The cup is still a knockout!

SHAUN WRIGHT PHILLIPS couldn’t have looked more dumbstruck if Jose Mourinho had just told him he was going to start a match for Chelsea.

It was February of last year and a group of us hacks had been invited to Munich to have a little natter with some of the stars of the European game in the build-up to the World Cup finals in Germany.

Since it seemed pretty obvious even then that poor young Shaun would have about as much chance of playing in the tournament as I would, I charitably went off-message to inquire about Chelsea’s forthcoming FA Cup fifth round tie against Colchester United.