Kieran Gibbs wades into Chelsea and Liverpool age narrative following Carabao Cup final
Kieran Gibbs spokes on the age of Chelsea and Liverpool after the Reds secured a narrow 1-0 win in the Carabao Cup final. The former Arsenal player feels that the narrative surrounding the age of both sides doesn’t make sense. He claims the Blues were average at best despite dominating the game for a long period.
Jurgen Klopp was forced to call up several youth players due to injuries to a few first-team players such as Darwin Nunez, Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Diogo Jota among others. Chelsea have struggled with injuries this season but had a largely fit squad at their disposal at Wembley.
Injuries or not, it is with a heavy heart that we will need to admit that Jurgen Klopp had Mauricio Pochettino’s number. The German got his changes spot on and took advantage of how the situation played out. To say that Pochettino was to adaptive to the situation would be an understatement.
But the former Arsenal fullback, Gibbs has shared his own opinion on Chelsea and Liverpool’s age and he feels that it doesn’t matter who was the youngest team on paper, he further told ESPN:
”Whichever you want to slice it up, it was disappointing for Chelsea, because with the season they had, they have been average, and they weren’t bad until 90 minutes, and if they had had a half decent season, you would’ve said they were unlucky, right? I don’t agree with the young age thing; both sides had a young team, but it was makeshift for both teams.”
Neither team was at full strength on the night but we certainly had the initiative going into the clash. Winning a first piece of silverware under Todd Boehly could have been a turning point for the club.
Age can indeed play a significant role in football, especially when comparing squads and their respective levels of experience. While it’s true that Chelsea had a younger squad in the game against Liverpool, it’s essential to consider the balance between youth and experience in both teams.
Despite Liverpool fielding a mix of youth and seasoned players, Chelsea’s young squad has faced challenges exacerbated by injuries throughout the season. Therefore, Gibbs’ statement may not fully capture the complexities of the situation.
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It’s frustrating when wastefulness in front of the net affects the outcome of matches, especially when the team performs well overall. Despite being the better side throughout the game and creating several opportunities, Chelsea’s inability to capitalize on those chances ultimately led to defeat when Van Dijk scored the decisive goal.
While Mauricio Pochettino may hope for improvement in the team’s end product with each match, addressing this issue will be crucial for Chelsea’s success in future competitions.
