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Former Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf has claimed that the current set of players at manager Mauricio Pochettino's disposal are not good enough. The Blues lost 1-0 to Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool side in the EFL Cup final on Sunday, February 25, at Wembley.
Virgil van Dijk scored in the 118th minute to secure Liverpool their first trophy of Jurgen Klopp's final season after the game finished 0-0 in 90 minutes. Despite the Reds being down to bare bones due to injuries and forced to play inexperienced academy players, Chelsea failed to find their way past goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.
Following the game, Frank Leboeuf claimed that the players gave their everything on the pitch and cannot be blamed. The World Cup-winning former France defender insisted that the Chelsea players are just not good enough. He told Tribal Football:
"I think they all did their best - but that's the problem! With the players they have, you can only complain about the result - that's why I'm upset. It's because they worked so hard. They did their best. That's why it's upsetting as they all tried. But that's not enough for Chelsea... that's what it is!"
Leboeuf added:
"And that's the thing they're going to have to think about this summer as fans are going to get upset. Very upset. One season? Two seasons? Another one? Again? Ah c'mon! This is not possible. We cannot finish in the middle of the table. We cannot show the world that we're so fragile. We're Chelsea Football Club!"
Winning the EFL Cup would have been a huge boost for the Blues as it would have seen them play in the UEFA European Conference League next season. At the moment, Pochettino's side sit 11th in the Premier League table with just 35 points in 25 games.
Tim Sherwood claims only one Chelsea player has lived up to his price tag
Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Tim Sherwood has claimed that only Cole Palmer is living up to his price tag among all big-money imports at Chelsea. Since the Todd Boehly-led Clearlake Capital's takeover in May 2022, the east London side have spent over £1 billion on transfers but have struggled on the pitch.
The likes of Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Christopher Nkunku, Romeo Lavia, Mykhailo Mudryk, Noni Madueke, and Wesley Fofana have all been brought in among others. However, Sherwood has claimed that only Palmer has been a hit among all those.
Speaking recently on The Kelly and Wrighty Show, Sherwood said, as quoted by TBR Football:
"Look at those players, do any of those look worth the money that was spent? Palmer possibly. I think he's a good player, he went for the right reasons, he's getting the gametime now and he's proving his worth, but I can't say that about any of the other signings."
Palmer joined the Stamford Bridge outfit last summer from Manchester City in a deal worth a reported £42.5 million and has been the Blues' best player by some distance. The England international has registered 12 goals and nine assists in 30 games across all competitions for Mauricio Pochettino's side.
