Mauricio Pochettino insists Chelsea’s League Cup last with Liverpool is about making ‘history’ not taking ‘revenge’.
The Blues boss has by no means gained a trophy as a supervisor in England, having misplaced the 2016 League Cup last and 2019 Champions League last on the Tottenham helm. The latter of these defeats, in fact, got here by the hands of Jurgen Klopp ’s Liverpool when a hotly-disputed penalty led to a 2-0 defeat for the North Londoners.
Chelsea, in the meantime, have equally painful latest recollections towards Klopp’s Reds after dropping to them in each the FA Cup and League Cup last in 2021-22 – through penalty shoot-outs. And solely final month Poch’s Blues had been hammered 4-1 by the Merseysiders within the league.
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Yet despite the long list of heartache, the Argentine coach is adamant that neither he nor his players view this afternoon as some sort of grudge showdown. Forget retribution and redemption for past blows, he is concerned only that Chelsea’s younger class of 2024 ink their names into the report books for the primary time.
Poch, who did win the league and cup in France as Paris Saint-Germain supremo, declared: “No, this isn’t a sport that’s private or about Klopp or, us taking revenge on Liverpool. It’s not revenge.
“It’s about us figuring out that in entrance of us we have now the chance to jot down historical past – to win a trophy. That’s all our motivation.
(Image: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
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“We love to compete with the best. And Liverpool, as a club, and Klopp and their players are amazing.”
Poch, 51, is aware of higher than most what bagging a winner’s medal early in your enjoying days can do.. He reckons his successes as an adolescent in Argentina with a Newell’s Old Boys altered his profession as he spent the following decade in Europe with the likes of PSG and Espanyol.
And he believes for these Chelsea stars, both raised within the Academy or who arrived for large cash however are inexperienced, victory right this moment can present an analogous springboard. The former Argentina centre-half recalled: “It modified me and my profession. It adjustments how folks understand you and your perception.
“Since the beginning we’ve been speaking in regards to the mentality of this membership and needing a workforce to match it. Winning titles will probably be a great way to reach at this.
“We’re going to build their careers and our careers by winning trophies. A final is about winning. Being second is the worst thing in the world.”
When thrashed at Anfield last month and then thumped by Wolves, nobody gave the Blues a hope of upsetting Klopp’s quadruple-chasers in the Carabao Cup final. But since the Londoners are three games unbeaten – and last Saturday held Manchester City at the Etihad, with a new-found resilience and team spirit clearly evident.
Poch added: “Things are changing. You didn’t see from the beginning of the season this type of behaviour – to celebrate a block all together, to encourage each other. That’s the process of all new teams – to build this competitive spirit.
“It’s an excellent signal. That’s when as a training employees you begin to really feel, ‘we’re in a great way’.”