In the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, Christopher Nkunku’s lack of influence from the bench stood in sharp contrast to that of Liverpool’s young substitutes.
After a strong period of play against a worn-out and inexperienced Reds team, it appeared as though the Blues would prevail.
However, in extra time, Virgil van Dijk rose to the top to head in the winning goal in the 118th minute. This was a well-deserved result as Liverpool regained control with the contributions of substitutes Jarell Quansah, Bobby Clark, Jayden Danns, and James McConnell.
The statement made by Mauricio Pochettino that “the team started to feel that maybe the penalties will be good for us” has been interpreted incorrectly. Rather than referring to any particular directive given to his players, the Argentine coach was talking about his common sense from the sidelines.
He probably believed that forcing victory at Wembley could be achieved by substituting Nkunku, Mykhailo Mudryk, and Noni Madueke, who together cost £175 million. All three, meanwhile, had little effect.
Nkunku, 25, a £53 million summer acquisition from RB Leipzig, replaced Raheem Sterling in the 67th minute and continued to play for more than an hour.
Although Nkunku’s abilities continue to thrill those at Cobham, they believe he needs more time to recover from his wounds. Due to a knee injury, he missed the first four months of the season. He also missed one more month of play during the winter due to a hip ailment.
In Nkunku’s case, at least, injuries play a part. But Mudryk, who has been healthy for most of the season, has had even less of an impact. Madueke, meanwhile, was a threat with his dribbling, but his passing was erroneous and his shot erroneous.
Trevoh Chalobah also entered the game as a defensive-minded replacement for Ben Chilwell. However, Pochettino clarified, substituting Nicolas Jackson for Conor Gallagher, who was wasting but dangerous, and saying, “We need to change Gallagher after five minutes [in extra time], and then it was Chilwell at the start of the second 15 minutes.”
While Jurgen Klopp delivered a heartfelt triumph with his young players, Pochettino will maintain that he did everything within his power to use the resources at his disposal, even though he passed up opportunities from the Cobham academy.
Concerns regarding Pochettino’s substitution strategy throughout the season and in the championship game still exist.