Chelsea’s goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois feels the defending Premier League champions need to reach a cup final in order to rescue their season from disaster.
The Blues endured their worst start to a top-flight season since the 1960s, losing nine games under Jose Mourinho. Roman Abramovich, the club’s owner, decided to sack the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ for the second time in his career at the end of last year. Guus Hiddink came in to replace him on an interim basis, much as he did when Luis Felipe Scolari was sacked by Abramovich in 2009.
Since the Dutchman’s arrival Chelsea have gone unbeaten in their last eleven games, though they have drawn more than half of those games. They remain in the bottom half of the table and are 17 points off a Champions League spot and Courtois told the official club website, “Obviously every time we don’t win in the league, and there is one game less, there is less chance to get into the top four”.
Chelsea have got the first leg of their last sixteen Champions League match against Paris St-Germain on the 16th of February and they then face Manchester City in the fifth-round of the FA Cup. Courtois said, “We play against two great sides and we have to try to win those games. The only way to save our season is to reach the final in one or both of them”.
Chelsea face Newcastle in the league on Saturday with the Magpies threatened with relegation. Courtois thinks the Blues could yet make the top four if they are able to go on a run, starting with the game against Steve McClaren’s men at the weekend. He said, “We will see where we are with five-six games in a row and see whether we can get there or not”.