- Chelsea boss has again responded to criticism leveled at his side by Gary Neville
- The Blues are famously unable to win the Carabao Cup on Sunday
- Chelsea were cowardly to play for penalties. Liverpool have a case, Mauricio Pochettino’s side are soulless – Listen to the It’s all Kicking Off podcast
Mauricio Pochettino believes Gary Neville’s scathing comment during the Carabao Cup final was ‘unfair’ as he again snaps back at the former Manchester United defender.
The Chelsea boss has endured days of harsh criticism after his side suffered a 1-0 defeat to Jurgen Klopp’s depleted and inexperienced side.
Reds captain Virgil van Dijk headed in the winner late in extra time, prompting Neville to comment on Pochettino’s side for squandering a golden opportunity to win silverware after their unprecedented transfer spending over the past two years.
The former Tottenham boss, who is still waiting for his first major trophy in English football, addressed Neville’s comments in his post-match interview on Sunday but was much more detailed in his response ahead of the FA fifth round Blues Cup match against Leeds.
Pochettino said he maintains a good relationship with the former Manchester United defender, but still feels his team’s assessment was harsh given the number of quality chances they had in the match.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side had five big chances in Sunday’s match as he waited for his first trophy in English football
Gary Neville branded Chelsea ‘billion pound bottle jobs’ after they failed to capitalize on their superiority and lost the Carabao Cup final to a much-changed Liverpool
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“We have to put it all in context.” That’s what the Argentinian boss said. ‘I always respect the opinion of every expert.
“Gary, I have a very good relationship with him. Sometimes it can be unfair in my opinion and then I think it is unfair.
‘After ninety minutes we were the better team and we deserved the win. We weren’t clinical enough and you always need a bit of luck to score the goal and win the game. If we won the game after 90 minutes, everyone would be talking in a different way today.”
Chelsea were indeed the better side in regular time at Wembley and missed a number of big chances as Jurgen Klopp’s much-changed side struggled to gain a foothold as the match progressed.
Chelsea had to deal with Liverpool deep into extra time in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday
The Blues have drawn the ire of the pundits for their performance in extra time, following their dominance just minutes earlier and the large number of under-23 players on the pitch for their opponents.
Chelsea were hoping to win their first piece of gold since taking over Boehly-Clearlake in 2022, a win that would also have secured European qualification for next season. Instead, they have the daunting task of taking on an in-form Leeds in their only remaining chance of claiming a title this season.