Mauricio
Pochettino insists winning the Carabao Cup is a priority for Chelsea this
season as he attempts to secure his first piece of major silverware in
England.
Pochettino's side host last season's runners-up Newcastle in the
quarter-finals on Tuesday evening, live on Sky Sports, looking to reach the
final four of a domestic cup competition for the first time since the
2021/22 season.
The Argentine's main objective might be to revive Chelsea's Premier League
fortunes and return the club to the Champions League, but he needs no
reminding that he is still without any honours in English football having
endured several near-misses with Tottenham.
"Of course, I want to win a trophy here in England. I want to lift a trophy
now in this competition because it is important," Pochettino said.
"It means a lot because we want to deliver the job for our club. Delivering
a trophy, the most important thing is to win. It's difficult to measure, it
is a priority. It's in our mind, our objective, we need to be ready tomorrow
to be closer to winning a title. My desire is to win."
Pochettino's first season at Stamford Bridge has been a difficult one so far
as he tries to find the right formula for an expensively assembled squad,
although they earned a much-needed win against bottom club Sheffield United
at the weekend.
The last time Chelsea won the League Cup was in 2015 when they beat Spurs,
who Pochettino took to the Champions League final and back-to-back FA Cup
semi-finals during his time in charge in north London.
While he went on to win Ligue 1 and French Cup during a spell at Paris
Saint-Germain, his CV still looks lightweight, although he is not losing
sleep over it.
"You need to be in the right club, in the right moment with all of the
elements to win," Pochettino said. "To be an elite manager, it's not
necessary to win titles, many elite managers still didn't win or are going
to win.
"It's important to analyse every single project and say you can progress or
not or deliver the job everyone expects. The League Cup is important for the
club because it's going to be a boost in energy and I really believe in the
project
"It is also an important competition for Newcastle but from the beginning of
the season it has been one of our objectives. We face a very good team and
it will be tough."
Howe: Newcastle determined to make more
'many great memories'
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe hopes his side can draw on last year's Carabao Cup
experiences and "create more memories" in this season's competition.
The Magpies travel to Stamford Bridge having already knocked out last
season's treble winners Manchester City and holders Manchester United in the
previous two rounds.
Last season saw Howe's team go all the way to the final as Newcastle looked
to claim their first piece of major silverware since 1969, but they would
end up losing 2-0 to Manchester United at Wembley.
Howe recalled the "incredible" build-up to that match and hopes his side can
do something similar this time around.
"The two draws we had previously to this one was probably as difficult as
you can get. Manchester City - whether it's home or away - Manchester United
away, then we get Chelsea away," he said.
"The beauty of the two games we've had previously is we've proved we can
raise our game against the top teams in a cup competition that brought so
many great memories for us last year.
"I think we're determined to try and progress, we're determined to try and
create more memories.
"We've seen the rewards you can get from (the competition) and the
experiences you can get.
"The build-up to the final was a brilliant thing to be part of and of course
the final itself was a disappointment, but the build-up to it was incredible
to see our supporters and how we took to London and the whole spectacle
really.
"I'm just devastated we didn't get over the line in the end.
"I think it's helped us for this year and we know this game's going to be
very difficult but we know the prize if we can get through."
Schar and Joelinton among doubts for
Chelsea trip
Howe confirmed Fabian Schar and Joelinton will have scans after both were
withdrawn with injuries during Saturday's Premier League win against Fulham.
Newcastle will also check on Sven Botman, who returned from injury with an
appearance from the bench on Saturday, while Alexander Isak will be assessed
for a groin concern, although Howe said it is "not a big problem".
The Chelsea tie will mark Howe's 100th game in charge of Newcastle since
being appointed in November 2021 and he reflected on a "memorable time" with
the club.
"Lee [Marshall, Newcastle's head of media] told me today it was my 100th
game [on Tuesday] and I was surprised, it seems like it's absolutely flown
by, as life tends to do when you get older," Howe said.
"I've loved every second of it. When you look back at a group of games, so
many highlights, memories.
"I'm very proud and honoured to hopefully tomorrow done 100 games and been
through that journey with the club. It's been a really memorable time."
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