The FA Cup has reached its fourth round, with 17 Premier League teams remaining following the early exits of Arsenal, Brentford, and West Ham.
But which of those left should care at all about The Oldest Competition In World Football? We've ordered them based on the degree of concern exhibited, from least to most.
17] Wolves
Vitor Pereira wouldn’t want to be defeated by Blackburn on Sunday since losing is unpleasant, but if Wolves were given the chance to skip the FA Cup, he would likely seize that opportunity.
16] Nottingham Forest
In just a season, they've transformed from disregarding the FA Cup to focusing on it while aiming for Champions League football, all in an effort to maintain their position in the Premier League. Unbelievable.
15] Leicester
We speculate that Ruud van Nistelrooy is likely more enthusiastic about Leicester's involvement in the fifth round than most Foxes stakeholders. After the 6-2 triumph against QPR, one of only two positive outcomes—alongside the 2-1 success against Spurs—that interrupted a streak of eight losses, he must have doubted his choice to accept the role at the King Power Stadium multiple times in recent months.
Achieving victory against the individual who dismissed him from Old Trafford would provide a welcome relief from the growing uncertainties about his managerial career. However, he will recognize that defeating Ruben Amorim and Manchester United in the FA Cup is a considerably less urgent priority than securing Premier League points in a relegation struggle.
14] Bournemouth
They are presently three points away from the top four and only one point behind fifth place, which currently appears to be sufficient for Champions League qualification next season. We would never approve of any club conceding defeat in the FA Cup, but if anyone deserves leniency in that regard, it's humble Bournemouth and Andoni Iraola, who is focused on a much larger (or at least significantly more rewarding) goal.
13] Ipswich town
Kalvin Phillips will serve as the gauge for the attitude displayed by Kieran McKenna; we anticipate him starting this match.
12] Aston Villa
Thirty years is quite an extended period without a trophy, but as long as they stay in the Champions League, that must be their main concentration; securing qualification for Europe next season will then follow on the list of priorities for Unai Emery and his team. Definitely worth watching the Tottenham match to witness Marcus Rashford’s first appearance.
11] Manchester City
Although Pep Guardiola would prefer to steer clear of a season without any trophies for the first time since his initial season in English football, which is likely if they're eliminated by Leyton Orient on Saturday, we assume he and the Manchester City executives are more focused on securing qualification for next season’s Champions League and its financial repercussions.
10] Liverpool
Forget it, why not? It appears they’re poised to win all other matches easily and have seemingly found a way to evade injuries completely. Thus, although the quadruple is still an option, Arne Slot might as well pursue it, or at least not shy away from the attempt, which could suffice for them to secure the trophy at this pace.
9] Southampton
They’re descending, so why not give it their all against Burnley, before bidding farewell as they oscillate in opposite ways at the season’s conclusion.
8] Everton
David Moyes is back, and all of a sudden, we are fond of Everton once more. There’s nothing we want more than to see him dressed in an adorable suit at Wembley at the season's conclusion, and following an exceptional beginning to his second term with the Toffees, during which they are now nine points ahead of the relegation zone, they might as well take a chance.
7] Chelsea
For a club where winning is expected, Chelsea has not secured a victory in some time, and after losing their last six finals at Wembley, they are developing a reputation as The Nearly Men of English football. The domestic cup spotlight is particularly focused on them after the failures of the billion-pound bottle jobs in last season's Carabao final.
A return to the Champions League is clearly the main focus, so Enzo Maresca might delegate duties to the Conference League team against Brighton; however, Cole Palmer ought to be allowed to feel the pressure if they advance beyond the Seagulls, if not earlier.
6] Brighton
They've reached the semi-finals two times since being promoted to the Premier League, but the supporters would truly cherish winning a trophy to provide them with something concrete for their remarkable ascent. They’re also presently among those mid-table teams that might qualify for Europe but likely won’t, and Fabian Hurzeler – though not at risk of losing his job right away – would greatly appreciate a standout victory against Chelsea following the 7-0 thrashing by Nottingham Forest.
5] Crystal Palace
They haven't secured a domestic trophy, and we suspect the Palace supporters would truly treasure a new Wembley experience to help erase the memory of Alan Pardew celebrating with them while leading 1-0 against Manchester United before the devastating loss nine years ago. In the zone of not facing relegation but unable to qualify for Europe, the emphasis is on the FA Cup.
4] Newcastle
Their impressively comfortable victory over Arsenal in the Carabao Cup lessens the necessity somewhat, yet they would have been wishing against all odds that Tottenham could maintain their narrow advantage over Liverpool.
It was not meant to be, and although they have a reasonable opportunity in a single match against Arne Slot’s soaring Reds, Eddie Howe might consider reducing the Magpie stakes in the FA Cup as he navigates the intense craving for a trophy alongside the PSR-mandated requirement for Champions League football; they should aim to remain in contention until the Carabao Cup final at the very least.
3] Fulham
They've yet to secure a domestic cup and haven't reached a final since their FA Cup loss to West Ham in 1975. After experiencing a glimpse of it last season when Liverpool eliminated them in the Carabao semi-final, a cup run following their win over Wigan on Saturday would certainly fall into the That Would Be Nice category for Fulham supporters.
They would certainly relish some European away matches, although they are likely realistic enough to recognize that qualifying through the Premier League is improbable despite their excellent season thus far.
2] Manchester United
Ruben Amorim must secure victories in football matches as the head coach of Manchester United. He has scored only nine in 19 matches to date, and it must occur regardless of the tournament. He will observe the questionable patience and tolerance given to Erik ten Hag due to his two cup wins and desire some of it.
While the Premier League is essential, he might examine their standing and believe that European football is out of reach, though relegation definitely, DEFINITELY isn’t a concern. Perhaps he could reserve his Kobbie-Mainoo-at-No.9-style experimental strategies for the league and deploy his strongest squad in the cup competitions in an effort to secure some success in what appears to be a challenging first season in English football.
1] Spurs
Ange Postecoglou's misguided claim that he "always wins a trophy in the second season" faced a serious setback on Thursday as he observed his Tottenham team being overwhelmed by Liverpool in a completely expected pivotal match at Anfield.
This leaves him with two remaining opportunities for trophies – the Europa League and the FA Cup – and although based on current performance we wouldn’t give them a snowball’s chance in hell of securing either, if they can somehow muster the necessary quality and energy to defeat Aston Villa on Sunday, by the time the fifth round arrives at the end of February, they might have some important players returning to provide a boost and push them toward that first trophy since 2008.
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