Home > Football > Is Chelsea's Cup double leagues ahead of Man United's title?

Is Chelsea's Cup double leagues ahead of Man United's title?

Don't underestimate the importance of Cup competitions; they provide excitement and can be very challenging for the big clubs - and a great challenge for the little ones.

by Adriaan Tan on 21 May 2007

Email this Article (13) Comments

100%

Chelsea's Cup of joy: But how important is it? (gettyimages.com)

Related Bet:

Free £10 bet when you register at

Submit this article to Punditit

The Premier League's status comes from the fact that it is England's top-flight set-up. Every season, teams from lower leagues attempt to inch their way towards the Premiership, where the strongest survive and the weakest get relegated. To use a simple analogy, the Premiership is the peak of the mountain. There's nowhere else to go from there but down - those at the top only have to maintain their position.

The idea of competing against the cream of the crop on the pitch gives birth to the idea that nothing else is more prestigious than winning the Premiership. The League Cup and the FA Cup are mere bonuses. But are they?

The question posed by some people as to the value of either of those trophies pushed me to think about the issue. Are they really less valuable? Pondering over the matter, I realised they are not. Their less prestigious and mere 'bonus-only' status stems from the idea that on the way to winning the trophy, each finalist faces at times teams weaker in all aspects, providing an easy alley to the trophy.

Take Chelsea, for instance. Admittedly, Macclesfield, Nottingham Forest and Norwich City are weaker in the sense that they belong to lower leagues. And results showed we hit 13 goals against these teams in the FA Cup. On the other hand, Manchester United faced Premiership teams Aston Villa, Portsmouth and Reading. However, this gives the impression that had the Blues faced teams as tough as United did, they wouldn't have made the finals.

People forget that opponents from lower leagues can cause an upset - Southend United beating Manchester United in the Carling Cup, for example. Prior to the final, Chelsea faced a tough challenge against Blackburn Rovers, while Manchester United faced Watford. There have been many upsets over the years in both the League and FA Cups.

Both provide a stage for lower-league teams to have a taste of prestige and victory which they don't sample in their own leagues. Both might provide an easy way for some of the stronger teams to reach the final but at least the weaker teams get to stand on equal footing with the giants at times, making them feel just as big, or even bigger.

How important are domestic Cup competitions compared to the league? Post a comment below or submit an article to Sportingo.

Comments (13)

by Steve Clarke on May 21, 2007

No, the two cups are NOT leagues ahead of the Premiership title, and I speak as a Chelsea fan. I'd sooner have the league any year but it was a nice consolation and for Jose to complete a domestic trophy haul in just three years is fantastic. I think now he has that in the bank, we will concentrate on the PL and CL next season.

by craig on May 21, 2007

the fact is the league a competition of 38 games over a year week in week out. you have to be the best consistantly. chelsea have not had to play all premiership teams (and i mean all 19 teams) in either competition, so from the fact cup competitions are not facing teams that have access to multi million pound deals from sky toi spend of great players. but this is also true facts are facts there are no small cvompetitions with the emergance of chelsea under abromavich their are now four galacticans in england and only 3 domestic trophys, none are "just a bonus" they provide brag rights to the fans and the ability to hold your head up high, with only three throphys (unless some one beleives the champions league will keep coming to england every year, which is highly unlikly.) and four big teamsthere, some one will go trophyless and teams like totenham and blackburn will have very little chance, never mind your watfords and birmingham city, chelsea should be pround of the the cups, its a great achivement, but

by craig on May 21, 2007

its not better then the permiership

by C2Death on May 21, 2007

The title says it all. The thing about cup competitions is although they provide excitememt for the smaller clubs, it is a true knockout competition so while the status quo do get thru most of the time, there is a chance of an upset. However, this is not the case for the league, where the side with the best record after 38 games wins it. And bear in mind that cup competitions do not get ur team into the Champions League. Getting a place in the top 4 in the league gets u that privilege.

by Paul Smith on May 21, 2007

Looking at the results between the two teams this season you have to say it's Chelsea. However, Manchester Utd have showed consistency in winning the league and whilst injury problems are a contributor towards that it can only be put down to poor foresight in signing good covering players. Chelsea were however, a close second despite such set-backs. Looking at the cups, Chelsea beat Arsenal in one final and Manchester Utd in the other - no small feat by any means. In the Champions league they were unlucky not to be in the final whereas Utd were clearly outclassed in the semi's. The cups may be less prestigious but weighing up the evidence you cannot deny that Chelsea have had the better season.

by craig on May 21, 2007

Paul mate, not sure if you are a chelsea fan, but look at the facts we both got taken out in the semi finals, we were facing a team that was at full strength when we had our entire back 4 out its as simple as, nothing to do with you went out by less goalsor what ever, you went out its as simple as.. and as for the cups ask anyone,what would yourather have fa and carling cup or the premiership they would say the premiership, youdont here rafa or wenger going on about we must do the cup double they talk about the premiership, even now in the european final rafa is taking about doing better in the league, and beeting man u but drawing against the lesser teams proves you have been inconsitant, by the way i would rather have the injuries chelsea have over xmas then our injures at the business end of the season.... our goal would of got us thought were as chelsea would not of got to the fainal of either cups....

by dS on May 21, 2007

I find it absolutely crazy that this guy can compare the FA cup anywhere near the Premier League. And, as if that wasn't enough - trying to tell us that playing teams from the lower leagues in the run up to the final is just as difficult as playing teams from your own league!

by Marvin Tarawally on May 21, 2007

we want to know the domestic cost of premiership and fa cups.

by VJ on May 22, 2007

EPL is surviving against 19 best teams in the country. Both the FA cup and the carling cup can't boast that. Upsets happen, and that happens in the EPL as well. The difference being that the premier league is all about coming up tops after 9 months of football against the best clubs in the country. I am not taking anything away from Chelsea's victories, but comparing the cup victories to the premiership is like comparing Wimbledon against some ATP tour event.

by cr7 on May 22, 2007

watever. man utd is still the EPL champion

by Tia on May 22, 2007

well, u stated the facts, united faced harder teams, and chelsea didn't, yeah united lost to southend with not their strongest team don't forget! whereas chelsea got it easy through the whole campaign faces lower teams with a full strong normal startin line up team! chelsea are a great team but aren't as good as they're made out to be!!

by tan the man on May 26, 2007

chelsea are shit...£500 Million for the Carling and FA cup is not a good return. Losers.

by bibi on June 01, 2007

no cup has ever been able to command a higher standing than the EPL title, not even the champions league cup. EPL title is KING. Champions league title is QUEEN. FA Cup, Uefa Cup, League Cup, Intercontinental Cup are icing on the cake, bonus to boast your own supremacy, a marker to mark the peak of your club's prowress IF u manage to win the KING or the QUEEN, if not? they are just consolation prizes.