LONDON — Jurgen Klopp is on a magical farewell tour as Liverpool manager, getting his injury-hit side over the line in Sunday's 1-0 win over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final. I can thank the next generation of the club for letting me do this.
Virgil van Dijk's 118th-minute goal (headed in from a corner kick by Kostas Tsimikas) clinched Liverpool's 10th EFL Cup victory, with Chelsea now losing their sixth straight and Klopp's side losing their remaining three games. It was a match against. But while captain Van Dijk will grab the headlines, it was the contribution of Liverpool's young stars that made the difference at Wembley. By the end of the game, the injury crisis had increased and Klopp was forced to rely on untested players. 11-man first team.
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Only the most ardent Liverpool supporters would have known much about Jaeden Dunnes, James McConnell and Bobby Clarke before they were substituted against Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea. Dans, 18, made his senior debut as a substitute in the 4-1 Premier League win over Luton Town at Anfield last Wednesday, while Clarke, 19, made his ninth senior appearance and was joined by McConnell. (19 years old) was competing for the seventh time. Incredibly, each of the three teenagers can boast of winning a major trophy before reaching double-digit first-team appearances.
Klopp said: “What happened here is absolutely insane. This can't happen.” “We have a team, squad and academy full of character and I’m so proud to be a part of it tonight.
“The craziest thing is, we got what we deserved. We had our lucky moments, they had their lucky moments. The players showed up and it was really cool. We needed fresh legs. They were fresh but very young, but they did the job.”
Klopp has announced he will step down as Liverpool manager at the end of this season, nearly nine years since taking charge at Anfield, but the club's future could potentially mean winning the first of four trophies. It is perhaps fitting that he played such a prominent role in the acquisition. his last campaign. Conor Bradley and Harvey Elliott, both 20 years old, started the game and had a big impact on Liverpool's victory. But the presence of up-and-coming talent was largely out of necessity, rather than Klopp simply giving them a chance to shine. And the young players will need to step up again if they are to stay on course to win three more trophies to send Klopp off with a quadruple.
“When you're young and you get an opportunity, you have to grab it with both hands,” Van Dijk told Sky Sports after the match. “They should take this as a springboard and I'm sure they will. They should keep pushing to get closer to the first team and be part of the team. Being part of this team as a teenager. Becoming one can only be a positive thing for me.”
Liverpool face a crucial two weeks that will decide the season, with a full squad of senior players who Klopp will not be able to play.
Goalkeeper Alisson Becker and defenders Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joel Matip were injured, with an ankle injury suffered in the first half from a challenge from Moises Caicedo, while Ryan Gravenbirch also suffered injuries, along with fellow midfielders Curtis Jones and Thiago. – Joins Alcantara, Stefan Bicetic and Dominik Szoboszlai in leaving the squad. This game. Meanwhile, Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez were absent from the front line at Wembley.
There is little chance that any of the above players will be back in time to face Southampton in the FA Cup fifth round on Wednesday, and Klopp is unlikely to risk his senior stars who are fit or close to fit. There's no doubt about it. The UEFA Europa League round of 16 first leg match against Sparta Prague will be held on March 7th. Due to the burden of playing 120 minutes against Chelsea, it is possible that part of the Wembley team will also miss the game against Southampton.
“Wataru Endo, my God,” Klopp said. “He walked through the ceremony with the stiffest legs I've ever seen!”
Those injured in next Saturday's Premier League game against Nottingham Forest who will not return will be in a race against time to play in the Championship clash against Manchester City at Anfield on March 10th. It turns out. This is a testament to energy and energy. The spirit that Klopp injected into his team saw Liverpool beat a far stronger Chelsea to win the cup, but young players tend to suffer from inconsistency in the first team, and the spirit he created at Wembley was Sustained performance is never guaranteed. So can they hold the fort until the cannons return and keep their team winning?
That is the challenge facing Klopp as he tries to keep Liverpool in the remaining three competitions – the FA Cup, Europa League and Premier League. Liverpool certainly packed a punch against Chelsea. Both teams had their goals disallowed for offside and Liverpool's goal was ruled out by VAR, resulting in a very close call for both teams. Liverpool hit the post twice through Cody Gakpo and Elliott, and late in the second half Conor Gallagher hit the leg of the Liverpool woodwork.
With Pochettino finishing the game with a £180m front line of Myhailo Mudryk, Christopher Nkunku and Cole Palmer, Chelsea could really take advantage of the inexperience and fatigue in Liverpool's pecking order. Should have.
However, a series of world-class saves from second-row goalkeeper Caouhin Kelleher helped Liverpool hold on until Van Dijk scored the winning goal two minutes before extra time. Some teams may have been eliminated by that stage, but Liverpool, led by manager Klopp, are one of the teams that won't lose as long as there's still time.
Even if the kids replace the senior stars, the result will be the same and it's up to Klopp. But the next two weeks are crucial, and the youngsters will need to repeat this over and over again to keep their quadruple dreams alive.
