Chelsea’s defeat in the Carabao Cup final would have been more tolerable if they had simply lost against an ordinary Liverpool team for the allotted 90 minutes.
One would assume that the Reds could have defeated the Blues rather easily if they had had a few fewer injury issues than they do now. A conventional 2-0, or comparable.
However, a competitive cup final was made possible by that long list of absentees. In fact, Chelsea was the favoured for a brief period of time and wasn’t the underdog.
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Ryan Gravenberch suffered an injury in the first half, thus Conor Bradley, a 20-year-old right back, was moved to the wing. Even the most equitable Football Manager gamers had to refresh from their last save point due to a Liverpool lineup that looked even more akin to what they would have used against lower-league opponents in an earlier round.
Chelsea was unable to break through. They had so much control over the second half against such a thin opponent that at one point they were lining up to try and walk it in, but Caoimhin Kelleher kept coming through for the Reds.
Chelsea’s weakness this season has been finishing their opportunities, but it wasn’t the worst of their Wembley transgressions.
Mauro Pochettino Fit is the purpose of teams. They intend to outlive and outrun you. Despite the added minutes of time, his side withered away, the physical strain becoming unbearable and the mental burden of anticipation becoming too much to bear.
