Liverpool proved the old wisdom that says “You can’t win anything with children” wrong after Jurgen Klopp put his trust in a group of young players who responded directly to the German coach’s confidence in them by winning the English League Cup title by beating Chelsea 1-0 after the first leg. The match went into two extra halves.
Klopp – who is facing an injury crisis so severe that it threatened to derail his plans yesterday, Sunday, at Wembley – turned to a group of young players who only participated in a few matches with the first team to get him out of his crisis.
As the match approached extra time with Chelsea having the relative advantage, the exhausted Liverpool needed some energy to regain their solidity and some momentum in their favour.
The Liverpool coach fielded his players, James McConnell (19 years old), Bobby Clarke, and Jayden Dance (18 years old), before using the services of Jarrell Quansah (21 years old) as a substitute.
The four players appeared calm when handling the ball and were not affected by the competition, as Liverpool found the decisive opportunity in the second extra half when Virgil van Dijk scored the winning goal with a header in the 118th minute.
⚽️🔥 Van Dijk ignites the stands with the Reds’ first goal#English_League_Cup | #ChelseaLiverpool#CarabaoCupFinal | #Liverpool | #chelsea pic.twitter.com/sRVGrSEpyD
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) February 25, 2024
The League Cup may be the least important tournament in English football, but Klopp, who won the Champions League and the English Premier League with Liverpool and the German League twice with Borussia Dortmund, said that the victory carries some specialness.
He told reporters, “I was told abroad that I would not win titles with young players. Write what’s new, in more than 20 years (as a coach), this is simply the most special trophy I have ever won.”
He continued, “Seeing the faces of the boys after the match, especially Jayden Dance (gives me a feeling of pride). If you can write stories in football that no one will ever forget…it will be about this evening.”
📸 Jurgen Klopp’s reaction after Van Dijk’s goal was cancelled#English_League_Cup | #ChelseaLiverpool#CarabaoCupFinal | #Liverpool | #chelsea pic.twitter.com/te99rmmNun
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) February 25, 2024
He added, “You will not find the same story that revolves around players who rose from the academy to face a very strong team and win over it. This is how we do it.”
The Liverpool coach had included Connor Bradley and Harvey Elliott (20 years old for the duo) in the starting lineup due to a roster that had shrunk greatly due to the absent players.
Klopp was not exhausted to this extent in his coaching career due to injuries, with the absence of players such as Diogo Jota, Trent Alexander-Arnold, goalkeeper Alisson, Curtis Jones, the main attacking duo Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez, and midfielder Dominik Soboslaj, who joined the list of injured people who will be out for a long time.
🏆🥇 Liverpool’s coronation ceremony as English League Cup champion for the tenth time in its history#English_League_Cup | #ChelseaLiverpool#CarabaoCupFinal | #Liverpool | #chelsea pic.twitter.com/2MbpGuagmL
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) February 25, 2024
The loss of Ryan Grafenberg to a seemingly bad ankle injury after 28 minutes did not help Liverpool’s hopes, forcing Klopp to change his plans and causing Bradley, the right-back, to be moved forward.
The Liverpool coach, who said that age did not control his thinking while choosing the lineup, added, “This is a very special matter. I saw the circumstances. We suffered from problems before the match. They (the players) became older during the match.”
He concluded, “It is an evening that I will never forget, and if no one else sees that, no problem. For me, it will remain a good memory forever.”
2024-02-26 18:49:33
#Club #Chelsea #defeated #Liverpools #shabab #League #Cup #final #Jazeera #Net
