Four Legendary Managers Who Triumphed After Losing Their First Cup Final
Arne Slot has experienced defeat in his first significant final match as Liverpool Manager – their 2-1 loss to Newcastle United At Wembley, there was a disappointing glitch during what has otherwise been an outstanding first season for Jurgen Klopp’s replacement.
Nevertheless, Liverpool maintain a significant 12-point advantage over pursuers Arsenal atop the Premier League standings as they head into the concluding phase. This presents them with a great chance to ensure that their defeat in the League Cup final fades from memory swiftly.
Slot would not be the first manager to bounce back from the disappointment of losing their first cup final in England. We’ve identified four managers who went on to achieve great success after suffering an early setback.
Rafael Benitez
Jose Mourinho’s first piece of silverware in English football was the League Cup in 2005, an important early springboard for everything else he’d go on to achieve with Chelsea.
Mourinho’s Chelsea claimed the title at Liverpool’s expense, with the latter having a fresh presence on their bench that season in the form of Rafael Benitez.
Although the league performance was uneven—BenÃtez’s Liverpool ended up four positions and 37 points below Mourinho’s Chelsea—the disappointing loss from the extra time in the 3-2 defeat at the Millennium Stadium was quickly forgotten.
Three months later, they emerged as the European champions following another nail-biting final that went down to the wire.
Mauricio Pochettino
"What success?" some of you might be wondering. And that’s a valid point to raise.
Pochettino was dismissed by Tottenham following five years without silverware in November 2019. However, such a statement would significantly undersell the profound impact he made at the club.
Seven years after Juande Ramos led Tottenham Hotspur to an unexpected victory over Chelsea in the 2008 League Cup final, Pochettino failed to replicate this success as his team suffered a rather tame 2-0 loss against Jose Mourinho’s side—Chelsea went on to dominate and win the Premier League that season as well.
Nevertheless, Pochettino’s first season as manager indicated significant potential, which was later fulfilled over the following years as the team evolved into a formidable force. In the 2016-17 campaign, they secured second place in the Premier League with an impressive total of 86 points. A few seasons afterward, they advanced to the UEFA Champions League final.
In the end, Spurs were unable to cross the finish line and claim any trophies under the Argentine coach. They will likely be remembered as one of English football's prominent 'almost' teams – unquestionably representing the finest squad Tottenham has fielded during the modern Premier League era.
Who can say how long it will take until they assemble another team of such caliber?
Jurgen Klopp
"Nothing so far because everyone needs to sense this right now," Klopp replied during his post-match Sky Sports interview when questioned about his comments to his team following Liverpool’s 2016 League Cup final loss to Man City via penalty shootout.
Obviously, this is how things go; you might stumble but then you must rise again, that's just the way it is.
We can't alter this game at present, but we must continue, of course we will keep going.
During that season, the Reds experienced more disappointments after losing in the Europa League final.
However, they continued nonetheless.
In the subsequent year, they secured a position within the top four. Following this achievement, they advanced to the Champions League final. Afterward, they clinched victory in that competition. They then went on to claim their inaugural Premier League title after a wait of thirty years for the club. Finally, they rounded off the treble by winning both the FA Cup and two League Cups.
READ: The three managers in English football history who have claimed victory in all four principal competitions.
Eddie Howe
The first English manager to claim a significant trophy since Harry Redknapp in 2008, Eddie Howe has etched his name into Newcastle United’s history by securing the club’s initial major domestic honor since 1955.
Two years following their defeat in the 2023 League Cup final against Manchester United, Howe’s team managed to advance further. They pulled off an upset, defeating the impending Premier League champions Liverpool at Wembley Stadium.
What did Newcastle do differently this time around? Apparently, not much – however, there was a small yet unexpectedly logistical alteration.
"The most significant alteration since 2023 has been our accommodation," the Newcastle manager stated to Sky Sports before the match began.
Our hotel was located just outside of London; back then, about two years ago, we were situated very close to Wembley. During that time, we absorbed all the excitement from the fans and the atmosphere, perhaps too soon in our development process.
Perhaps being off the beaten path might have a negligible impact.
Only time will reveal if this trophy will usher in a glorious new chapter for the Tyneside club, yet regardless of future developments, Howe has secured his status as a legendary figure at Newcastle United.
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TRY A QUIZ: Could you list all the managers who have won the League Cup since 1990?