Mauricio Pochettino was speaking to the Chelsea official site ahead of tomorrow’s Carabao Cup final game against Liverpool, and the coach was asked to summarise his side’s route to the final so far.
He explained that it had been his intention to play a strong team and really make the most of this tournament, which other teams often look to get out of as early as possible to allow them to focus on other competitions.
“I think we were very competitive. I think we were very focused on the competition. I think we took every single game very seriously,” the coach said.
🇦🇷 Mauricio previews the #CarabaoCupFinal! 🗣️#CFC pic.twitter.com/01tGaeP2Nq
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 24, 2024
There’s no doubting that. Pochettino pretty much played his strongest team in every round.
That’s one of the luxuries of not being in any form of European competition we suppose. The manager quite clearly targeted this competition, and while plenty of fans would rather have seen some younger players and academy products used along the way, you can’t argue with the results.
If we go out and win it, the whole plan has been a huge success, but we don’t need to lift the trophy to vindicate the coach’s strategy. Wins in this competition raised the mood and created belief in the team at vital moments.
