Chelsea’s billion-pound project continues with many doubts،
LONDON — Chelsea's billion-pound project aimed to acquire the world's best young talent, but they were beaten at Wembley by a Liverpool team full of academy graduates.
Sunday's defeat in the Carabao Cup final leaves co-owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital facing the real prospect of reaching their second anniversary in May without any trophies – or even qualification for European football – to validate a methodology that, according to them, would revolutionize English football.
The FA Cup offers another route to success, but that tightrope is already in sight with Wednesday's upcoming Fifth Round home game against Leeds United. Chelsea are pursuing, the owners insist, a long-term strategy aimed at creating a permanent place among challengers for the game's biggest prizes. And it could yet succeed.
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But as manager Mauricio Pochettino stood motionless on the touchline when the full-time whistle blew, a picture of contemplative isolation against a blurred backdrop of Liverpool red celebration behind him, it was hard to escape to the conclusion that the pressure on Chelsea's manager will only mount after an afternoon like this.
“THE [players] I need to feel the pain,” Pochettino said. “We played for a trophy that we didn't get and now it's the same, what can you tell me to make me feel better? Nothing. They need to feel the pain like us and of course they need to realize that we need to work harder, do better things, we need to improve.
“To compete at this level with this team that over the last five, six, seven years has competed for big things, he's about to get here and then feel what it means to play for a big trophy . I remember after three or four years at Liverpool, they lost the Champions League, the Europa League, they continue to believe and move the project forward [forward] and work harder on next season until they get what they wanted.
“It's a good example. If we want to challenge a team like Liverpool, we must not be frustrated today because we did not win the trophy. We must take the example in which we must continue to believe. “
They currently appear far from emulating Liverpool's success under Jurgen Klopp. In the same way that a victory would have offered the Blues tangible proof of progress, a defeat will cast new doubt on the chances that this expensive group to put together will one day achieve the objectives it has set for itself.
It was a game of fine margins. Raheem Sterling's first-half strike was ruled out following an extremely close offside against Nicolas Jackson in the build-up. Virgil van Dijk thought he had scored from a free-kick on the hour mark only for Wataru Endo to be ruled offside during the VAR review. Caoimhin Kelleher made a series of excellent saves, first to deny Cole Palmer from close range before denying Conor Gallagher later, shortly after the England midfielder had hit the post. At the end of normal time, in Chelsea's most threatening period, Kelleher superbly succeeded in repelling Palmer then Christopher Nkunku in quick succession.
Harvey Elliott hit the woodwork at the other end before Van Dijk's header won it two minutes from the end of extra time. Gallagher was Chelsea's best player, but will perhaps regret those missed opportunities more than most. Chelsea finished with an expected goals figure of 2.4 to Liverpool's 1.82, meaning this can rank alongside several other games this season where Chelsea failed to take their chances and then went on to been punished at the other end.
The problem for Pochettino now is twofold: firstly, that this continues to happen, and secondly, that it happened here against a Liverpool team who were missing 11 first-team players and were left with the highest number of teenagers (three) to participate in a League Cup final since 2007. While Klopp had to introduce Bobby Clark, James McConnell and Jayden Danns – before starting Jarell Quansah in extra time – Pochettino could call on Mykhailo Mudryk, Noni Madueke , Nkunku and Trevoh Chalobah.
Chalobah is a local product, but the other three cost £170 million alone. Chelsea have suffered badly from injuries this season and Pochettino's ability to impose an identity has been severely hampered by his inability to keep the core group fit for prolonged periods. But Liverpool were reduced to nothing here and still had enough to see them go.
Pochettino, naturally, will point to the much longer period Klopp had to work with his players, establishing a clear style that made it easier to assimilate academy products. But Pochettino will ultimately be judged on how effectively he manages to transform these highly regarded individuals into a team capable of winning trophies.
In commentary for Sky Sports, Gary Neville described Chelsea's wilting in extra time as a “job”.
“I didn’t hear what he said but if we compare the ages of the two groups, I think it’s similar,” Pochettino replied. It's surely not quite the defense Pochettino has in mind, however, given that one profile is the product of an injury-decimated team and the other was chosen on purpose at a phenomenal financial outlay.
“We are a young team and nothing to compare with Liverpool because they also finished with some young players,” Pochettino continued. “It's impossible to compare and he knows that. He knows the dynamics are completely different. But we're going to stay strong and believe in this project and see what we can do in the future.”
There is widespread sympathy for the predicament Pochettino has found himself in, but he needs short-term results to back up the argument that the bigger picture is falling into place.
Instead, Chelsea got an unwanted piece of history, becoming the first team to lose six successive FA Cup finals. Losing here also means Chelsea still have to sweat to qualify for Europe next season, as the winners are guaranteed a place in the UEFA Europa Conference League qualifiers.
Wednesday's match has taken on considerable significance as the rush to progress into the top half of the Premier League continues. Winning with kids is possible and if Liverpool do it, more questions will arise if Pochettino doesn't start doing the same soon.
