William Gallas, a Chelsea legend, has cautioned Mauricio Pochettino that in order to save his season, his team must defeat Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final.
A few weeks ago, following a depressing 4-2 home loss to Wolves, Stamford Bridge supporters expressed dissatisfaction with Pochettino.
Gallas feels Pochettino has to win his first trophy in English football at Wembley on Sunday.
The former French defender, who won two titles with Chelsea, was a member of the club that began their collection of eighteen major trophies during the Roman Abramovich era.
Gallas said: “Chelsea’s players have nothing to lose. They will be going into this game as the underdog, and they just have to go for it.”
“But it’s different for Pochettino. If he doesn’t win this competition, that means he has failed this season. He will finish empty-handed, and he will not have achieved any of his targets this year because Chelsea will not qualify for the Champions League.”
“Everybody needs a trophy! People can say, ‘Oh they play nice football, the players did well.’ No! You’re in football to win and to experience the feeling of lifting a trophy, and the Carabao Cup is an opportunity for Pochettino to save his season.”
In an interview with Gambling Zone, Gallas said Chelsea should concentrate more on their performance than on making an impression with their style of play.
He said: “It doesn’t matter how you play in a final, you just have to win it. Finals are all about getting results. It’s not about playing good football and making people happy, it’s about winning. Don’t be scared on the ball. Give everything. It’s simple.”
Prior to Sunday’s match, the 46-year-old former France international declared Liverpool to be the favourites.
Pochettino’s future at Stamford Bridge is still uncertain after the season Chelsea have had. The Blues are currently 10th in the Premier League standings and qualification for European competition next season is highly unlikely.
After the investment in the team, Chelsea were expected to be in the top four at least but they have had a season to forget and Pochettino could lose his job if things don’t change soon.
On Sunday, he has the opportunity to put things right and win over the supporters by beating Liverpool in a Cup final.
