Jurgen Klopp explained that Liverpool’s young players in the Carabao Cup final victory over Chelsea were well-prepared for the moment due to the “environment we’ve created together” behind the scenes.
With notable absentees such as Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Darwin Nunez from the matchday squad, Klopp included several teenagers on the bench. Despite assumptions that the substitutions signaled a conceding of the match, Klopp clarified that it was a tactical move to introduce fresh, young legs during extra time when Liverpool was actually on the offensive.
“I’m pretty sure when we brought on all the kids, people thought, ‘Okay, that’s it, they’ve given up, they have a game on Wednesday,'” Klopp stated in his post-match interview with Sky Sports. “It really wasn’t the case – we needed fresh legs, and the legs we had were very young. But they did the job. They did the job. What they did… it’s unbelievable.”
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Among the young talents making an impact were 18-year-old Jayden Danns, along with Bobby Clark and James McConnell, who have limited first-team experience. Conor Bradley, who has become a key player in recent weeks, started the game, while Jarell Quansah, at just 21, also contributed in the second half of extra time.
When asked about achieving such a high level of performance from a young group, Klopp attributed it to the environment created through training together. He emphasized that these young players have been integrated into the first team, understanding their roles and contributing effectively.
“It’s not only them. How good was Harvey Elliott? [Wataru] Endo, oh my God. He walked up for the ceremony with the stiffest legs I ever saw. We’ll have to see what price we pay for this game. But you cannot do it differently. You’re in a final, you fight with all you have, and then have a look who’s available for the next game. There will be a team in a Liverpool shirt.”