Chelsea players are upset as Liverpool celebrate at the final whistle at Wembley. Photo: Getty Images/Robbie J Barratt
It will take Chelsea some time to shake off the «billion pound blue chips» tag that Gary Neville has bestowed upon them — however unfair Mauricio Pochettino may think it is.
Chelsea missed the best chance they had for some time to end the club's final Wembley curse, with head coach Pochettino still waiting for his first trophy in England.
Much has been said about the average age of Chelsea's young squad, but at Wembley it was Jurgen Klopp's children who passed the test of character.
Wembley has now been held six times in a row. a final which Chelsea lost, the latter watched by co-owners Behdad Eghbali and Todd Boehli, who spent more than £1 billion on Pochettino's team.
Neville was generally straightforward in his assessment on Sky Sports , saying: “In extra time, Klopp’s kids were up against Blues who were worth billions of pounds. As for Chelsea, I have no sympathy for them.
“Mauricio Pochettino's players have shrunk. They shrank right in front of us and in front of their fans.»
When asked about the label Neville gave his team, Pochettino replied: «I didn't hear what he said, but if you compare the ages two groups, I think it's similar. I have a good relationship with Gary. I respect his opinion.
“Of course we made a few changes, such as [Conor] Gallagher and [Ben] Chilwell in extra time, but it is true that we did not maintain the energy as we finished the second half.
p>“But I'm proud of the players, they put in a lot of effort. We are a young team and we have nothing to compare Liverpool to because they finished with several young players. He knows the dynamics are completely different. I think it's unfair to say that.»
Pochettino said his players must now «feel the pain» of this final defeat and prove they can come again, but there was little evidence at Wembley that they have enough strength to do this.
Caicedo and Fernandez disappeared
Chelsea's £220m central midfielder Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez simply disappeared in extra time when they should have been leading the game.
Caicedo rejects Liverpool's move to Chelsea, but it's the man , who the Reds signed for £100m less, Endo Wataru, kept his composure on the big stage. Caicedo could well have been sent off in the first half for a challenge that forced Ryan Gravenberch out of the game and making too many catches.
Fernandez — I remember, a World Cup winner with Argentina — offered almost nothing in defense and simply ran out of steam.
Axel Disasi, so good in the match with Manchester City, looked like Bambi on almost the first minute ice. Three times he gave Liverpool chances and three times he got away with it.
Given how poorly he played, the centre-back had the opportunity to give Mikhail Mudryk a stunning finish after Virgil van Dijk's winning header. Of course, Mudryk could have done more, but management takes responsibility — as Van Dijk demonstrated — rather than blaming others.
Every time Klopp abandoned another child, Chelsea seemed to feel that the burden of pressure on their shoulders is increasing. and they fell apart. It's worrying that Pochettino admitted that his side went to penalties when in fact Liverpool should have held on.
«The players were disappointed because after 90 minutes they were so close to winning,» he said. “They started to lose energy, some started to feel very, very tired.
We needed to replace Gallagher and Chilwell, and the team began to feel that penalties would benefit us. I can't blame or say anything, I think the effort was huge. I'm happy with the effort. Now we need to feel the pain and keep moving.”
The only two Chelsea players to emerge from the final with any real merit were goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, who made an incredible save from Harvey Elliott, and Levi Colville, who made one outstanding block.
Conor Gallagher played well. in midfield, but he will remember the final for the chances he missed, and Raheem Sterling may be wondering what would have happened if his goal hadn't been disallowed.
But, no matter how harsh, were his words, Essentially, Neville was right. Chelsea ruined everything.
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