Mauricio Pochettino put on a brave face for the media after watching his Chelsea team fall to a painful defeat at Wembley versus Liverpool. The Blues lost the Carabao Cup final 1-0 thanks to a late Virgil van Dijk header.
The Reds captain headed past Djordje Petrovic, sending half of Wembley into a frenzy. But it was another heartbreaking final in the capital for Chelsea, who became the first team in English football history to lose six consecutive domestic cup finals.
As you might imagine, Pochettino looked very gloomy in the press conference room at Wembley. Here are all the words the Argentine had to say.
How important were those chances at the end of the second half?
“I think so. That was the key. Today we had four, five, six big chances, I don’t know, but we didn’t score. And in a game like today, in a final, you have to score first. That would probably be a big advantage.
“Then we conceded a goal at the last minute and it was difficult to react. Yes, the final is the final. We’re going to win. We’re not going to talk too much and turn back.”
What do you say to the players? How do I pick it up?
“Nothing, nothing. No. They are professional, very competitive and now we need to move forward, but they need to feel the pain. We play for trophies and But I didn’t get it, and it’s still the same. Nothing.” Tell me it makes you feel better.
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“They need to feel the pain just like we do. And of course to realize that we need to try harder and do better and improve. “To compete at this level with teams,” he said, “you’re competing for things.”
“First of all, we’re trying to get here and feel what it means to play for big trophies. Three or four years later, we’ve seen Liverpool lose the Champions League and lose the Europa League. I remember, they believed in this project and next season.” They were stronger until they got what they wanted.
“That’s a good example, Liverpool, if we want to challenge teams like Liverpool, we don’t need to be frustrated today just because we didn’t get the trophy. Let’s lead by example to keep believing. That’s the most important thing.” ”
Did you expect a little more from your players in extra time?
“Of course it was difficult. Of course, a little bit of experience and leadership on the pitch always helps, but of course it’s frustrating after that because at the end of the 90 minutes we were so close to winning the game. The players feel disappointed and so do we.” We lose a little bit of energy.
“Some players like Gallagher and Chilly are starting to get really tired and maybe we need to bring on another player to support them. I think Chilwell needs to be replaced, the team is starting to feel that maybe a penalty will be good for us.
“But we can’t blame them, we can’t say anything. I think the effort was great. I’m happy with the effort. From now on, we just have to keep believing in it. I didn’t get the rewards I had, but I’m moving forward now.”
What were your emotions?
“My feelings, I feel the same way as the players. If you ask the players how they feel, I feel the same way. It’s very disappointing, it’s very painful. I’m older and the title They are younger than me and certainly have time.
“In football, it’s important when you have the chance. When you get to the final, it’s good to challenge the opposition. But when you don’t get what you want, you lose all the effort you’ve put in. Your efforts will be in vain.” Seven or eight months are hard, hard to manage, hard to deal with.
“We’re competitive. If we want to win, we need to move forward. I think we need to train tomorrow and recover for Wednesday.”
What do you think about Gary Neville accusing players of ‘bottling up’?
“I haven’t heard what he said, but if you compare the ages of the two groups, I think they’re similar. Look, me and Gary have a good relationship. How should I take his opinion? I don’t know, but I respect his opinion.
“Obviously we made some changes, including bringing on Gallagher and Chilwell in extra time. We certainly couldn’t maintain the energy that we had at the end of the second half. I mean, I don’t know how to explain it.”But. Certainly I’m proud of the players. They put in a lot of effort.
“We are a young team. There is nothing to compare with Liverpool because they also finished with young players. It is impossible to compare and he knows that the dynamics are completely different. Today we were playing Liverpool and Chelsea, Chelsea and Liverpool, and I don’t think it’s fair to talk like this.
“We will be strong, believe in this project and think about what we can do in the future.”