3 Things Luton Must Do To Beat Chelsea In The FA Cup
Soccer Football - Champions League - Round of 16 First Leg - Chelsea v Lille - Stamford Bridge, London, Britain - February 22, 2022 Chelsea's Reece James, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ben Chilwell with the Club World Cup trophy before the match REUTERS/David Klein
The Hatters really are on a roll, the last six Championship games have seen five wins and a loss.
This Wednesday evening though, the Hatters will have to increase their ball game when they welcome Chelsea, to Kenilworth Road, for a 5th round FA Cup tie.
The West London side are one of the best teams around having recently won the World Club Champions trophy to two other recent additions, the Champions League trophy, and the European Super Cup trophy.
On paper, it looks like winning could be mission impossible, but we all know that, over the years, the FA Cup has seen many a shock.
So how could, in this instance, David beat Goliath.
In looking at the tie, I’ve highlighted 3 things:
1 – Patience – Chelsea like to play a pressing game, they like to keep the opposition pinned back in their own half, not giving players time on the ball, and forcing individual errors. When in possession, Chelsea use the ball wisely, they don’t give the ball away easily and work the opposition by moving the ball across the pitch. Luton, during the 90 minutes, may only have 30% of the total possession, they will need to be patient and, when they get the ball, use it wisely.
2 – Be Clinical – When it comes to chances, I don’t expect Luton to create a raft of opportunities. Chelsea’s style of play could restrict Luton to maybe two or three chances, at most. When one comes our way, we must be clinical, we must hit the net, we cannot fluff any golden opportunities, if we do, Chelsea will punish us.
3 – The Atmosphere – Kenilworth Road is a tight ground, the support are right on top of the pitch, Chelsea, in their trophy quests, have played in numerous arenas and should be able to cope with our quaint stadium, but you never know. If the support can get the ground rocking, for the full 90 minutes, Chelsea may become unsettled, errors may creep into their game, chances may come our way, so ramp up the noise levels, unsettle the opposition and you just never know.
But, in all honesty, it remains a huge task to beat Chelsea, but the magic of the FA Cup is always just around the corner, besides, there’s revenge for last season when, during the pandemic, they knocked us out in front of an empty Stamford Bridge, how about it lads?
I’ve highlighted just three points, but how do you see Luton pulling off a cup upset?
Please feel free to have your say in the comment facility beneath this article.
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