No club more than Chelsea understands what winning the Carabao Cup can do to a Blues manager’s career, having seen the competition kickstart Jose Mourinho’s ascension to the pantheon of coaching greats.
A semi-final draw with a midtable Championship team gave Maurico Pochettino the perfect opportunity to continue his such journey, even if Chelsea in their current guise are operating in a different realm to Mourinho’s Premier League 2004-05 champions elect.
Chelsea will have to come from behind at Stamford Bridge— (REUTERS)
Yet, after seeing his side slip to a shock first-leg defeat to Middlesbrough at the Riverside, the Argentine can only look at himself when the dust has settled on another defeat that leaves the Blues faithful doubting whether their side will ever overcome their dizzying struggles with inconsistency this season.
Injuries have restricted Pochettino’s options in key areas, with central striker absentees being of particular concern, but to go with a false nine, Cole Palmer deployed in that free role, for only the second time this season, when Armando Broja is fit and scoring again, was a risk the Blues boss did not and should not have taken at this stage of a crucial competition for him and his team.
Palmer missed a hat-trick of first-half chances at the Riverside— (Reuters)
The League Cup has been a Teesside Dream Factory down the years, with Boro getting to the final three times in the golden Premier League era of the club, losing one showpiece to Chelsea in 1998 before winning it in 2003-04, having beaten Arsenal in both legs of the semi-final and disposing of Bolton at Wembley.
Chelsea travelled north on a nine-game winning streak against Middlesbrough – 21-0 on aggregate – but this modern-day incumbent are a less daunting proposition than most Blues sides Boro have faced.
Results have improved markedly of late, suggesting a brighter future is on the horizon, with the team starting to show signs, at least, of what Pochettino is trying to do. Performances in general, however, have left much to be desired. Those forced through the first half against Preston at the weekend will testify to that.
As a result, Boro supporters had every right to start to dream of Wembley again as they streamed into the stadium en masse, even if, like their illustrious opponents, they had an injury list longer than their arm. Two more players were taken off inside the first 20 minutes at the Riverside, putting a dampener on any such hopes of a famous result.
Their goal, however, lived somewhat of a charmed life in the opening period, with Palmer missing three gilt-edged chances, one in particular late in the half from only a few yards out he won’t want to see again, with Moises Caicedo flashing one effort just wide.
The move of the match came from the hosts and settled the tight contest, as Isaiah Jones continued to give Levi Colwill a torrid time before squaring for Hayden Hackney to prod home in the 37th minute, sparking wild scenes of celebration at the Riverside.
Middlesbrough’s Hayden Hackney, left, celebrates scoring his side’s winner— (PA Wire)
Middlesbrough’s goal came just moments after Palmer’s first miss— (Getty Images)
Plenty of crosses were coming into the box, 21 before Broja entered the fray from the bench, but nobody was there to get on the end of them. If the game plan had not changed, with Chelsea working the ball into wide areas well, why take out the target in the middle?
In front, Boro understandably got more bodies behind the ball, but at no point in the second half were they overwhelmed or even under much sustained pressure.
Other than a Noni Madueke header straight at Boro No 2 stopper Ben Glover, Chelsea looked completely shorn of ideas, despite a myriad of attacking talent on the pitch, against a Boro side on its knees.
The tie is still very much alive, but with each defeat, the doubts still linger whether Pochettino is just another high-profile coach unable to return this stuttering giant to its former glories.
His tactical choices at the Riverside, that helped ensure Chelsea lost a domestic cup match to lower league opponents for the first time in 16 matches, did him no favours.
