Malo Gusto has emphasised that youth should not serve as an excuse for Chelsea’s underperformance this season.
He has set his sights on defeating Liverpool in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final to rejuvenate the team and propel them beyond their struggles in the midtable of the Premier League.
Chelsea’s turbulent season, marked by spells of poor form, has often directed scrutiny towards manager Mauricio Pochettino.
The young squad recognises that clinching silverware at Wembley could serve as the spark needed to reignite their campaign.
At just 20 years old, Gusto is among several key players in Chelsea’s squad who are under the age of 25, including Enzo Fernández, Cole Palmer, Moisés Caicedo, Nicolas Jackson, Mykhailo Mudryk, and Conor Gallagher. Despite their youth, Gusto insists that age should not hinder their performance on the pitch.
“Yes, we have to take the opportunity,” Gusto said. “We don’t have a choice. We have to win every game. We are young but it is not an excuse.
“We have a lot of quality and we want to win everything. We are Chelsea. It’s a good opportunity for us to improve and keep pushing.
“Of course, I have a big chance, and the team as well, to win a trophy early in the season. I think it can be nice for our mentality to help us become better until the end of the season.”
With Chelsea currently positioned ninth in the Premier League table, securing a domestic cup victory may emerge as their sole pathway to European football next season.
“Yeah, it’s a new project. I think maybe we have to take more time than the other teams,” Gusto said.
“This trophy can be good for this young team. We are young but in the pitch it’s not about how old you are, you know? You have to keep pushing game after game.”
Injuries to Reece James, a player Gusto has admired for some time, opened up a place at right-back for him this season.