Anita Asante column: Why Chelsea can still win the quadruple

I don’t know if it’s harder to win a quadruple now. There were different challenges then that there are now. Ultimately, it should be hard.

There were games in our season when we came off thinking ‘wow’ and also games that were tight, marginally won or we could easily have lost because the other team was better and didn’t get what they deserved.

There is an element of relief when you overcome those games. Sometimes I didn’t even enjoy those games! You have to find a way to bounce back if you lose – or in our case, put in a really bad performance.

You don’t have time to wallow in disappointment, regret or worry about what you could or should have done. You can only learn from that feeling. In football, you attach feelings to moments in the game or in your career.

When you feel good, you’re playing well and with instinct, all of that synergy gives you a shield mentally. It’s the same when you don’t have a good performance.

Chelsea will have had a broader awareness of the noise around the team and the talk about going unbeaten for the season. Whether internally they discussed it, I’m not sure. But of course there will be players who are disappointed.

That’s the reality of being in the positions that these top, elite players are in. You are faced with high pressure and expectations. They are competitive by nature and ultimately it is a bit of a sink-or-swim scenario. You can’t go back and get that moment back this season. It’s now or never to make up for it.

When I was in those high-pressure situations, of course I felt nervous. Of course I felt nauseous because that is how big it is and how much it means to all the players, the staff, your family and the fans. It means so much to be on that journey and to potentially achieve something that will live long in the memories of so many people.

My way to show I could handle the situation was to have control and calmness in my game. It wouldn’t be normal if the Chelsea players didn’t feel the weight of that pressure.

Some people thrive on those feelings and love to live in that space – and I’m sure they do.

Anita Asante was speaking to BBC Sport’s women’s football news reporter Emma Sanders.