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LONDON – After nine years of waiting, Mauricio Pochettino has shaken off the desire to reach a cup final in England. But play in the next month Carabao Cup end will not be enough for him Chelsea head coach, he has to win it.
Chelsea emphatic 6-1 victory in the second leg of the semifinals against Middlesbrough at Stamford Bridge confirmed the Blues’ first Carabao Cup final since losing to Liverpool in 2022. Jurgen Klopp’s team will be their rival again on February 25 if they win Fulham in Wednesday’s second leg at Craven Cottage. Liverpool 2-1 lead from the first leg. But although Chelsea have been a regular in cup finals in both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup In recent years, Pochettino’s failure to achieve similar success during his five and a half years at Tottenham has always worked against him.
Aside from a Carabao Cup final defeat against José Mourinho’s Chelsea in 2015, followed by a UEFA Champions League Final defeat at the hands of Liverpool in Madrid four years later, Pochettino has a miserable record in knockout competitions, leaving aside his only French Cup title with Paris Saint Germain in 2021.
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In TottenhamPochettino rarely gave the impression that he took the domestic cups seriously. His response to the accusation that he was not very committed to either cup was that the priority for Spurs was to qualify for the Champions League, either by winning or finishing top. first division first four. So six Carabao Cup attempts with Spurs resulted in just one final, defeat against Chelsea, while the best of five FA Cup campaigns were two semi-final losses.
Pochettino was able to choose his priorities at Tottenham because the club did not have the resources, financial or squad, to challenge on four fronts, but that is not the case at Chelsea.
Since being transformed by Roman Abramovich’s money following the Russian oligarch’s takeover in 2003, Chelsea have been serious contenders in all competitions and have won them all more than once in the last 20 years. Abramovich’s departure as owner in 2022, following the freezing of his assets by the UK government as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, marked a change of ownership, but the rules of engagement have not changed under the new American owners from Chelsea.
The club still demands success. But at times since Abramovich’s sale was completed in May 2022, Chelsea have seemed a million miles from success. Pochettino is their fourth manager in that time and they have spent £910m on 25 new players; even more have left the club.
Chelsea still look unlikely to win a trophy because Pochettino’s young team is still in a developing stage, but they are slowly improving and becoming more consistent. This victory was the fifth in six games in all competitions and Raheem Sterling, Enzo Fernandez and Cole Palmer He once again produced great performances as Chelsea cruised to victory.
Sterling created three goals in the first half, Palmer scored twice and Fernandez embellished a dominant performance with a goal of his own. TO Johnny Howson own goal and one each Axel Disasi and Noni Madueke completed Chelsea’s rout before Morgan Rogers scored the consolation for Boro in the 88th minute. So after so much upheaval and chaos at Chelsea, even during Pochettino’s six months in charge, the gray clouds are beginning to clear, and there is no better way to mark progress than winning an important trophy.
But that perhaps applies more to Pochettino than to Chelsea. Yes, Chelsea always want to win, but Pochettino needs to justify his status as one of the best managers in football by winning titles. And just like producing interesting young teams, like he did at the Spurs and Southampton before that, it is not enough if the final result does not result in a trophy.
If Chelsea face London neighbors Fulham at Wembley next month, they will be heavy favorites to win, but Pochettino’s team will not be the favorites if their opponents are Liverpool. However, only city of manchester They have won more trophies than Chelsea in the last 10 years, so no matter who Pochettino’s team face at Wembley, they will do so with the expectation that comes with all the top clubs.
They have the talent within their team; trophy-winning experience in the form of Sterling, Palmer and Thiago Silva; and a coach with something to prove. This Chelsea team is nowhere near the finished article, but they are now just one win away from winning a trophy, and that’s a good place for both the team and Pochettino so soon after his arrival at the club last summer .
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