Christian Pulisic says Frank Lampard has instilled importance of winning the FA Cup within Chelsea squad

Frank Lampard won it all as a player at Chelsea and Christian Pulisic says his manager has drummed into the squad this week what it would mean for the club to win the FA Cup.

Chelsea play Manchester United in their semi-final at Wembley on Sunday and Lampard has stressed the importance of building a winning culture at Stamford Bridge.


Lampard, who won 11 major honours during his playing days at Chelsea, knows owner Roman Abramovich better than most and he is fully aware of the demand to win trophies. He has spoken to his young squad this week about the importance of winners’ medals and USA international Pulisic insists they have got the message.

“At Chelsea we want to win,” said the midfielder. “This is a huge trophy. He has told us what it means to him and the club. Even though fans are not going to be there, the guys understand what it means. There is not the background noise but the circumstances are the same, you want to go out there and win.


“It would be amazing to win the FA Cup. All the guys are on the same page. When I was [younger] I would see a lot of Premier League games, but I saw a few FA Cup Finals here and there. And I saw what this competition means to this country. It is a big trophy and I am excited that we have the opportunity to win it.

“It has been a tough season, obviously, with a lot of ups and downs. But we are going in confident — and finishing with a trophy is always the best way to end the season.”

Lampard won the FA Cup four times as a player and knows Sunday’s game at Wembley is the first of three matches in seven days for Chelsea that is likely to define their season.

The Blues play Liverpool at Anfield three days later and then Wolves at Stamford Bridge next Sunday as the race for a top-four finish looks set to go right down to the wire.

Leicester and Manchester United both won last night, so just one point separates the three teams in the battle for Champions League qualification.

Many felt Chelsea would struggle this season because they had to deal with their FIFA-imposed transfer ban and the loss of Eden Hazard last summer.



2/34
3/34
4/34
5/34
6/34
7/34
8/34
9/34
10/34
11/34
12/34
13/34
14/34
15/34
16/34
17/34
18/34
19/34
20/34
21/34
22/34
23/34
24/34
27/34 N'Golo Kante
26/34
28/34
29/34
30/34
31/34
32/34
33/34
34/34
25/34 Hakim Ziyech
25/34 Hakim Ziyech

Critics also felt Lampard did not have enough experience to manage Chelsea after just one season as a manager at Derby in the Championship.

But if Lampard can finish in the top four and lift a trophy, then it would be seen as a hugely successful first season in the dugout.

Pulisic said: “United are in good form but we are confident. We want to play our game. It is not going to be easy but we are going to go in and do whatever it takes to win the game. One more game and we have a chance to win a trophy.”