The horrible thing Pochettino did to Todd Boehly after Chelsea Carabao defeat to Liverpool
For Mauricio Pochettino and Chelsea there has never been a more damning indictment of the total inefficiency of the club over nearly two years. As Liverpool’s side, made up primarily of academy players or rotation options, secured a third successive domestic cup win over the Blues, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital co-owner Behdad Eghbali were left to watch on as their grand vision went up in smoke.
Chelsea’s side was younger on average than their opponents during a 1-0 Carabao Cup final loss, but the cost of the squad, and even the levels of experience within it, were a long way ahead of what Jurgen Klopp had to offer. Even the relative lack of top-level game time for Noni Madueke and Mykhailo Mudryk – who came off the bench in the second half – is no foil for failing to overcome a Reds side including teenagers James McConnell, Bobby Clark, and Jayden Danns.
The ploy to sign young players across the planet in the hope of seeing them develop into world-beaters was well and truly shown up at Wembley, where trust in homegrown talents did the job for Liverpool. Pochettino, as the man in charge, ultimately carries the can.
He is the one who will have to answer to Boehly and Eghbali. He is the one that fans are now calling for to be sacked (again). Whether it was poor coaching, poor recruitment, or both, that lead to this stage and the public humiliation of wastefulness, is beside the point that Chelsea’s grand project has fallen short at a hurdle that many claim is lower than ever.
The Carabao Cup was seen as a way of biding time, showing progression, and giving the fans reason to be positive moving forward. It would not of been justification for the outlandish moves made by the club in past 18 months, but it would have been a step in the direction, a possible catalyst to build from. The manner of the defeat on Sunday has only heightened the pressure on everyone involved.
It was telling, therefore, that after Pochettino had collected his runners-up medal – this was the second time he had failed to win in the League Cup final having lost to Chelsea as Tottenham boss in 2015 – he was greeted by Boehly and Eghbali. A brief glance at the latter was followed by a quick handshake on the way through the Wembley box.
Pochettino has only ever spoken glowingly of the ownership group and the sporting directors, unsurprisingly so, but he has also not steered clear of pointing out the holes left in his squad despite such vast commitments towards transfer spending. It is likely nothing too much to read into, but from the outside it looks like evidence of the disconnect throughout the club.
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