A famous trophy up for grabs, but so

Young managers know win at Wembley is a stepping stone Lampard aiming to cap a meteoric rise with silverware

There is more than a 14lb sterling silver trophy at stake when Arsenal and Chelsea line up for the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium today. With new, young managers who are so strongly identified with the clubs they lead, there has come new hope and fresh ambition. Winning the competition would feel like a landmark for a new era.

Arguably Frank Lampard has already achieved that by qualifying for the Champions League, which these days means far more to Chelsea than the world’s oldest domestic cup competition. But, despite what Arsene Wenger said all those years ago, fourth place is not a trophy.

Chelsea have been serial silverware winners in the Roman Abramovich years. But even when Antonio Conte and Maurizio Sarri were winning, it felt like the club were losing their identity and direction. Lampard is bringing those back.

Lifting the FA Cup – and becoming the first Englishman to do so with Chelsea since 1970 – would also mean that Lampard, however well he has done, avoids that unwanted description of overseeing a year of transition. As a senior figure at the club once said: transition is not allowed at Chelsea.

Against this is Mikel Arteta who, like Lampard, served the club he leads with distinction albeit with nowhere near the level of on-field success as a player that the Chelsea midfielder enjoyed. Against Lampard’s haul of medals Arteta can lay down two FA Cups – the first of which was significant in being Arsenal’s first trophy for nine years and saving Wenger’s job. He knows the value of this cup.

While Lampard will regard the trophy as a bonus, it means more to Arteta in terms of what he can do with his team and with his squad.

Lampard is already being rewarded for his astute work with Chelsea showering him with exciting new players: first Hakim Ziyech, then Timo Werner, hopefully Kai Havertz, with the promise of more to follow in, possibly Ben Chilwell, Declan Rice and even a new goalkeeper. It is a formidable re-arming while at Arsenal there is less of a promise of fresh ammunition, especially if the club fail to reach Europe – the FA Cup being their last chance of claiming a Europa League place.

Arteta has made it clear that although the money available is less than in the Champions League, being out of Europe would be a blow to Arsenal’s finances and their hopes of keeping captain Pierreemerick Aubameyang and reshaping an underperforming squad.

“I wouldn’t like to talk too much or link these two factors but it is a reality that, financially, it would be really helpful,” Arteta conceded.

Lampard played down the significance more, which probably said much about the difference between the two clubs at present. “It will be a nice boost but only if you win and put it in your pocket to move forwards. It can be a nice, small step to where you want to be,” he said.

The stakes for Arsenal were similar when the two sides met in Baku last year for the Europa League final. Arsenal blew up and Arteta’s predecessor, Unai Emery, never reold covered. Sarri also went, with Lampard being catapulted after one season in the Championship with Derby County straight into the job of Chelsea head coach. The 42-yeararrived with a transfer ban and needing to refocus with fresh discipline; Arteta, 38, was hired by Arsenal in midseason from being assistant at Manchester City and had to pick up the pieces from Emery’s unhappy reign. Both have deliberately promoted youth and talked about identity even if Lampard has had to row back recently with now only Mason Mount and Reece James as regulars in his team.

They also both made significant decisions involving former teammates. Lampard sold David Luiz and Arteta was quick to leave Mesut Ozil out of his squad. More recently high-profile younger players have also paid the price – Lampard dropped Kepa Arrizabalaga, the world’s most expensive goalkeeper, while Arteta has frozen out the illdisciplined Matteo Guendouzi.

Lampard and Arteta are intelligent and share a ruthless streak that is shaped by their determination to win but also a knowledge that the most successful managers quickly stamp their authority and their personalities on their teams.

They both know the coach needs to be in charge of the dressing room, not the players.

The two are also at the vanguard of a generation who have decided to move into management when it was felt Premier League stars had made too much money to want to test themselves in that area.

Either Lampard or Arteta will have the reward of a trophy. If Arsenal are victorious it will be their ninth FA Cup since 1993; if Chelsea win it will be their eighth, and only 10 of the past 27 finals have not included at least one of the sides.

These clubs have dominated the competition in recent years and for one their record will be extended today.