Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has revealed the mindset of his players before their Carabao Cup Final against Liverpool in February.
The Blues ended up losing the game 1-0 after Virgil van Dijk scored to break their hearts in the 118th minute of extra-time.
Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino’s comments
Pochettino sounded optimistic ahead of Chelsea’s FA Cup quarter-final clash against Leicester City.
Speaking about the importance of the game, the Argentine mentioned how much winning against the Foxes would mean.
“For us, to again beat Leicester, in our private room in the dressing room and training ground would be massive.”
He then revealed some of his young players could not get a full night’s sleep ahead of their final against Liverpool last month.
“To have another game to play for this young team in Wembley again. Between you and me, some players didn’t sleep before the Carabao Cup final.
“It’s only about being more experienced and living these experiences to be better. We learn through experience, positive and negative, more with negative because of the pain. And, of course, for sure, to again play at Wembley, it will feel different.”
Chelsea have done well in the FA Cup so far. They have beaten Preston North End, Aston Villa and Leeds United to make it to the quarter-finals. Their game against Leicester will be played at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, March 17.
The Blues’ stuttering form this season
Having spent nearly half a billion pounds after takeover by Todd Boehly, the Blues have had a very disappointing season so far. Since they finished 12th last year, they did not have any European competitions to play in.
However, they are 11th in the Premier League after 27 games, having won just 11 games, drawing six and losing 10. They have scored 47 goals but conceded a worrying 45 as they have a goal difference of just +2.
They lost the Carabao Cup final, which means the FA Cup is the only piece of silverware they can compete for. Mauricio Pochettino will hope his players are up for the occasion against the Foxes to start with.