Not all defeats are created equal – there is nothing worse in football than a teasing defeat.
“In extra time it was Klopp’s boys against the blue bottle worth billions of pounds,” Sky Sports co-commentator Gary Neville said, almost before Virgil van Dijk’s header flashed past Out of time, he succinctly and indisputably established the dominant narrative of a surreal Carabao Cup final. It landed in the far corner of Djordje Petrovich’s net.
Not only did Liverpool beat Chelsea again at Wembley, the way they did it was validation of the ‘mentality monster’ culture that Jurgen Klopp has fostered over the past year – obviously within Kirby’s squad and across the ages in the first-team in paragraph. Nine years on, while the fatal flaws of the luxury Stamford Bridge investment project funded by Todd Boley and Clear Lake Capital over the past two years have been relentlessly exposed.
At Wembley after the game, a frustrated Mauricio Pochettino wearily took on the task of pointing out the nuances in the narrative. “I didn’t hear what he said, but if you compare the ages of the two groups, I think it’s similar,” the Chelsea manager said when asked about Neville’s line. “Look, I have a great relationship with Gary. I don’t know how to take his opinion, but I respect his opinion.
“We are a young team. There is nothing to compare with Liverpool because they also have young players. There is no comparison, he knows the dynamics are completely different. We are playing against Liverpool and Chelsea, Chelsea and Liverpool and I think it is unfair to speak like this of.”
The youth versus experience dynamic at Wembley is not as clear cut as Neville makes it sound. At the start of the game and extra time, the average age of Liverpool’s eleven was older than Chelsea’s. Van Dijk, now 32 and with 11 major trophies to his name, was the standout outfield player throughout the match, scoring two headers worthy of the final but only one of which passed a VAR review.
Cole Palmer denied by Caoimhin Kelleher (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
But when the opposing team has two 19-year-olds, Bobby Clark and James McConnell (both with less than 10 career games under their belts) and another player (Jay When Jayden Danns made his second appearance for the senior team, the counterargument became less tenable. Chelsea undoubtedly lost a few kids; the more important question is: did they bottle it?
Chelsea showed clear signs of nerves at Wembley. Axel Disasi conceded the ball twice without much pressure, triggering Liverpool’s transition from attack to defense. Malo Gusto is usually solid on his feet and controlled passes on multiple occasions during the game. Levi Colwill tried to pass the ball to Ben Chilwell miles upfield and Enzo Fernandez had to calm him down, whose The passing frequency is astonishing.
Looking further back, Conor Gallagher faced the same situation in front of goal as 2022 Cobham graduate Mason Mount The situation at the stadium against the same opponents is very similar.
Gallagher missed several chances (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
However, as the clock approached 90 minutes, Chelsea looked the more likely winners, with Cole Palmer beating a Liverpool side that seemed to have lost its legs. It was at this point that Klopp made a decision that arguably no other elite manager would have made: leaving the fate of major trophies in the hands of unproven youngsters rather than retreating and attending with experience. Penalty shootout.
His selection turned the Carabao Cup final into a spiritual sequel to Chelsea’s bizarre 4-1 win over nine-man Tottenham Hotspur in November: a convincing victory in this case was the only thing that could Accept the consequences, otherwise it will bring utter shame. That night, Pochettino had to lead his team through a tense, aimless 20 minutes before they overcame their fear of looking ridiculous—the fear of being the ridiculed loser—and went on to win the game .
Klopp’s own “This is us, man” moment seemed to send Chelsea into a similar mental crisis at Wembley, which lasted for most of extra-time and was exacerbated by their declining energy levels. crisis. Chilwell, Disasi and Moises Caicedo performed pathetically in stoppage time, and at half-time they could all be seen slumped on the pitch, suffering from cramps.
Not losing has replaced winning as Chelsea’s priority. “The team started to feel that maybe penalties were good for us,” said Pochettino, who acknowledged that he and his group of players showed weaknesses in the fiery aftermath.
Pochettino’s expression sums up Chelsea’s mood (Getty Images)
The final determines the clubs, players and coaches against whom they compete. Klopp has lost his fair share over the years, but never through passivity, and an unwavering commitment to who Liverpool are, has triumphed at Wembley. In the final years of Roman Abramovich’s reign, Chelsea’s status as finalists began to slip. It was their seventh cup final defeat in their last eight visits to the National Stadium and their sixth defeat in a row.
Doubts about Pochettino’s ability to reverse this trend have only intensified. In five years at Tottenham, he built an impressive squad but fell just short of victory, and despite his public emphasis on the power of positivity, his nascent Chelsea side were languished by Klopp. Destroyed by the unparalleled mastery of psychodynamics.
At full strength, Liverpool were much better than Chelsea, but the reason they won the Carabao Cup final was not superior talent but superior mentality, combined with a clear sense of identity that linked the first team to the academy. —In other words, there are things in Boley and Clearlake that money can’t simply buy.
“They need to feel the pain,” Pochettino said of his Chelsea players. The pain of this teasing defeat will be difficult to shift and Neville’s cruel words will live on forever.
(Above: Pochettino’s changes were less effective than Klopp’s. Photo: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
