Chelsea legend Frank Leboeuf believes victory over Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final will transform the club’s fortunes on and off the pitch.
The former France international defender was a key member of Gianluca Vialli’s multi-trophy-winning Chelsea side, including the 1998 League Cup final win over Middlesbrough. A few months later he was at the heart of France’s World Cup Final defence when they thrashed Brazil.
In short, he knows what it takes to win and even though he rates Liverpool as the stronger side, he believes lifting the lesser of the three domestic trophies can have a huge impact on players and supporters alike.
“Winning the Carabao Cup is crucial for giving this Chelsea squad confidence moving forwards and for getting the fans back on side” Leboeuf said. “It would represent a huge step forward.
He added: “It’s crucial, but at the same time it’s not compulsory as them reaching the final has been so unexpected. I’m not expecting anything from this Chelsea team until next season when we can see how they recruit again in the summer.
“Most of these players have won nothing, so victory would bring confidence inside the dressing room. In that sense, it’s crucial for the future of the club.
“If you compare the two squads and the performances we’ve seen earlier in the season then you wouldn’t expect Chelsea to have any chance of winning. But we’ve seen lately that Chelsea have rectified their trajectory with their performances against Manchester City and Aston Villa where they played a more direct and faster game.
“They showed they can keep the ball when needed, defend well and score goals, which is why I’m optimistic about Chelsea’s chances. The City game will have given them lots of confidence going into this one, it’s exactly what they needed.”
Lebouef, speaking to BETVICTOR, also revealed he could have been speaking as a Liverpool legend had he taken up an offer to sign for the Merseyside club.
Embed from Getty Images“Liverpool tried to sign me when Gerard Houllier was in charge, just after the 2002 World Cup,” said Leboeuf. “I loved Steve McManaman and Robbie Fowler and players like that and I admired them in the 1970s, but they were not my club.
“I made a promise I would never play for another English club, because Chelsea made me. I get the opportunity to speak in many countries across the world, not because I won the World Cup or anything like that, but because I played for Chelsea.
“They are my club. Sometimes the club upsets me, especially in the last two years with the way it is being run, but it is still my club and I will defend them until my last breath.
“What I’ve seen recently from them gives me hope about a Chelsea result, and it’s a final where anything can happen. The injuries that Liverpool have in their squad gives Chelsea another opportunity, a big opportunity, to win the game, so it’s definitely possible. I think they could win 2-1.”
