Chelsea are reportedly undecided on the long-term future of head coach Mauricio Pochettino following the EFL Cup final defeat to Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.
The Wembley showdown with Jurgen Klopp's Reds presented the Blues with a chance to earn a piece of silverware during their first campaign under the stewardship of the Argentine.
Despite having a number of high-quality chances in normal time, Chelsea and Liverpool were both unable to break the deadlock within the 90 minutes, taking the contest to extra time.
After having a similar header ruled out by VAR earlier in the match, Reds captain Virgil van Dijk rose once again from a corner to secure his side's 10th triumph in the competition.
According to the Daily Mail, Pochettino faces an uncertain time at Chelsea after he failed to mastermind his team to success at Wembley on the weekend.
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The report claims that the head coach's future at Stamford Bridge will be massively impacted by whether the Blues manage to qualify for European football next season.
A spot in the playoff round of the Europa Conference League was on the line in Sunday's EFL Cup final, but now Chelsea will have to find another route onto the continental stage.
Under a mixture of Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Frank Lampard, Chelsea finished 12th in the Premier League season, missing out on European qualification by 17 points.
The Blues are currently 11th in the top-flight standings but just four points behind seventh-placed Brighton & Hove Albion, who have played a game more than the West Londoners.
It is understood that Todd Boehly and company do not wish to make a decision on the future of Pochettino before the end of the campaign, although a downturn in results could change the club's strategy.
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Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim is supposedly a man of significant interest to Chelsea, although a number of top European clubs are monitoring the Portuguese manager.
Although Bayer Leverkusen man Xabi Alonso has emerged as the clear frontrunner to be Klopp's successor on the Liverpool hotseat, it is believed that the Merseyside club are targeting 39-year-old Amorim as an alternative option to the Spaniard.
As one road to European football seized up, another is set to be explored further, with Chelsea battling Leeds United for a place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on Wednesday night.
Four-straight wins in the competition would see the Blues lift the FA Cup for the eighth time in their history, while simultaneously earning a spot in the league phase of next season's Europa League.
Carter White
