"The fire - you have it or you don't - Saturday we have to make sure everyone is on top of their game."

As kick-off approaches tomorrow it will be almost a week since the Newcastle performance to end the Premier League season and Cesc Fabregas has challenged his team-mates to lift themselves. 

Last week was abysmal and arguably, the second worst performance of our season with the away "performance" if you can call it that, at Manchester City as the worst of the season and that I have EVER seen in the 38 years I have been going to Chelsea. We've had a week to dust ourselves off, calm ourselves down and re-focus on Saturday against Jose Mourinho and his Manchester United side.

It's been an important week for me because I find myself looking for quotes coming from the training ground as the players begin the weeks preparation, looking for someone of note to come out and tell it exactly how it is. Thank god that Cesc Fabregas has done exactly that - He said:

"You have to feel the fire inside of you, the hunger you want to show on the pitch and this is something neither me or the coach can bring to the players.

The fire - you have it or you don't have it and on Saturday we have to make sure everyone is on top of their game.

It's the first day we are back training since the Newcastle defeat, obviously we need to play much better but I'm 100 per cent sure we don't even have to say that.

But, it's a final, it's a big game and I feel that normally in those games you shouldn't have to motivate players to play football because we do what we love and we always have to do it 120 per cent.

It's a final against United, on a big stage at Wembley, the last game of the season, you just have to go all for it." - Source: Sky Sports.

He is spot on in everything that he has said here. I see his opening sentence being a veiled message to his team-mates stating that he is prepared to get out there and give it 120% and they need to make sure that they do the same. His point stating that you shouldn't have to motivate the players because it's the FA Cup Final is also more than valid.

The thing is, I will know within the first five minutes of the game if we are going to win it based on the mentality of the players. Look at the opening five minutes against Arsenal in last seasons Cup Final, we all knew that we were not up for the fight and would lose in those early stages and we will all be able to tell on Saturday.

That's the most disappointing thing for me about all this because it's been the mentality against Arsenal last season that has been carried into this season and it's been evident in numerous games that has cost us points which has seen us fail with trying to qualify for the Champions League by finishing inside the top four.

Cesc Fabregas talks of having the fire tomorrow, right from kick-off. Let's hope we see it this year!