obvious to everybody in the last few months.

“I am sure if I was a guessing man that they would obviously have spoken between the club and the manager. Let’s see.

“I am sure the manager will make the best decision for himself and his family. I am sure the club will make what they feel is the best decision.

“I am not dodging the question. But it’s totally out of our hands. All I can say is that it has been a great finish.

“If the manager stays next year, then he stays on next year. If he doesn’t, then he has gone away with a Premier League and an FA Cup.

“That is something that everyone at the club can be proud of. Everyone feels that we have the reward now and we can celebrate.”

The game will go down as the Hazard final. But Cahill, Antonio Rudiger and N’Golo Kante played a big part too in what turned into a backs-to-the-wall win.

Even Tiemoue Bakayoko, who has struggled this season, showed signs of promise, so there are reasons for Chelsea fans to be positive.

But it remains to be seen whether Conte will be there to see them defend the trophy.

Over to you, Mr Abramovich.