The stage is all set for the Wembley showdown. Chelsea and Liverpool line up this Sunday for the League Cup glory and it gives the Blues a great opportunity to return to winning silverware.
In the post-Roman Abramovic era, Chelsea have struggled greatly. From being one of the top clubs in Europe, they now find themselves reduced to just being another club.
They have not won any noteworthy trophy since their Champions League triumph in 2021. Their last Premier League win came in 2016-17; their last FA Cup win came in 2018 and their last League Cup triumph came three years before.
Chelsea fans have seen grander days but the last one and a half years have been nothing but pathetic. The year Abramovich left – in 2022 — they finished third in the Premier League. Next season with Abramovic gone for good, they finished 12th, their worst finish since the nineties. This season again they are struggling, 10th on the points table at present.
Imagine the pain the club fans must be feeling. A club that has won five Premier Leagues and two Champions Leagues in the 21st century all of a sudden finds itself out of the reckoning for most trophies!
That’s why winning the League Cup is all the more important for the Blues. It may not be a Premier League or Champions League, but it’s a trophy nonetheless.
As Chelsea have debilitated, Liverpool have seen an ascent. Since 2019, they have won a Premier League, a Champions League, an FA Cup and a League Cup. Besides, they have even finished as Champions League runners-up in 2022. The same year, they missed out on another Premier League title as they came second to Manchester City with just one point separating them.
In the ongoing season, they are one of the Premier League title contenders, leading the points table at present in what appears a tight season.
Chelsea currently appear in good spirits, having remained unbeaten in their last three games. They have won twice, against Aston Villa in the FA Cup and Crystal Palace in the Premier League. In their last league game, they achieved a 1-1 draw against England’s best team at present: Manchester City.
Actually, they should have won the contest but seven minutes from time Pep Guardiola’s men pulled off the equaliser to throw cold water on what could have been a famous victory for the visitors. These days even one point against City can do one’s confidence a world of good. Chelsea would hope they come up with a similar kind of performance against the Reds but win this time and break their silverware drought. They can also avenge their 2022 League Cup and FA Cup defeats in the final at the hands of the same opposition.
Late last month, they were thrashed by Liverpool 4-1 in the Premier League but the City result should give them some confidence that they can compete against the top dogs of the league. As of now, Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino
has full support of the club and this is a great opportunity for him to open his trophy account not only at Chelsea but also in England. “I am desperate to win a title here,” the 51-year-old Argentine, who failed to win any trophies in his previous Premier League stint with Tottenham Hotspur from 2014-2019, said last month after reaching the League Cup final. “…People need to believe and trust in us and we go to the final with the chance of winning the first trophy of the season.”
A desired result on Sunday also guarantees them a place in the play-off stages of the Europa Conference League next season. Fired up, they can finish much better on the points table going forward. Then there is also the FA Cup which
guarantees the winner a place in the Europa League. Chelsea can really turn their fortunes around at Wembley.
To all intents and purposes, February 25th could very well be the date that marks the resurgence of Chelsea not only in England but also in Europe. England and Manchester United legend Gary Neville believes so. “It’s a big, big
game for the manager, the ownership and also for the players. For the young players, there is nothing that will give you more confidence than winning – winning a medal and winning a trophy. It will have a big impact on your life let alone your career, because it is something you never forget,” he said.
