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Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino has, on Tuesday, clarified his post-match comments after the Blues’ Carabao Cup defeat against Liverpool.
Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino has hit back at claims that the Blues played for penalties in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final loss to Liverpool. Speaking on Tuesday, the former Argentina midfielder asserted that his remarks on Sunday were misrepresented.
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09:44 - 26.02.2024
Sack Pochettino now - Frustrated Chelsea fans beg after disappointing show against Liverpool kids
Liverpool kids beat Chelsea to overcome a spate of injuries and secure their 10th EFL Cup title in a thrilling encounter.
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23:41 - 25.02.2024
3 mistakes Pochettino made in Chelsea's Carabao Cup defeat to Liverpool
Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea fell to defeat in the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool, despite fielding the stronger starting XI.
What did Pochettino say after Chelsea’s Carabao Cup final loss?
Following Chelsea’s 1-0 loss to Jurgen Klopp’s men, the Blues trainer made comments that drew the ire of several fans and pundits.
"The players started to lose their energy,” admitted Pochettino after the defeat. “[Ben Chilwell] Chilly felt really, really tired. [Conor] Gallagher, after five minutes, we needed to change. The team felt maybe penalties would be good for us. The effort was massive.”
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What Pochettino said to explain misrepresented comments
That admission provoked disapproval of the former Tottenham Hotspur boss’ mentality, but the Chelsea head coach has fired back, stating that those words were taken out of context.
“We never set the team to go for penalties. Come on.,” Pochettino retorted. “We go to win in 90 minutes or extra time. Before extra-time and half-time of extra-time, we said: "come on, we need to go”. That's why we put offensive players on to win the game.
“We were not clinical enough. You always need some luck to score and win the game. If we won in 90 minutes, maybe people would talk in a different way...”
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What comes next for Pochettino and Chelsea?
The Chelsea boss seeks a response to that loss in the West London club’s FA Cup fifth-round clash with age-old rivals Leeds United on Wednesday, with the domestic cup competition representing the Blues’ only remaining chance at avoiding a second straight season without a trophy.
Afterwards, Pochettino’s men take on Brentford in a West London derby on Saturday, before facing Newcastle United and Arsenal before March’s international break.
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