If the Chelsea players want to give Antonio Conte a farewell present of winning the F.A. Cup final against Manchester United on Saturday, they will have to raise their game considerably from the shambolic, error-ridden performance in the 3-0 defeat by Newcastle United last Sunday.

It was a display that typified Chelsea¡¯s season of inconsistency. Conte said: ¡°I wasn¡¯t able to get my determination through to my players.¡± Which begs the question: why were they not determined in the first place?

¡°If we play like that in the F.A. Cup final, we don¡¯t have a chance.¡±