Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has confessed to being on the brink of tears following his team’s loss to Liverpool in the League Cup final. Despite a valiant effort, Chelsea fell short against Jürgen Klopp’s side, leaving Pochettino visibly emotional.
With Chelsea struggling to find their rhythm under his leadership, the defeat in the League Cup final intensified the pressure on Pochettino. Winning the trophy would have alleviated some of that pressure, but their inability to convert chances and Liverpool’s goalkeeper heroics dashed their hopes.
Reflecting on the heartbreaking loss, Pochettino revealed how close he was to breaking down, only finding solace in the support from owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali.
“When I went up the steps at Wembley, I was so upset. Nearly crying. When I arrived there, it was so difficult to stop myself. I feel the support from them. I cannot lie to you,” Pochettino shared, as quoted by The Mirror.
While Pochettino acknowledged the disappointment of falling short in the League Cup, he emphasized that the club’s ambitions extend beyond just one trophy. He maintained that Chelsea’s objective remains winning various competitions, including the FA Cup and the Premier League.
“We want to win the Carabao Cup. We want to win the FA Cup. We want to win the Premier League. Now it’s tough. It’s the reality but before the start of the season it was always the objective,” he reiterated.
Addressing speculation about his job security, Pochettino dismissed the notion that qualifying for European football is a decisive factor. He clarified that such criteria did not come from the club’s sporting directors or owners.
“From who? From the sporting directors and the owners? No. I don’t remember, I don’t,” Pochettino responded when asked about qualifying for European competitions.
Pochettino stressed the importance of maintaining faith in Chelsea’s long-term project, drawing parallels to Liverpool’s journey under Klopp. He emphasized the need for patience and trust in the process, acknowledging that success takes time.
“We are starting to build something but it’s not three points. We are always going to need time. That is why Chelsea is different and we have to accept that,” he explained. “When we decided to come here, no one put the gun to our head and said: ‘You need to sign here.’
But now it is not in my hands. We have a very good relationship with the owners and with the sporting directors. It is up to them to trust or not,” he concluded.
Despite significant investment in the squad following Clearlake Capital’s takeover, Chelsea’s on-field results have not matched their financial backing. Pochettino faces mounting pressure to turn things around as Chelsea aim to translate their resources into tangible success on the pitch.
