Chelsea come away from Wembley with runners-up medals and a bitter sense of disappointment after lacking out on penalties in a recreation they may actually have received in 90 minutes.
Having three disallowed targets is all the time going to provide the feeling you deserved to win, particularly in a recreation the place you additionally missed some good probabilities. If you then think about that your whole outfield contingent scored their penalties, a defeat is even tougher to grasp.
However Thomas Tuchel was on the pitch talking together with his gamers in a huddle as they waited for his or her comfort prizes, and in a quick interview afterwards he defined what he was telling them. He had instructed them to not really feel disheartened by the loss, and that they’d performed all they may to win the sport, which might have gone both method.
That will likely be simpler stated than performed for a few of them, but it surely’s not simply an empty platitude. Chelsea had been genuinely wonderful in opposition to one of many world’s strongest groups, and in defeat put in a greater efficiency than they’ve in lots of their victories over the past two months.
Lacking out on the league cup hurts – but when the gamers can use it to encourage themselves for the larger and higher competitions which are nonetheless there to be received, it is going to all be worthwhile.
