In May 1988 Mauricio Pochettino was a 16-year-old youth-team player at Newell’s Old Boys in Argentina and Michael Carrick, although still only six, had been kicking footballs at Wallsend Boys Club for two years. Fast forward and the pair are preparing for technical-area tactical combat at Stamford Bridge, where Pochettino’s Chelsea will kick off Tuesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg trailing Carrick’s Middlesbrough 1-0.
Much may hinge on whether the visiting right-winger Isaiah Jones passes a late test on a strained hamstring and is able to attempt to reprise his man-of-the-match performance at the Riverside two weeks ago. Although the Championship side remain underdogs, Boro fans of a certain age remember the last time they visited Chelsea for a pivotal second-leg fixture with the home side cast as firm favourites.
