Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech has stressed the importance of ending the season with a trophy to avoid a demoralising end to the season as Arsenal have just endured.
The Gunners started the season as the strongest side in England, and looked great contenders in all four major competitions.
While their first defeat to bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur in over eight years hurt - and it ending 5-1 made it worse - the Carling Cup was never their priority. Even when they slipped out of the FA Cup to rivals Manchester United, fans were upbeat, but the 4-0 drubbing this time around almost proved to be the beginning of the end.
Despite showing promise to dispatch an aging Milan side in the Champions League, they crashed out in the quarterfinals in somewhat unfortunate circumstances against Liverpool and, most shockingly, tailed off in the league, dropping 11 points in five games, to go from being five points clear in the lead to six points off the pace.
They will end the season trophyless. Chelsea, on the other hand, had a slow start under Jose Mourinho before he was controversially sacked. Something was clearly wrong at Stamford Bridge. The unknown Avram Grant came in and did a neat and tidy job, slowly but surely guiding his team in the right direction.
Their Carling Cup final defeat at the hands of a buoyed Tottenham side who were playing for European qualification under new manager Juande Ramos was a blow to the Blues, and the FA Cup humiliation at the hands of Barnsley - who had already embarrassed Liverpool in the previous round - had the Blues at breaking point.
However, they showed character, and have since found their way to the Champions League final and joint top of the league table, courtesy of strong, champion-like performances against Liverpool and Manchester United respectively.
Manchester United are their rivals for both trophies, and just one league game remains, which is of course followed by the Champions League final in Moscow.
Cech and his team-mates will have a job on their hands, as Manchester United are favourites for both trophies - so it could well be an Arsenal end to Chelsea’s season - but the shot-stopper is banking on United slipping up.
“It is 90 minutes of emotion, we know we need to win and hope Man United slip,” he continued. “It will be exciting for everyone, I am sure people will have pocket radios listening to the other game.
“We know what we need to do against Bolton, and we will only have hope if we have three points.
“You never know. Everything in football is possible, and this is still possible. Ninety minutes away in Wigan is United’s last game of the season, and I know Wigan will not want to see Man United celebrate in their own stadium, so they will try and get a positive result. We still believe.”
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