25 February 2024 , 08:15
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I fancy Chelsea to with the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool - which sounds crazy just three weeks after they were destroyed at Anfield.
If both sides were at full strength, I would back Jurgen Klopp to collect the first trophy of his farewell tour. But Liverpool will definitely be without Trent Alexander-Arnold, Diogo Jota, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alisson and Curtis Jones at Wembley, while Mo Salah and Darwin Nunez missed the midweek win over Luton.
With Chelsea running into their best patch of form under Mauricio Pochettino, it’s the worst possible time for Klopp to go into a cup final with a weakened hand. Before that 4-1 pasting at Anfield on January 31, all seven of Chelsea’s previous meetings with Liverpool had ended in draws (excluding penalty shoot-outs), and I expect this final to be another close-run thing.
But my hunch is that Klopp’s pursuit of four trophies this season will fall at the first hurdle. Defeat won’t be the end of the world, though. With respect, if you offered every fan on the Kop a chance to win just one trophy for Klopp’s parting gift, it wouldn’t be the Carabao Cup.
The Premier League crown is the big one - and the title race is still in Liverpool’s hands.
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David Moyes still has enough credit in the bank at West Ham to carry on as manager.
He deserves to be judged on his body of work for the Hammers - twice saving them from relegation, delivering the club’s first trophy for 43 years and reaching another semi-final in Europe.
If I was calling the shots behind the scenes, I would be looking at the club’s progression and trajectory under Moyes, and my conclusion would be that he has given fans the best two or three years for a long time.
But nobody in football is invincible and, eight months after he lifted the Europa Conference League trophy in Prague, a ‘Moyes Out’ banner was unfurled among away supporters at the City Ground last weekend.
That may be harsh, but after a 6-0 hammering at home to Arsenal and a 2-0 defeat at relegation candidates Nottingham Forest, attitudes were bound to harden. If West Ham were near the bottom, I must admit I would be inclined to make a change - to make sure any spiral towards relegation was nipped in the bud.
But Moyes could still finish in the top half and reach another European final, or go a long way in the Europa League knockout stages. His contract is up at the end of the season, and the Hammers aren’t going down, so why not see how the next three months pans out?
At the very least, I would give him a few more games or for as long as they are in Europe. Surely he deserves that much?
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