"He's one of the best" Pochettino's ironic praise for Klopp ahead of the final

The Chelsea manager gave a press conference before the Carabao Cup clash.

23/02/2024, 01:33 PM +00:00

In just 48 hours Liverpool and Chelsea will play their first final of the season, seeking to win the Carabao Cup title. The decisive match will be played on Sunday at Wembley Stadium, where fans of both clubs will fill the stands in the hope of becoming champions again. But the challenge will be different for each: The Blues will have perhaps their only chance to win a title this season, while for the Reds it is one of four opportunities.

However, no one wants to give their rivals any advantage. And that is not just limited to tactics and strategy, but also to pressure management and even superstition. A few days ago Jürgen Klopp claimed that Liverpool are underdogs in this final and now Mauricio Pochettino had an answer for him.

The Chelsea coach gave a press conference this Friday, was asked about the German manager's opinion and said: "He's one of the best, with Pep, coaches in the world. He's clever enough. He knows that when you play a final, circumstances can happen. If they are not favourites, we are not favourites. They have experience to compete like a team, be involved in different finals. For some of us, it's maybe their first final. He is clever enough".

The Argentine coach then spoke about the last match between the two teams, the Reds' 4-1 win at Anfield Road on January 31: "It's true this is different. It's never the same approach playing in the Premier League and in the final. You always learn from the games you play, too many things. Of course we arrive in this game with different circumstances and it is difficult to compare and say that it will have influence in the games that we played in the past".

Will history repeat itself?

Just two years ago Liverpool and Chelsea met in the Carabao Cup final. At the time, Klopp's side claimed victory (and the title) after a 0-0 draw and an 11-10 penalty shootout win. That was the last title for The Reds, while The Blues have not been champions of this tournament since 2015.