Carabao Cup final is ‘like a World Cup final’ for Mauricio Pochettino, claims Chris Sutton on It’s All Kicking off… as he insists if Chelsea beat Liverpool it would be ENORMOUS for the Argentine’s tenure

Chris Sutton has claimed the Carabao Cup final is ‘like a World Cup final’ for Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino.

The Blues are set to take on Liverpool at Wembley this Sunday as the Argentine looks to win his first trophy since arriving at Stamford Bridge in the summer.

It has been a mixed and chaotic campaign for Chelsea, who have lost 10 and won 10 of their 25 league games, amid several inconsistent performances.

However, since this season’s nadir of a 4-2 home defeat by Wolves at the start of February, the Blues have beaten Aston Villa and Crystal Palace before they drew 1-1 with Man City last weekend.

And former Premier League winner Sutton, speaking on Mail Sport’s It’s All Kicking Off podcast with co-host Dominic King, felt the showdown against Jurgen Klopp’s side is a potentially pivotal moment in Pochettino’s tenure.

Sutton insisted the showdown against Liverpool is so important for the Argentine’s tenure

‘I think this is such an important cup,’ he said. ‘But it’s a cup which the perception is that it’s the trophy many teams don’t want to try and win.

‘Many managers don’t want to try and win it until they get in the semi-finals. And then it’s really important to them.

‘But getting that first trophy under the belt for any club is absolutely enormous. It’s like a World Cup final for Pochettino because this season has been so disappointing. 

‘So many times we thought, well, Chelsea are going to turn the tide, or they’ve turned the tide and they’re going to get going now. And then they have been consistent in letting themselves down. 

‘But where Pochettino is at in regards to the perception of him, the difficulty which he’s had with the job, if they win it, I think it will be enormous for him.’

Liverpool’s position at the top of the Premier League where they are 25 points clear of 10th-placed Chelsea, coupled with their recent 4-1 victory over the Blues at Anfield, means they are heavy favourites for the tie.

But, with the Reds’ injury list growing lengthier by the game, plus Chelsea’s improved recent performances, Sutton doesn’t believe the final is a foregone conclusion.

Sutton claimed if Chelsea were to win the final it would be ‘enormous’ for Pochettino

He worried for the Blues after their 4-1 loss to the Reds, but felt the final was now a 50-50 game

‘After the game at Anfield, I was thinking about the Carabao Cup final and just basically thinking how are Chelsea going to live with Liverpool?’ he added.

‘I didn’t give Chelsea a chance, but because of Chelsea’s recent form and Liverpool’s lengthy injury list, I think this is a 50-50 game.

‘It wasn’t a 50-50 game a couple of weeks ago. It was so one-sided. Liverpool were so superior. They were so dominant.’