High Press Episode 19: League Cup Final Preview

High Press Episode 19:

Episode 19 of High Press focuses on this weekend’s League Cup final between Chelsea and Liverpool at Wembley.
Host Alison Bender is joined by Anne-Marie Batson, Jack Pitt-Brooke and Charlie Wyett to give their match predictions and look at how a win would impact both clubs.

Can Pochettino win his first English trophy?

Starting with what the fixture means to Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea, Wyett says, “It’s massive for Pochettino, massive for Chelsea. He’s obviously a manager who’s still looking for that first trophy in England…

“It’s been a more difficult season than what Pochettino would have expected, they’re obviously a huge work in progress, but they’ve got to the final and I think it’s going to be a terrific game.”

Bender questions whether a win for Pochettino would mean he keeps his job.
Batson replies, “I think regardless of the result, he’ll still be in his job at the end of the season. It’s a chance to show that the seeds they’ve been growing in the last few weeks, the results they’ve been having in the Premier League, are starting to knit together now.”

Who knows which Chelsea will turn up!

Continuing on that point, Batson talks up the various storylines in the final, including the northwest versus London and two great managers going head-to-head.
Pitt-Brooke reflects on Pochettino failing to win the League Cup at Tottenham, and wonders if that hampered their silverware chase in the following seasons. The panel all agree this is a massive game for the Chelsea manager, even if his job is safe.

Wyett also adds that this could be Chelsea’s only route into Europe next season given where they are in the league table.
Turning to Klopp, Bender says, “This feels like the perfect end for him. I think so many neutrals will want him to win this, because he’s done so much for the Premier League and for Liverpool.”

Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool revolution

Pitt-Brooke is complimentary of Klopp, saying he’s ‘built one of the great teams of the modern era’, but also questions whether they have won as much as they should have done.

“In terms of major trophies, they’ve won one Premier League and one Champions League. Now obviously, they’ve come really close. They’ve lost two Champions League finals to Real Madrid, they’ve come second in the Premier League with 97 points (which is statistically incredible) and they’ve also come second in the league with 92…

“If he does leave this season with only one Premier League, one Champions League, one FA Cup and one League Cup, it does feel a bit like they’ve not got the silverware they should have done.”

On Klopp’s legacy, Batson says, “He will go down in history as a great Liverpool manager. Will he go down in history as one of the greatest managers ever? I don’t know.”

Mo Salah is BACK!

Bender and Wyett praise Klopp’s wider impact at Liverpool from shrewd transfer acquisitions to academy wage limits.
While the panel acknowledge Liverpool’s injury issues ahead of this Sunday’s final, they praise Mohamed Salah’s form after the Africa Cup of Nations. Pitt-Brooke even looks back to how Klopp and Pochettino prepared when they faced each other in the Champions League final in 2019.

All three focus in on the inconsistent Chelsea defence as the key factor. Batson wonders whether Thiago Silva will start, while Wyett brings up Liverpool’s congested schedule and potential fatigue.

Predictions

Wyett, Bender and Batson all back Chelsea to lift the trophy, but Pitt-Brooke thinks Liverpool will have too much.
What are you predicting for the 2023-24 League Cup final?

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