You just keep reaching finals under Thomas Tuchel...
It is a big achievement, but of course, it is not finished. We want to be back here and try our best to win the cup.
Is it good to have a showpiece game to look forward to at the end of the season?
It is always nice to be in a final. We know how tough it is to win the FA Cup. After the disappointment last Tuesday, it was good to get here to Wembley again and get to another final. We expected after the game it was, Crystal Palace are a very good side, with great confidence. We knew that it was a big day for them and also for us, and we did it together.
Do you think Ruben Loftus-Cheek can become a Chelsea regular given his potential?
The improvement and what we can see as well is that he can play in different positions, and he has always been open and trying his best for the team. He is very important. It is true that in the last couple of years, maybe lacked this consistency of playing. He had a couple of injuries which maybe when he wasn’t at the best moment, he had an injury. I think he has been working a lot on his fitness, the way he recovers and prepares for games. We are seeing the result. He is still 26, and I’ve known Ruben since he was 17 here. I am very happy because he is so strong physically. He scored a nice goal, and I am very happy because he deserves all the performances he’s doing.
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How much do you think you can get the better of Liverpool?
When we lost the final, we were disappointed in the Carabao cup. Now we have another opportunity. We will do everything. We know that it is tough, but I have a lot of confidence in this group, and we will try our best.
You can stop them winning the quadruple...
We will focus on our chances. It is not our job. We want to win as much as we can to avoid others from winning so it is in our hands to get a very strong finish in the Premier League, and we are in the final of the FA Cup.
How important is it that the academy stays the same with new owners and carries on producing great players?
Where are you getting this question from? The only thing I can say is the last couple of years, the academy has been a huge impact on the first team. Maybe in the first years when I arrived, there were not so many players coming through, but they won a lot of trophies. Recently we have seen opportunities. Of course, the structure has been magnificent, and I hope we keep being the successful team that we are, and that is the only thing I can say. I don’t know the plans from the new owners.
Would beating Liverpool be a little bit for Kepa Arrizabalaga after the Carabao Cup final?
It was what it was. A shootout doesn’t happen so often. It happened to us, and we were in the wrong side. We are a team, and we have to appreciate the team effort from everybody since the first round. Everybody has had a big impact. We played Luton three days after the final of the Carabao Cup, extra time. Had nearly the whole team change. The lads put on an amazing effort. You know this kind of situation is nice. Everybody wanted to play at Wembley, but you know how tough it is to get to the final. For me, it is a massive credit to everybody in the team. We deserve to be here. Who knows who can make the difference. We don’t know. In one month’s time hopefully, we can be on the winning side.
Do the close games against Liverpool show you are closing the gap to them?
It is true that the reality from last season is we closed the gap from them in the Premier League, but not enough to be challenging for the title. We arrived in the Carabao Cup final, and lost on penalties. In the two games in the Premier League, we drew both.
In a final, it is different – one game. We have to show the consistency to be able to compete against Man City and Liverpool because they have shown a great consistency winning back to back games and keeping a great level of consistency. That is what we are looking for. Keep on closing the gap, and improving our team. We have a great group. Everybody is pushing hard. Great competition. We had to deal with injuries, the covid situation. We never had a game postponed. We are the team with the most games in Europe. Everything is a consequence of our success. We have been in the Carabao Cup final, in the FA Cup final, quarter-final of the Champions League, Club World Cup, and Super Cup. That’s part of the consequences from ourselves that we always push for everything. We never choose an easy competition. We go for every competition until the end, and we will keep doing the same.
