THE teams contesting the FA Cup final this season are headliners in many ways and they may have two of the best recent records in the competition, but there’s something of an anti-climax about the event. Perhaps it is because Chelsea, for example, are in a mess and they have been in a downward spiral for months, on and off the pitch. Or maybe it is down to City still having other priorities as they cling to the hope of leap-frogging Arsenal to win another Premier League title. The FA Cup final is not the end of the current campaign as the Premier takes centre stage again a week later. So much for the showpiece finale.
Both Chelsea and City have been more accustomed to being finalists rather than winners in recent years. Chelsea last won the cup in 2018, since then they have been beaten in 2020, 2021 and 2022, while City, who were winners in 2023, lost to Manchester United and Crystal Palace in 2024 and 2025 respectively.
For both clubs, the FA Cup is not the number one priority – for Chelsea, Champions League qualification was a prerequisite and they failed. They have sacked two managers and they still do not have the cohesion they need to be successful and now, their owners face a summer of discontent among their supporters, who long for the return of the benefactor who employed the right people to run the club.
Chelsea have, since 2003, lacked stability in the dugout, but during the Roman Abramovich era, they silenced critics by winning trophies almost every year. Since then, the new regime has sacked Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, Mauricio Pochettino, Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior. Their recent trophies include the Conference League and the folly that was the FIFA Club World Cup. Some of the managerial appointments were never going to work which does suggest a lack of knowledge within the club about management and the credentials of those they consider potential head coaches at Chelsea.
This particular FA Cup is not going to save anyone’s jobs at Chelsea, they are a club in limbo, one that doesn’t seem to know the direction they are taking. On paper, they are much weaker than Manchester City, but their likely squad for Wembley actually cost more money than City’s. There are so many reasons why it is hard to see a Chelsea win: Cole Palmer doesn’t look like the player of two years ago, there has been unrest in the dressing room and at some point, they will need a clear-out of players. For Chelsea, less is going to be more rather than the bloated, supermarket trolley dash that built a squad without strategy.
After losing the Premier title in 2025 to Liverpool, City’s season has not been a classic but they could quite easily end the campaign with a domestic treble on their sideboard. In all probability, it will be a double, but that would not include the league as Arsenal should hold on to clinch their first title since 2004. City have only lost five league games, but they are not as potent in front of goal as they were five years ago. Between 2018 and 2024, they scored 90 or more in the league six times. This season they have 72 from 35 games, which represents a big drop from their peak years. They are also very \[over\]reliant on Erling Haaland, who has scored more than 36% of their league goals this year. They were boosted in mid-season by some sound investment in players, showing once more they can outbid anyone when they need to. This undoubtedly bodes well for 2026-27.
The future of Pep Guardiola is still uncertain and it is not out of the question that he could leave Manchester City in the summer. Sensibly, the club and the coach have kept fairly tight-lipped about the future but if it is to be that a golden era comes to an end at the Etihad, then winning the FA Cup would be a fitting send-off.
Chelsea do not have a manager and the club is clearly not at ease with itself. That’s why City look set to win their eighth FA Cup, but who knows? This time last year, nobody but the most myopic Crystal Palace fan would have tipped the London club to beat Guardiola’s team.
Game of the People was founded in 2012 and is ranked among the 100 best football websites by various sources. The site consistently wins awards for its work, across a broad range of subjects. [View all posts by Neil Fredrik Jensen](https://gameofthepeople.com/author/georgefjord/)