Mauricio Pochettino stood up for his team in response to Gary Neville’s comments about Chelsea, emphasizing the difficulty of comparing them to Liverpool after their loss in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley.
Virgil van Dijk scored a crucial header from Kostas Tsimikas’ corner in the 118th minute to secure a 1-0 victory for Liverpool on Sunday. Jurgen Klopp’s team managed to win despite missing 11 key players due to injuries and fielding three teenagers, the most in a League Cup final since 2007.
Chelsea finished normal time with Conor Gallagher, Christopher Nkunku, and Cole Palmer missing late opportunities. However, they seemed to struggle in the extra 30-minute period. Neville, as a Sky Sports pundit, commented on the match.
The ex-Manchester United player made a comment about the total spending since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital acquired the Blues in May 2022.
Pochettino responded by stating that he did not hear the comments made but pointed out that the ages of the two groups are similar. Well, I have a solid connection with Gary, and I’m not sure how to handle this, but I value his viewpoint.
We made a few changes, like Gallagher and [Ben] Chilwell, in extra time, but it’s true we didn’t maintain the energy we had in the second half. This situation is hard to describe, but I am definitely proud of the players. Their effort was remarkable.
Our team is youthful and cannot be compared to Liverpool, who also finished with a few young players. There’s no way to make a comparison, and he’s aware of that. He is aware that the dynamics have changed significantly. It doesn’t seem fair to speak like that if he said that.
We will remain resilient and optimistic about this project’s potential moving forward.
Chelsea’s best opportunity for a trophy this season was the Carabao Cup, as they currently find themselves in 11th place in the Premier League after 25 matches under Pochettino. They are currently still in the FA Cup and will face Leeds United in a fifth-round match on Wednesday.