Ahead of the FA Cup semi-final, at Wembley, between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur this afternoon, both managers held their respective pre-match press conferences.
With many seeing this tie balanced on a knife-edge and a tie that could go either way, the Tottenham boss, Mauricio Pochettino, tried to ease the pressure on his players by suggesting that Chelsea were the favourites to win the tie, remarking to the media,
‘I think if there is one favourite it’s Chelsea because they are top of the table, because of the experienced players and the manager that they have.
‘We are talking about one of the best teams in Europe.
‘But we are in a good moment, too, and we are hungry to challenge this type of team.’
But, it seems, our very own Antonio Conte was having nothing of it, remarking at his pre-match press conference,
“I think now is the time for them to finish using this excuse.
“For a second year in a row they are fighting for the title and we must stop considering them as an under-dog.
“Tottenham are now a great power in English football.
“They have been working for three years at this, they are a great team now and will fight for the title every year in future. They are full of strong players and are building something important.”
An interesting reply.
But although Chelsea have usually gotten the better of Spurs over the years with Chelsea having, in the last 16 meetings in all competitions won 7, drawn 7 and lost just 2, recent form suggests that Spurs might possibly be conceived as the favourites to win this fixture.
Tottenham, heading into this game, have won their last 8 games on the bounce, in all competitions, whereas Chelsea have lost 2 of the last 4.
But, then again, isn`t the cup a great leveller?
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