Mauricio Pochettino said he is “desperate” to win the Carabao Cup and end his wait for a first trophy in English football after Chelsea's 6-1 semi-final second leg victory against Middlesbrough sealed a clash against Fulham or Liverpool in next month's Wembley final.
Pochettino, appointed Chelsea head coach last summer, failed to win a trophy for five and a half years at Tottenham, losing both the 2015 Carabao Cup final and the 2019 Champions League final with the club.
But the former Paris Saint-Germain coach said winning the Carabao Cup next month would be a big moment for both him and his young team, who have struggled in the Premier League this season.
“I'm desperate to win a title here,” Pochettino said in his post-match press conference. “There's your headline! We won three trophies in Paris in 18 months and we want to win here. I'm desperate to win, of course.
“Fulham or Liverpool are two incredible teams, so it will be difficult, but now is the time to believe that we can win. It is an important step for us.”
Only Manchester City have won more trophies than Chelsea among English teams over the last decade, and the Stamford Bridge team has won every major honour, domestic and European, at least once during that period.
But with Pochettino building a young team at Chelsea, he said the importance of reaching a final is greater for the players than for the club as a whole.
“What Chelsea is and what the team is are two different things,” Pochettino said. “Chelsea's history, their ability to win titles and score goals, means it is a challenge to be at this incredible club.
“We have had to build a team since the start of the season, so being in a Wembley final is good. But we have to win it. Chelsea are looking to win the Champions League, but we are at Wembley and it is important for us and important for the club.
“For this young team, the experience of going to Wembley will be a confidence-builder. “For Chelsea as a club, the mentality is already amazing, but for the team it is good for the players.
“We are improving. We are competing in many things again and reaching a final was the first goal of the season.
“We are improving because we believe. Don't listen too much when we are not doing well, stay focused and see reality as we need to see it.”
Championship side Middlesbrough traveled to Chelsea after winning the first leg 1-0 at the Riverside Stadium, but manager Michael Carrick admitted his side were unable to cope with a ruthless opponent in the second leg.
“The game fell apart pretty quickly,” Carrick said. “It was really brutal. We came here with hopes, but in the end we were punished for a couple of mistakes.”
