In response to Gary Neville’s characterization of Chelsea as “billion-pound bottle jobs,” Mauricio Pochettino has issued a response. The Carabao Cup final on Sunday saw Liverpool emerge victorious over Chelsea, thanks to Virgil van Dijk’s late heroics. This win secured at least one trophy for Jurgen Klopp’s farewell season. Despite VAR disallowing goals from Chelsea’s Raheem Sterling and Van Dijk for offside, the Dutch defender sealed the victory in the 120th minute.
Throughout normal time, Chelsea, having spent nearly £1 billion in the past two years, appeared the dominant side, poised to overcome Liverpool, who grappled with significant injury concerns. Klopp even resorted to fielding three inexperienced teenagers before extra time.
However, Liverpool managed to regain control, prompting Neville, commentating for Sky Sports, to dub Pochettino’s expensively assembled squad as “billion-pound bottle jobs” following Van Dijk’s late winner.
Pochettino, in response, stated, “I didn’t hear what he said, but I think it is similar if you compare the age of the two groups.” While acknowledging his friendship with Neville, Pochettino questioned the fairness of such a perspective, though he respected Neville’s viewpoint.
He acknowledged adjustments made during extra time, emphasizing the loss of momentum from the second half. Despite the disappointment, Pochettino expressed pride in his players’ efforts, highlighting the youthfulness of his squad compared to Liverpool’s.
Pochettino concluded by emphasizing the shared pain of defeat and the need for his players to experience and learn from it, dismissing any notion of feeling better in the aftermath.
