LATEST UPDATE: Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino criticizes Jurgen Klopp’s coaching style, asserting that Klopp lacks discipline, earning him the nickname ‘BABY COACH.’ Pochettino suggests that if he were in Klopp’s position, a specific Liverpool player, despite their victory against Luton Town, would be benched for four consecutive matches due to a perceived subpar performance.
Despite a setback against Luton Town on Wednesday, Liverpool maintained their position at the top of the Premier League table. Chiedozie Ogbene’s unexpected lead in the 12th minute had Liverpool trailing in the first half, but a remarkable second-half transformation occurred.
Virgil van Dijk’s header in the 56th minute initiated Liverpool’s comeback. Successive goals from Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz, and Harvey Elliott secured a convincing 4-1 victory, propelling Liverpool four points ahead at the top and instilling confidence before the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea.
Jurgen Klopp faced the challenge of managing a significantly depleted squad with nine key players sidelined due to injuries. Despite these adversities, Klopp expressed contentment with the performance of the young players who stepped up.
Looking forward, Klopp acknowledged the uncertainty regarding the availability of injured players for upcoming fixtures, underscoring the necessity for a day-by-day approach due to the unpredictable nature of the situation.
“Let’s wait and see. One thing remains certain: as long as we have eleven players, we will give it our all. That’s the only assurance I can provide.”
Regarding Chelsea, the team is closely monitoring the fitness of Carney Chukwuemeka (ankle) and Thiago Silva (groin) ahead of the crucial clash with Liverpool on Sunday.
Chukwuemeka suffered an ankle injury in training last week, causing him to miss the match against Manchester City on Saturday. Silva was substituted during the victory over Crystal Palace due to a groin issue and subsequently unavailable for the draw against Manchester City. Neither Chukwuemeka nor Silva took part in training at Cobham on Wednesday.
Chelsea continues to grapple with a substantial injury list, with several players, including Benoit Badiashile, Marc Cucurella, Wesley Fofana, Reece James, Romeo Lavia, and Lesley Ugochukwu, all unavailable for the upcoming final.
