Wembley This Sunday from 12 in Argentina (ESPN) will be the scene of a “special” League Cup final for the Liverpool From Alexis MacAllister and his outgoing coach Jurgen Kloppdecimated by a wave of injuries, and crucial to the Chelsea From Enzo Fernandezeager to save the first season of Maurizio Pochettinowith Europe in the spotlight.
A tide of red and blue invades the iconic north London stadium for a duel between two great English teams, even if the path and recent history of both clubs is very different.
In this final, Liverpool comes close to winning their first title of the season, which may not be their last: the current Premier League leaders dream of ending the Klopp era and are also still in the running for the FA Cup and the Europa League.
“It’s a special match. Special matches require a special performance, so we have to focus on that,” summed up the German coach’s on-field assistant, Pep Lijnders.
Same mentality as the Dutch captain Virgil van Dijk: “The end of the season will certainly leave us with many emotions, also for the coach, but we are not there yet.”
Since Klopp’s surprise announcement, the Reds have continued their unstoppable progress with five wins and 21 goals scored in six games, despite a number of injuries.
They arrive at Wembley without Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson Becker, defenders Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joel Matip and midfielders Curtis Jones, Thiago Alcántara and Stefan Bajcetic. Still in doubt are the Hungarian Dominik Szoboszlai, the Uruguayan Darwin Núñez and the top scorer Mohamed Salah, absent on Wednesday against Luton (4-1) in the Premier League.
Against the ‘Hatters’, Klopp fielded Harvey Elliott, Conor Bradley and Jarell Quansah, none of them over 21, and signed three players aged 19 or younger: James McConnell, Bobby Clark and Jayden Danns.
“I think they underestimate our team and our personalities,” Lijnders told reporters Friday. “A lot of these guys haven’t won anything with Liverpool yet, so obviously they give everything they have, even though the manager has announced that he’s leaving.”
Chelsea have also rejuvenated themselves, but voluntarily and spectacularly, in the long term, and on the basis of the checkbook of American co-owner Todd Boehly, who has paid more than £1,000m in transfers since the departure of Russian Roman Abramovich in 2022 . .
So far the strategy has proved unsuccessful. After a first season without qualifying for Europe, Pochettino arrived at Stamford Bridge to unlock the sleeping giant, whose last domestic title dates back to 2018 (FA Cup).
Yet, the Blues They occupy 10th position in the Premier League after 25 matchdays, twelve points behind Tottenham, whose 5th position qualifies for the Europa League at the end of the season.
The League Cup, for its part, offers a ticket to the Conference League playoffs, a consolation in case of failure to qualify for continental competitions via the Premier League.
For Pochettino it is also the opportunity to win his first title in England, after failing to obtain it as Tottenham coach (2014-2019). With the 2019 Champions League against Klopp’s Liverpool.
“Some fans will say that you are no good if you don’t win. For me this is not the way to evaluate a coaching staff,” said the Argentine coach, for whom lifting the trophy is not as important as laying the foundations for a game solid.
“Klopp was good before he came to Liverpool” in October 2015, but didn’t win anything “for three or four years,” he recalls. “He now he has won the Champions League and the Premier League.”
The German’s last two titles were exactly a double of domestic cups in 2022. Both finals against Chelsea were decided on penalties, after both 0-0 draws.
Source: agencies
Source: Clarin
Jason Root is the go-to source for sports coverage at News Rebeat. With a passion for athletics and an in-depth knowledge of the latest sports trends, Jason provides comprehensive and engaging analysis of the world of sports.