POCHETTINO: WE’LL GO IN FOR THE KYL AT WEMBLEY
MAURICIO POCHETTINO has joked that he is going into tomorrow’s Carabao Cup final without his lucky mascot.
Former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel once jokingly claimed it was his lucky shoes which helped the Blues win the Champions League. But asked whether he had picked up anything lucky from his three trophy wins with Paris Saint-Germain, Pochettino quipped: “Yes – Mbappe!”
France star Kylian Mbappe will not be available to him this time and Pochettino was having none of it when asked about opposite number Jurgen Klopp’s cheeky claim that Liverpool are not favourites.
But the Blues boss insisted that it is players, not managers, who win you the big prizes in cup finals and he has complete trust in his men.
Pochettino said: “Finals are about players. They are the most important part of the game. We (the managers) are not important. You need to have the players in the best condition, with full energy and the capacity to compete. For Chelsea to be there given the circumstances is a massive achievement. A lot of good teams are not going to be there Sunday.”
Liverpool may be complaining about injuries ahead of their Wembley showdown but their opponents seem to have struggled with an injury crisis all season.
And while Klopp (left) claims the Merseyside giants are not favourites to win, they are 25 points ahead of Chelsea in the league. Pochettino said: “He is one of the best coaches in the world and he is clever enough. Liverpool are favourites because after eight years under him they have experience and have been competing in finals.
“For some of our players it is maybe their first final. Are Liverpool favourites? For sure. And he knows it.”
Chelsea followed up their 4-1 spanking by Liverpool at Anfield on January 31 with a 4-2 home defeat by Wolves which left Pochettino’s job hanging by a thread. But he claims it helped spark a mini-revival with the Blues unbeaten since, beating Aston Villa and Crystal Palace and drawing at Manchester City.
Pochettino said: “You learn from the games that you play. In the last few weeks we have learned a lot. We will arrive at Wembley in very good condition.
“Beating these teams has given us some confidence and some trust. The team is awake now. Something was missing in the first part of the season but now the team is improving.
“In the last three games we have competed really well. When you experience some moments you need to wake up.
“It was a positive moment after Liverpool – a completely unfair result. But maybe that was good for us, to feel the pain, to have a negative situation against us and to find the way to compete better and be stronger. You can see now on the pitch. Communication is much better. We are ready.”
Liverpool are evens favourite to win inside 90 minutes. Chelsea are 2-1 and the draw 13-5. The Mersey men are 4-6 to lift the trophy, in 90 minutes or after extra-time/penalties.