Vesper

Chalobah is shit

fuckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk what the fuck are we doing! POCH OUT

we already drew Leicester at the Bridge (if we win this)

fuck off Sanchez

great goal Muddy

Sterling is so shit drives me crazy

come on now, get that 2nd

yesssssss

Sanchez is ratshit btw

I am debating turning it off too angry

fuck off

ffs

gutless Sterling not going for it in a 50/50

watch us play Pool in another final smdh

Leeds have never beaten us in any domestic cup game I did not know that

long knives are well out global pundits are just ripping us apart on every network every aspect of the club 😿

Football > England. FA Cup. Chelsea vs Leeds Utd 28 February 2024 at 20:30. Browser Links 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 2500kbps 95% Aliez 2000kbps 95% Aliez 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 995kbps 95% Aliez 945kbps 95% Aliez 2000kbps 95% Aliez 2500kbps 95% Aliez 2500kbps 95% Aliez 2000kbps 95% Aliez 95% Voodc 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web AceStream Links 95%

Neville’s ‘blue billion-pound bottle jobs’ line will immortalise Chelsea’s pain https://theathletic.com/5298821/2024/02/26/Chelsea-blue-billion-bottle-jobs-pochettino/ Not all losses are created equal — and no defeat in football is worse than a banter one. “In extra time, it’s been Klopp’s kids against the blue billion-pound bottle jobs,” said Sky Sports co-commentator Gary Neville, succinctly and indisputably establishing the dominant narrative of a surreal Carabao Cup final almost as soon as Virgil van Dijk’s glanced header had settled in the far corner of Djordje Petrovic’s net. Liverpool had not just beaten Chelsea at Wembley (again), they had done so in a manner that validated the “mentality monsters” culture that Jurgen Klopp has cultivated — apparently throughout the age groups at Kirkby as well as the first team — over the last nine years, while mercilessly exposing the fatal flaws in the lavish investment project at Stamford Bridge funded by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital over the past two. In the bowels of Wembley after the match, a despondent Mauricio Pochettino wearily assumed the task of pointing out the nuance in the narrative. “I don’t hear what he said but if you compare the age of the two groups, I think it is similar,” Chelsea’s head coach said when asked about Neville’s line. “Look, I have a good relationship with Gary. I don’t know how I can take his opinion, but I respect his opinion. “We are a young team. Nothing to compare with Liverpool because they also finished with young players. It’s impossible to compare, and he knows that the dynamics are completely different. We were playing Liverpool and Chelsea, Chelsea and Liverpool, and I don’t think it’s fair to speak in this way.” The youth vs experience dynamic at Wembley was not as clear-cut as Neville made out. Liverpool’s on-pitch XI had an older average age than Chelsea’s at the start of the match and at the start of extra time. Van Dijk, a 32-year-old now with 11 major trophies to his name, was the outstanding outfield player throughout and found the net with two headers worthy of winning a final, only one of which survived VAR review. But the counter-argument becomes hard to sustain when the other team includes two 19-year-olds, Bobby Clark and James McConnell, who have each played fewer than 10 professional games and another (Jayden Danns) who was making his second senior appearance. Chelsea undoubtedly lost to several kids; the more important question is: did they bottle it? Chelsea showed unmistakeable signs of nerves at Wembley. Axel Disasi twice ignited Liverpool transition attacks by fumbling the ball under little pressure. Malo Gusto, usually so sure-footed, controlled passes straight out of play on several occasions. Levi Colwill booted an attempted pass out to Ben Chilwell miles upfield and had to be told to calm down by Enzo Fernandez, who played sloppy passes with startling frequency. Further forward, Conor Gallagher wrestled with an eerily similar cocktail of bad luck and poor composure in front of goal that afflicted fellow Cobham graduate Mason Mount against the same opponents in the same stadium in 2022. Nevertheless, as the clock ticked towards the end of 90 minutes it was Chelsea who looked likelier winners, with Cole Palmer picking apart a Liverpool team whose legs appeared to have gone. It was at this point that Klopp made a decision that arguably no other elite coach would have made: to place the fate of a major trophy in the hands of unproven youth rather than go into retreat with experience and play for penalties. His choice transformed this Carabao Cup final into the spiritual sequel of Chelsea’s bizarre 4-1 win over nine-man Tottenham Hotspur in November: a situation where convincing victory is the only acceptable outcome and anything less brings total humiliation. Pochettino had to guide his team through 20 nervy, aimless minutes that night before they overcame the fear of looking ridiculous — of being on the receiving end of a banter loss — and got on with winning the game. Klopp’s own “it’s just who we are, mate” moment seemed to sink Chelsea into a similar mental crisis at Wembley that lasted for most of extra time, compounded by their fading energy levels. At half-time of their pitifully tentative showing in the added period all of Chilwell, Disasi and Moises Caicedo could be seen prostrate on the pitch receiving attention for cramp. Not losing superseded winning as Chelsea’s top priority. “The team started to feel that maybe the penalties will be good for us,” said Pochettino, making an admission of weakness that is being held against him and this group of players in the acrimonious aftermath. Finals define the clubs, players and coaches who contest them. Klopp has lost his fair share over the years but never through passivity, and that ironclad commitment to the idea of who Liverpool are carried the day at Wembley. Chelsea’s identity as expert winners of finals began to slip in the final years of Roman Abramovich’s ownership; this is now seven cup final defeats in their last eight visits to the national stadium, and six in a row. Doubts about Pochettino’s ability to reverse that trend will only intensify. In five years at Tottenham, he built impressive teams who fell just short of winning and despite his avowed emphasis on the power of positive energy, his callow Chelsea were undone by Klopp’s peerless mastery of psychological momentum. Liverpool at full strength are vastly better than Chelsea but they won the Carabao Cup final not through superior talent, but superior mentality, coupled with an unmistakeable sense of identity that binds the first team and academy together — in other words, things that Boehly and Clearlake’s money cannot simply buy. “They need to feel the pain,” Pochettino said of his Chelsea players. The pain of this banter loss will be hard to shift, immortalised by Neville’s brutal words.

Real Madrid reach verbal agreement with Alphonso Davies over transfer from Bayern Munich https://theathletic.com/5294621/2024/02/26/alphonso-davies-real-madrid-transfer/ Real Madrid and Alphonso Davies have reached a verbal agreement for the Bayern Munich left-back to join in 2024 or 2025. The La Liga club — led by chief scout Juni Calafat and director general Jose Angel Sanchez — have been in contact with Davies’ camp for some time and have asked him since the beginning of the talks not to renew his contract with Bayern, which expires in 2025, so he can join them. There have been several meetings in recent weeks, including one in person in Madrid in mid-February, which have accelerated the process further. There are two options on the table with Real open to doing a deal for a below-market price this summer — much like Toni Kroos’ move in 2014 — or the following year when Davies’ contract ends, like David Alaba in 2021. Despite preliminary interest from rivals Barcelona as well as clubs in England, who have been monitoring the situation, Davies’ preference at this stage is to move to Madrid. The two clubs are yet to open negotiations with the Bundesliga champions still trying to convince the player to extend and having turned down approaches with offers for potential replacements for the Canada international in recent months. Bayern don’t want to lose the 23-year-old for free, however, and if they cannot strike a deal on fresh terms will attempt to maximise a fee for him in a sale this summer. A deal for Kylian Mbappe remains Real’s No 1 priority for the summer — and they expect him to join — but any move for the France international won’t preclude a pursuit for Davies as well. Ferland Mendy has been Madrid’s first-choice left-back this season with Fran Garcia also filling in on occasion. Davies joined Bayern from MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps in January 2019 and has gone to make 180 appearances for the club, winning the Bundesliga title five times and was part of the Champions League-winning team in 2020. He has played 27 times in all competitions for Bayern this season, scoring one goal and adding three assists. GO DEEPER Alphonso Davies' journey from refugee camp to Bayern Munich

Klopp on Gary Neville calling Chelsea ‘bottlers’: “They didn’t deserve to get all the blame. They played a really good game. That’s why this ‘bottling’ thing is really not mine. I really don’t understand it. I saw in the faces of the players and Poch after the game that it felt horrible.”

Chelsea https://thedailybriefing.io/i/142098359/Chelsea Omari Hutchinson is doing great on loan from Chelsea at Ipswich Town. Several European clubs are monitoring his progress, Chelsea are in control of the situation as it was perfect loan for the young winger, who has a total of 11 goals and assists this season. Do Chelsea *need* to sell this summer and could Hutchinson be one name on the way out? Christopher Nkunku is undergoing a medical assessment: “We need to evaluate him (Nkunku) every day. At the moment, he could be maybe three or four weeks out. We hope no more,” said Mauricio Pochettino at yesterday’s press conference. Pochettino: “The owners showed support to me after the final. Todd Boehly also sent me a nice message. After the final, during the night, I met Behdad and we were talking. We were sharing our opinions of the game and the opportunity we missed.” Pochettino: “We never set the team up to go for penalties. Come on. We tried to win in 90 minutes or extra-time. Before extra-time and at half-time in extra-time, we said: come on, we need to go and win.” Pochettino reveals: “When I went up the steps at Wembley, I was so upset. Nearly crying. When I arrived there, it was so difficult to stop myself...But I immediately felt support from the owners, they have been very nice. I appreciated that.”

Chelsea have been monitoring Benjamin Sesko for some time https://thedailybriefing.io/i/142055704/Chelsea-have-been-monitoring-benjamin-sesko-for-some-time Keep an eye on Benjamin Sesko this summer because he’s doing fantastic at RB Leipzig - his stats are very good, with seven goals in his last nine games as a starter for Leipzig, and he has very good numbers in general. He’s on the list of many clubs in Europe, so he’s going to be one of the names we’ll be hearing about this summer for sure. I can also say that Chelsea scouts are keeping a close eye on Sesko and they have done since he as at Red Bull Salzburg. Chelsea have always had an eye on Sesko, but other clubs are really interested as well, so he’s sure to be one of the main names to keep an eye on for many clubs in the weeks and months ahead.