When the ambition is to build a dynasty there is little point in reading too much into the outcome of one game. At Chelsea, where preparations for the first men’s final under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital are almost over, they know that it is too soon to get carried away. Nobody, not even an ownership that has received so much criticism since arriving in English football, will fall into the trap of thinking that the job has been completed if Mauricio Pochettino’s side beat Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.
Equally there will be people within Stamford Bridge claiming some form of vindication if Chelsea see the first tangible return on Boehly’s and Clearlake’s investment in the squad during the past two years. The mockery has not gone unnoticed. Schadenfreude is the best way of describing the reaction to Chelsea sliding into mid-table obscurity under owners who have employed five managers and spent about £1bn on signings in three transfer windows.
