Thanks God Claudio Pizarro didn't play this match, otherwise he could have been blamed for this defeat. Chelsea's game has NO identity. Too many selfish players. Who can tell me know that Anelka or Drogba are better than any other player. The fact is that if they don't get the ball they wont be able to score. Claudio had the best unselfish middle fielders in Bayern. This Chelsea team has NO creativity in the middle. They don't release the ball until it is too late. There is no surprise.

Gustavo Roman, West Palm Beach, USA, Florida

grant is no coach please he should be discarded immediately or chelsea will go down .

he is always confused and lack the confidence to lead the caliber of big boys in chelsea team .
he is simply hurting all lovers of chelsea abramovich should send him where he brought him from .

chivu, phc, rivers

So Abram has suddenly got the Rafa touch, seemingly unreal decisions, Cole on the bench etc, or maybe he just realises that Mr Abramavich does not give a damn about the league cup and like Utd, Rafa & Arsenal put out the reserves so Olympiacos dont work out his strategy.

Lets see the end of the season Rafa may have the last laugh

riverbanka, Liverpool, England

I am a Chelsea fan but have to admit that Spurs deserved to win yesterday. Our tactics are negative and we learned, once again, that a one goal lead is not enough. What bothers me is that having taken a lead we barely deserved, we shut up shop rather than go for the second goal that would have killed the game. Obviously that tactic backfired spectacularly.

As for Mr. Grant, the jury is still out, though the fact that he has lost the 3 the most important games that the team has played under his tenure (MU & Arsenal in the league and yesterday's cup final) is an ominous sign. The reason I am not quite ready to write him off is that yesterday's game was lost by individual errors and there is no legislating for that.

We have to be thankful for what Abramovich has done for us. On the other hand, we now have a case of reaping what you sow. Perhaps it is now beginning to dawn on him why the fans cannot bring themselves to chant his name and why they worshipped Mourinho.

Anthony, Princeton, NJ, USA

Interesting to talk about the coaches here. I wonder if the reason for Terry shaking his head and tutting so much on the way up the steps to collect his losers' medal wasn't at least partly in disappointment at Grant's selection and tactics.

I think Ramos has done a very good job but a lot of credit should also go to Poyet. He seems to have a lot of input and together he and Ramos make a good team. I think it is significant that since Poyet left Leeds they have gone right off the boil.

jack, jakarta,

Well done to Matt Hughes for an excellent piece.
It's written from a position of authority. Matt, I believe, was Chelsea's correspondent on the London Eveing Standard and thus has seen Chelsea at close quarters for many years.
His assessment of Grant was spot on and, if Grant remains in charge and Chelsea's current form extrapolated to the end of the season, it would appear that Chelsea will fail to win any trophy.
Just who is picking the side?
Is it player power? Terry and Lampard were not, according to sources, in the side on Saturday but appeared on the teamsheet on Sunday - mysterious, eh?
Ballack's omission from the starting line-up was bizzare. Malouda, the only left-sided attacker in the first team squad dropped completly - very strange.
Well done to Steve Clarke, who, in extra-time decided to take command.
The suited Grant and Ten Cate should go where suits nornmaly operate - the anonimity of the boardroom, allowing proper qualified people to run the team.

Paul Lagan, London, England

Got that Chelsea? Spurs are the better side. Deal with it.

David, Bedford,

This was the only trophy i was expecting us to win this year, as the others presented much stiffer tests against far superior teams than spurs. It just showed that when it comes to a real test, Avram Grant will always be out of his depth as he is unable to make the right decision, which is the difference between average and great managers. The fact that his career shows a lack of any real success at club level speaks for itself.

I said when he took over that it was a backward step to appoint him which is proving to be the case.

jeff, London,

Hear, Hear Matt. Spot on -and this from one of your main critics.
Grant's lack of managerial ability and tactical know how cost Chelsea the cup yesterday. I have long thought that his Chelsea record to date owed more to allowing the squad he took over from Jose to continue to do their job then imparting his own tactical system on the players. What the hell was Steve Clark on the pitch for? Where was Grant ? If this is the sign of big games ahead then Chelsea are going to be up for winning nought this season.

Adi, rickmansworth , Hertfordshire

Can somebody...journalist or member of the public, please answer any of these questions for me...

1. Why start Anelka out wide
2. Why start Mikel instead of Ballack
3. Why start SWP over Joe Cole
4. Why bring on Kalou instead of Joe Cole
5. Why bring on Ballack for Essien when he was our best player
6. Why was Steve Clarke giving the team talk at the start of extra time
7. Why was John Terry giving the team talk at half time of extra time
8. Why has Grant still got a job this morning when he actually does nothing
9. Where's this exciting football he was going to bring in?

He's faced the three best managers in the league (Fergie, Wenger, Ramos) and lost to all of them...you have been weighed, measured and found wanting, Avram.

It's not possible to make the money that RA has made without being intelligent, so I still live in hope that he realises he has made a mistake and will do his utmost to pick up a proper manager in the summer when the Euro's are finished.

Savvas, London,

Finally the media are beginning to realise what I, and a lot of Chelsea fans, have been saying since Grant was imposed upon us. He is at best totally inept, at worse an idiot who is taking our club backwards at an alarming rate.

Either way he should go but I fear that he will remain for this and next season because the Board will not want to lose face.

Trevor, Hastings,

I predicted that this would be a trophy-less season for Chelsea, when Avram Grant took over from Jose Mourinho. And i reckon that will now be the case. He doesn't have what it takes when the going gets tough. Even so, i figured he'd be able to deliver this League Cup. Even if Spurs are very definitely on the up.

Similarly, i also bemoaned Chelsea's "loss" of Senor Ramos at the time. HE would have been the man to take over from Jose Mourinho. But well done, Tottenham, for having snared a very competent manager.

The worry is that the wheels may completely come off Chelsea's season. Realistically, the FA Cup is the one last possibility of achieving something. The EPL is too far from reach and i'm not that confident about further progress in the CL. Avram Grant will, almost certainly, be left scratching his head some more when Chelsea come up against a European big-fish.

Furthermore, it's impossible NOT to see certain players packing their bags and heading some place else.

peter koeb, Geneva, Switzerland