Chelsea told player who 'doesn't want the ball' will cost them the Carabao Cup final vs Liverpool

The first silverware of the season will be secured in the Carabao Cup final when Chelsea take on Liverpool at Wembley.

The two sides will meet in the capital to see if Mauricio Pochettino can seal his first piece of silverware with the Blues, or if Jurgen Klopp can pick up at least one trophy in what will be his final season at Anfield.

This weekend, the Premier League will take a back seat for both sides, with Liverpool sitting at the summit of the top flight, with Chelsea tenth and facing an outside chance of European football in a difficult campaign at Stamford Bridge.

Team selection will be a key talking point when the line-ups are announced at 2pm on Sunday afternoon ahead of the Wembley showpiece kicking off an hour later.

Liverpool have a host of players already ruled out of the encounter, including Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson Becker, Curtis Jones, Diogo Jota, Thiago Alcantara, Stefan Bajcetic, Ben Doak and Joel Matip.

The likes of Darwin Nunez, Mo Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai meanwhile are all being monitored prior to the trip.

Chelsea meanwhile will be without Reece James, Benoit Badiashile, Carney Chukwuemeka, Marc Cucurella and Romeo Lavia, but could have goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and veteran defender Thiago Silva back available.

One player who is likely to start for Chelsea in the heart of defence is Axel Disasi, a summer signing from Monaco who has become a first choice for Pochettino.

But one man who believes Disasi's selection could cost Chelsea in the Wembley encounter is former Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood.

The ex-Blackburn Rovers midfielder believes Disasi's abilities in possession are lacking and believes he 'does not want the football' ultimately as he expressed concerns for Chelsea that the defender could end up costing them.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Sherwood said: "I think Chelsea’s best chance is to defend their box, pretty much what they did against Man City.

"Disasi is OK doing that. When you’re asking him to defend on the halfway line that’s when he struggles.

"He cannot handle the ball he’s got a leather allergy. His turning problem, he doesn’t want the football.

"He wants to defend the box, he wants to head it he wants to put his body on the line. That’s great if you’re defending the six-yard box or the 18-yard box.

"But if you’re Chelsea you cannot do that. You have to defend halfway line you have to find a partner who he’s comfortable with."

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He added: "If you ask him to defend the 18-yard box it’s pretty easy you haven’t got to move, you put your body on the line and you anticipate.

"When you’re asked to get up on the halfway line and Mo Salah is running at you and Nunez is chasing you down… let’s see how he does tomorrow.

"I hope he does well. I hope he’s got a bit of confidence because it looked like he loved celebrating a little blocked cross."

Time will tell if Disasi proves to be a matchwinner or an Achilles heel for Chelsea against Liverpool.

Topics: Chelsea, Liverpool, Carabao Cup

John McDougall