Chelsea FC's defeat at the hands of Liverpool FC at the Carabao Cup final on Sunday is being called "shameful" by the club's supporters. The latest setback has also fuelled calls for the management to sack manager Mauricio Pochettino amid Chelsea's disappointing results.
Liverpool fielded a young team due in part to their ongoing injury crisis, and Chelsea fans are livid that their team could not even get past what they deem as an "Under-21" squad. The Reds won by a narrow 1-0 margin after extra time c/o a goal from Virgil van Dijk, in a result that is being seen as extremely embarrassing for Chelsea fans.
The match ended in a goalless stalemate after 90 minutes and went into extra time. The possibility of a penalty shootout was already looming before Van Dijk headed the winning goal for Liverpool at the 118th minute. Prior to that, both he and Raheem Sterling had goals ruled out for either side.
In the end, Liverpool came out on top despite missing the likes of star striker Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold due to their respective injuries. Chelsea fans were quick to point out that even though it was Van Dijk who made the breakthrough, Jurgen Klopp's side had several teenagers out on the field including 18-year-old Jayden Danns, 19-year-old James McConnell and 19-year-old Bobby Clark.
Massive calls for Pochettino to be sacked
Following the bitter loss, the blame game has inevitably started and Pochettino is bearing the brunt of the fans' fury. Typical fan reactions included posts saying: Do you know why Pochettino deserves zero sympathy? He did this to himself. Every decision he's made he's done it to the detriment of the team. All of it is self inflicted."
He was also compared with previous Chelsea managers Frank Lampard and Graham Potter, who were both previously sacked after a string of disappointing results.
Another fan said: "That 120 minutes demonstrated to me why Pochettino doesn't win trophies. His judgement is off. His in-game management is non-existent and he coaches with fear and isn't a risk taker."
102 seconds on why Pochettino needs to go… pic.twitter.com/g3LB4zu8QD
— Alex Goldberg (@AlexGoldberg_) February 25, 2024
Chelsea's higher-ups are also being questioned
Stamford Bridge co-owner Todd Boehly was present at the Wembley Stadium and witnessed the heartbreaking loss himself. He made a massive investment in the club since taking over from Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, but he has certainly not been getting a return on that investment. Boehly may be hurting the most from the loss, but he did not escape criticism from the club's supporters either.
One claimed: "If Pochettino had been sacked as he should have been in December that final would have been won by us. That would have boosted the players and fans. Instead, the owners chose to keep the manager to save face."
Meanwhile, some fans decided to point out that while Pochettino may be blamed for some of his decisions and for failing to inspire the team, he was not entirely at fault. After all, it was not him who was missing opportunities and lacking in finishing skills. Some say that he is merely being used as a scapegoat to mask the players' shortcomings.
After the match, Pochettino spoke about the result and said that it's impossible to compare his "young team" with Liverpool even though the Reds also finished with a group of young players.
🔵 Pochettino: "We are a young team. Nothing to compare with Liverpool because they also finished with young players...".
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 25, 2024
"It's impossible to compare". pic.twitter.com/IMKp3oILjQ
Pochettino also admitted that his team was already focused on playing for penalties in the latter half of extra time, which enraged fans even more. Many are already calling for the return of recently unemployed Jose Mourinho, who led Chelsea's golden age across two stints in the Abramovich era.
Meanwhile, Chelsea are sitting in eleventh place in the Premier League table, making them an unattractive prospect from most managers seeking a job. However, a lucrative offer from Boehly may become convincing for a potential Pochettino replacement if he is indeed sacked at some point in the near future.
