Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino believed that the Blues are "awake" following recent results that have changed the trajectory of their season ahead of Sunday's League Cup final.
The upcoming clash with Liverpool at Wembley will mark the club's first final since co-owner Todd Boehly assumed control and initiated a substantial overhaul that has yet to yield success.
This comes after victories away at Aston Villa in the FA Cup and Crystal Palace in the Premier League, followed by a commendable away draw against champions Manchester City a week ago.
These three performances significantly shifted perceptions of Pochettino's team rebuilding efforts. The previous home game, a 4-2 defeat to Wolves at Stamford Bridge in early February, saw Chelsea jeered off the pitch by sections of their own fans.
Just days before, they suffered a resounding 4-1 defeat at Anfield against Sunday's opponents, displaying a disjointed performance that fell well below the expectations set by Boehly's hefty investment in recruitment, amounting to more than £1 billion.
Now, the Argentine coach is confident that the past three weeks have seen a considerable improvement in his players' readiness to compete against title-chasing Liverpool at Wembley.
“We will need to manage some moments during the game,” he said. “But I think in the last few weeks we’ve learned a lot, we’ve stepped up from [the defeat at Anfield]. We arrive with very good momentum.
“After competing against Villa, Palace and Manchester City, it’s provided the team with the confidence and the trust.
“The team is awake to the competition. There was a click to change in the way we compete, that we were missing in the first half of the season.
“The circumstances are completely different (now), for us and for (Liverpool).”
Since the Anfield game, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has grappled with a number of key injuries, including Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson Becker, Diogo Jota, and Curtis Jones.
Pochettino faces his own selection concerns, with Thiago Silva's fitness to be evaluated after missing the last three matches.
Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez is back from injury, but Djordje Petrovic, who has impressed since stepping into the side in early December, could retain his place.
