Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has bluntly responded to Gary Neville’s ‘bottlejob’ jibe after Chelsea’s FA Cup Fifth-Round win over Leeds United. The Argentine said the former Manchester United star was wrong to use such a word to describe his “brave” unit.
Neville Took Shots At Chelsea After Their Carabao Cup Defeat To Liverpool
A star-studded Chelsea faced an injury-ridden Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday (February 25). The two teams exchanged blows over the 90 but there was nothing to separate them. Skipper Virgil van Dijk scored the game’s first and only goal in the 118th minute, sealing a 1-0 victory for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Neville brashly criticized Chelsea’s performance against the Reds, calling them “billion-pound bottle jobs”.
He said (via The Daily Mail):
“It’s Klopp’s kids against the blue billion pound bottlejobs. For Chelsea, I’ve got no sympathy whatsoever.”
Pochettino Says Manchester United Legend Was Wrong In His Assessment
Chelsea faced Leeds United in the Fifth Round of the FA Cup on Wednesday night (February 28) — three days after their Carabao Cup upset. The Pensioners did not do anything to write home about, needing Conor Gallagher to pop up with a last-gasp goal to seal a 3-2 victory over the Whites. But it was a much-appreciated result for the struggling giants.
After the game, Pochettino responded to Neville’s claim, saying (via The Daily Mail):
“It is not fair to use this type of word for a team that is so brave.
“What can we do? Only with this type of performance, show that we are brave. Why we lost the game against Liverpool is nothing to do with this.”
He added:
“We know we are brave, that we are working really hard, and, look, if people want to be around and around and around this comment, for us, it is not important.
“It is only sorry, you were wrong, but look, nothing to say. I respect his opinion and that’s it and we won.”
Chelsea had five shots on target against Leeds United but the quality of most of those shots were below par. They ended the game with an xG of 0.99. Leeds, meanwhile, had an xG of 1.45. Chelsea also created only two big chances, as opposed to Leeds’ four.
They will face Leicester City in the FA Cup quarter-finals on March 16.
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