Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has hit back at Gary Neville's "billion pound bottle jobs" jibe during Sunday's Carabao Cup final loss to Liverpool.
The Blues were edged out late in extra time by a Virgil van Dijk header and were criticised by the former Manchester United defender for failing to beat a young and inexperienced Reds side – despite their huge outlay over the past 18 months.
During his commentary of the game on Sky Sports, Neville said: "It’s Klopp’s kids against the billion pound bottle jobs."
But when he was told of Neville's words after the game, Pochettino said the ex-England right-back's assessment was "not fair".
“I didn’t hear what he said but if you compare the age of the two groups, I think it’s similar," the Argentine said.
"I have a good relationship with Gary [Neville]. I can respect his opinion. We made a few changes, like [Conor] Gallagher and [Ben] Chilwell in extra-time. But it's true, we didn't keep the energy how we finished the second half."
And Pochettino said he was proud of his players, despite defeat at Wembley.
"For sure I feel proud," he said. "They made a big effort. We have a young team, and nothing to compare with Liverpool because they finished with young players on the pitch.
"It’s not fair to talk in this way, if he said that. We’re going to keep being strong and believing in this project."
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