Happily, I could celebrate the return of the FA Cup this weekend and drone on about the brilliance of the oldest soccer tournament in the world, not to mention the oldest legitimate sporting competition (respect to the America’s Cup, and obviously the Olympics, but come on!). In fact, having been forced to lament the decline of the chase for “Old Big Ears” over the last number of years, the old trophy does seem to have enjoyed a reboot of late.
Sure, I remember growing up in the 1980s when the Cup stood side by side with the old First Division title as one of THE big captures in world footy, but allow me to stuff my nostalgia (the ‘80s were the greatest decade, FYI) down the couch cushions and acknowledge that the Cup has been forced to rediscover its magic.
That magic is back, however, with four very different quarterfinal matchups this weekend, all of which provide their own narratives.
Middlesbrough vs. Chelsea
As much as I’d love to champion the second-tier ‘Boro’s wonderful Cup run that has seen it embarrass Premier League giants Manchester United and Tottenham, the Roman Abramovich-shaped elephant in the room is that of Chelsea, and the complete chaos it is embroiled in off the pitch, with the sanctions against its club owner and what that means for the future of Chelsea FC.
In the short term, it means that the Blues cannot sell any away tickets to this match, something that was far from ideal, but had Russian-owned gasoline poured all over it earlier this week when Chelsea requested to have the match played behind closed doors for, as they succinctly put it, “matters of sporting integrity.” Please, stymie your guffawing! To say this request was met with hostility from the greater footballing public is a tad of an understatement, suffice to say Chelsea have withdrawn the request.
Furthermore, adding more intrigue to the conundrum Chelsea finds itself is the Friday deadline for would-be buyers to submit official bids for the club. By kickoff on Saturday, the Premier League could well be conducting its laughable “fit and proper persons test” on a potential new owner, which of course will not overshadow at all what should otherwise be a fascinating match at the Riverside Stadium.
Crystal Palace vs. Everton
Such a great storyline … on paper. Two legendary midfielders who bossed the Premier League as players winning multiple league crowns in the process at Arsenal and Chelsea, enter the managerial ranks and realize things might not be quite as smooth as their years on the pitch. Let’s put any partisanship aside, Patrick Vieira and Frank Lampard are two of the all-time greats of the Premier League and have actually had relatively comparable careers as head coaches. Until now.
Vieira turned heads at New York City FC in MLS before engineering a move back to Europe at Nice, which would end in his first firing as a manager. Then, this season, he was a surprise hire to oversee a huge rebuild at Palace, where the club was favoured by many for relegation. Instead, Vieira has been a revelation, leading a very-hard-to-beat Eagles side to the mid-table and, with it, zero concerns for the drop.
Lampard, on the other hand, cut his teeth in a League Championship playoff season at Derby County, before taking the plunge (too soon, as it turned out) and joining Chelsea in an ill-fated experience that led to his first firing midway through last season. Like Vieira, Lampard’s third job was also a surprise, when he replaced Rafa Benitez at Everton at the end of January. Unlike Vieira, however, it has been a tough go so far, with the job bigger than he had envisaged and the Toffees being dragged into a fight for their Premier League lives.
Vieira and Lampard are very much the modern manager; these two do not cut the figure of the traditional English “gaffer.” They look slick, have enormous reputations as players, but are still learning their new job. From the neutral’s standpoint, just watching these two legends on the sidelines is worth your time — they’ll be broken and jaded in no time, so enjoy.
Southampton vs. Manchester City
With respect to Southampton, all eyes will be on Manchester City this weekend. While the term “Treble” has been bandied about in recent weeks, there have been some troubling signs at City over the past month, which given how absolutely dominant the team has been for most of 2021-22, is a head scratcher. Since Feb. 19 and that wonderful match that saw Tottenham come out 3-2 winners, City have also squeaked a controversial 1-0 win over the beleaguered Everton that by all rights should have been a 0-0 draw, they tied Sporting CP 0-0 in the Champions League and on Monday were held 0-0 by the aforementioned Crystal Palace.
Where have all the goals gone?
Sure, City hammered rivals Manchester United 4-1 two weeks ago, but the suggestion that this team really does need a new shiny striker to complement the rest of the superstars is beginning to look logical. Much of this recent questionable form has allowed Liverpool to close the gap to a solitary point, which will make the next few weeks a whole tonne of fun. But this weekend, it is the Cup. Can City rediscover its mojo?
Nottingham Forest vs. Liverpool
If Man City are being weighed down by all this Treble talk, just imagine how Liverpool is feeling about all this Quadruple talk. Already with the Carabou Cup in its cabinet, the Reds remain in the hunt for the remaining three trophies. Due to the fact that it is March and such talk is almost obscene, let me put that to one side and just focus on this match. As I may have already hinted, I enjoyed the 1980s. It was when I discovered football and Nottingham Forest was a giant, having been one of the truly great sides of the 1970s. The years since have seen Forest plummet to depths unknown, but they are on the rise again, with a promotion playoff very much the target.
Nottingham Forest vs. Liverpool simply sounds like a proper FA Cup quarterfinal, doesn’t it? Throw in the very real possibility that Canadian Richie Laryea will at the very least get some bench duty as he slowly finds his feet following a January transfer from Toronto FC to Forest, and if you haven’t yet discovered the majesty of the Cup, then now is the time!
