Jose Mourinho's tedious mind-games are in full-swing ahead of Liverpool's crunch-match with Chelsea this weekend. Brendan Rodgers insisted today that reports indicating Chelsea may field a weakened side don't bother him 'one iota', but if Mourinho actually goes down that route, Arsenal legend Paul Merson believes it could be another Anfield annihilation.
Discussing the LFC-Chelsea game in his Sky Sports column today, Merson argued that it's 'disrespectful to put out a weakened team', and suggested that Mourinho's team may suffer the same fate as his beloved Arsenal. He noted:
"It wouldn't surprise me if they [LFC] won this easily. I'm not convinced Chelsea's team will be that weak and a draw would be ample good enough for Liverpool, but if Mourinho does rest his whole team then it could be 4-0".
Given Mourinho's antipathy towards Liverpool, and the fact he clearly hates losing against the Reds (nine years after it happened, he's still going on about the so-called 'ghost goal'!), I find it hard to believe that he will play a 'weakened' team against LFC.
* For a start, with Ramires, Terry, and Cech missing, the team is already weakened.
* Matic, Salah, and Oscar didn't play against Atletico Madrid, so they'll be fresh and almost certainly in the starting line-up. All three are top class players.
* Hazard hasn't played recently due to injury, and may return. If Mourinho wants to use him in the CL second-leg against Atletico, then Hazard will need to build-up some match-fitness first.
* It's always better to go into an important CL game after a victory and full of confidence. If Chelsea go into the game on the back of a defeat, it could be counter-productive.
Whatever anyone thinks about Mourinho, he is a winner, and I submit that it will go against every principle of his personal philosophy to accede victory to Liverpool before a ball is even kicked. The Portuguese will know that a win on Sunday will put a major crimp in the Reds' title chances, and put Chelsea right back in the game, so, privately, I'm sure he's desperate to win.
Ultimately, it doesn't matter, though. Whatever team Mourinho puts out will be dismantled by Liverpool, and if LFC inflict upon Chelsea an embarrassingly heavy defeat, it will be one of the most satisfying victories of the season.
Author: Jaimie K
Discussing the LFC-Chelsea game in his Sky Sports column today, Merson argued that it's 'disrespectful to put out a weakened team', and suggested that Mourinho's team may suffer the same fate as his beloved Arsenal. He noted:
"It wouldn't surprise me if they [LFC] won this easily. I'm not convinced Chelsea's team will be that weak and a draw would be ample good enough for Liverpool, but if Mourinho does rest his whole team then it could be 4-0".
Given Mourinho's antipathy towards Liverpool, and the fact he clearly hates losing against the Reds (nine years after it happened, he's still going on about the so-called 'ghost goal'!), I find it hard to believe that he will play a 'weakened' team against LFC.
* For a start, with Ramires, Terry, and Cech missing, the team is already weakened.
* Matic, Salah, and Oscar didn't play against Atletico Madrid, so they'll be fresh and almost certainly in the starting line-up. All three are top class players.
* Hazard hasn't played recently due to injury, and may return. If Mourinho wants to use him in the CL second-leg against Atletico, then Hazard will need to build-up some match-fitness first.
* It's always better to go into an important CL game after a victory and full of confidence. If Chelsea go into the game on the back of a defeat, it could be counter-productive.
Whatever anyone thinks about Mourinho, he is a winner, and I submit that it will go against every principle of his personal philosophy to accede victory to Liverpool before a ball is even kicked. The Portuguese will know that a win on Sunday will put a major crimp in the Reds' title chances, and put Chelsea right back in the game, so, privately, I'm sure he's desperate to win.
Ultimately, it doesn't matter, though. Whatever team Mourinho puts out will be dismantled by Liverpool, and if LFC inflict upon Chelsea an embarrassingly heavy defeat, it will be one of the most satisfying victories of the season.
Author: Jaimie K
Chelsea can do what they want. As long as we win.
ReplyDeleteI'd buy that for a dollar. You can only beat the team that's in front of you, as the cliché goes, and Chelsea have a host of excellent players throughout the squad. First or second string, I'm looking forward to watching us tear them a new one. Recently I'm finding that I need to ply myself with less booze to get through a Liverpool game - that's progress!
ReplyDeletechelsea can do what they want as long as they lose and sanctions are applied whereby all russian owned assets are frozen and in chavskis case , closed down, destroyed, never to be seen again and let the rest of the league(mans*itty excluded) get back to winning trophies instead of buying them...
ReplyDeleteEven if Chelsea field their strongest first 11, they will still lose to mighty Liverpool. Chelsea will start with weakened team because they know that Chelsea will definitelt will lose at Anfield. YNWA
ReplyDeleteSick post,bitter liverpool fans...y'all jealous...I'm sure mancity will win the league...little mercyside club#liverpool
ReplyDeleteLove the psyche of a Liverpool fan, "they'll insult football if they play a weakened team!" "They don't have a weakened team!". "If if they started with their strongest team we'd still win" "Chelsea don't have a weakened team, still cost more than ours" blimey Chillax CFC only have to look after themselves, no one else.
ReplyDeleteI believe you find yourself in the wrong blog, and also devoid of spelling skills. But the fact remains that we have dismantled nearly every team that came to anfield and Chelsea won't be any different, albeit harder because I'm sure Jose is going to play his usual negative 19th century football.
ReplyDeleteHazard will not play. That was in "Het Belang van Limburg" yesterday. This weakened team gets on my nerves too though. Chelsea will put out a team of internationals that everyone, including myself, said before the season would win the league. Sure losing Cech and Terry will hurt them but it's not as if they have Carles Itandje and Pascal Cygan as a backup. We can beat whatever they can put out there and we don't need any favours to win the title either. And Arsenal got hammered because we were much much better and not because they put out a weakened side either.
ReplyDeleteWhat a Tool
ReplyDeleteFavours? Reality is its a weakened side. They've lost the bed rock of their defence, their most creative player. Just because they have played for their country does not mean they'll just waltz into the team and gel like a title winning side. Imagine Going into the game, without Mignolet, Gerrard, Suarez, and Stirling. Think you'd be saying that's a weakened Liverpool side.
ReplyDeleteHmmmm, think that seems to be the attitude of the landed gentry and their right to rule by birth right. Chelsea have spent a huge amount of money, but so have Liverpool (around £228 million). Just like in the 70's and 80's you enjoyed the backing of the Moores family, Chelsea are now stepping away from the purse strings of Abramovich. And thanks to Platini and the European Mafia no club can ever do what City and Chelsea have done. Thanks to FFP
ReplyDeleteAs a Gooner I hope you lot stuff Chelski to secure the title, don't give them a sniff.
ReplyDeleteLove it, how starved are Gooners of success that they have to try and share the glory of another team winning the league.
ReplyDeleteThe atmosphere will be rocking, the banners and flags galore.....................let's give it to the PLASTICS....................every time a PLASTIC touches the ball boo him...........................as we did against City..............the 12th man is back in town.
ReplyDeleteCorrect.
ReplyDeleteCare in the community lives on.................LOL.
ReplyDelete2-1 is probably the best I could come up with. Similar to Sunderland game. Liverpool's victory, if achieved, will be due to absence of Terry. No matter how loathsome, he is still the rock behind the chelsea team. Mourinho will struggle without a rock like him. None of his teams have performed in the absence of their defensive leader (Carvalho, Ramos, Zanetti/Matarazzi, etc) The funniest part he's never bought any of these before working with them first. Terry's retirement will doom Chelsea.
ReplyDeleteChelsea will be one paced in the centre of midfield, we will rinse them for pace straight through there!!!
ReplyDeleteWould that be Liverpool PL's third highest spenders
ReplyDeleteMerson actually predicts a 2-2 draw though in his piece, at the end
ReplyDeleteCarry the title with humility or become as vilified as Chelsea
ReplyDeleteJosie's limping little horses are going to be well and truly stuffed first by us and then by A Madrid - one trick ponies . Fielding a weaker side gives Moanrinho a cop out when he loses ....... never his fault .
ReplyDeleteshut it
ReplyDeleteWishful thinking on that point. Chelsea signed a monster of a player in Kurt Zouma and have Christensen coming through the ranks.
ReplyDeleteThink Ancellotti carried the title (sorry Double) with great humility?
ReplyDeleteMourinho will try to do what lesser teams have done and turn this in to a 20 minute game. He will park the bus for most of the game and use Hazard from the bench. I can see a starting line up consisting of 3 CBs (Ivanovic included) as well as Matic and Mikel. This WILL be the hardest game of the season. He will make sure of it.
ReplyDeleteChelsea are missing 5 first team players that would have played versus Liverpool due to injury and suspension.
ReplyDeleteTerry, Cech, Hazard and Eto'o, with Ramires suspended for another piece of unaddressed thuggery.
This is nothing to do with the FA, UEFA or anybody else. It's bad luck and bad timing butthey have an expensively assembled squad, time to use it now.
Matic and Salah are cup tied so they would have played regardless. Lamps and Mikel suspended so 2 more no brainers.
A win for us followed by Pulis doing us a favour, would require a mere point from last 2 games would give us the title.
Mourinho has been very skilled to keep talk of them collapsing at a vital stage of the season out of the press. 3 losses in 6 league games, could 've 4 from 7 in 30 hours 😛
Wenger would be accused of bottling it if situation was reversed
Ahh I take it your not talking about this season alone then? Also net spend presumably? Over what time frame? 5th highest wages in the prem currently. Our gross spend is 6th this season and net spend is 4th (Spurs selling Bale for stupid money doesn't hide how much they have spent though). Considering we were 7th placed last year having the seventh highest spend and 5th highest wages I would say that we are doing quite well. I suppose net is important these days as we didn't sell our best player and are doing well from it. Sorry that you gooners have had to put up with that for so long but doing it does warp the spending charts slightly doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the FA cup. Hope you lose your remaining league games though.
Yes but we have a smaller squad. Look at the difference in experience alone. Sterling is 19, Mings is 26 but that is not old for a keeper. Our replacements would not cost anywhere near theirs.
ReplyDeleteAgain I ask time frame? Truth is whatever we have spent we are coming from a weaker position. Plus we have worked hard recently to work on cutting down wage bill like I have said currently 5th in the league. Conventional wisdom dictates that wage bill usually reflects place in the league (not alwaYs the case with QPR having a higher wage bill than Atletico). Also we have spent the 5th highest net this season and 6th gross. So considering we were 7th that is not bad going.
ReplyDeleteAlso It's not our fault Wenger has always sold his best players warping the net spend of your club. Your club has spent more (gross) than ours the last 3 seasons.
And stop voting yourself up its pathetic.
ReplyDeletePoint is Wenger and arsenal are not in CL semi finals and are fighting for fourth place. Lukaku bottling it and crying off to Everton for easy first team action due to his concerns about World Cup place has him relying on aged players.
ReplyDeletePace is always dangerous unless you play deep with two banks of 4-5. Flood midfield, make it physical, CFC use physical power to ver come Stirling and Sturridge. It's a shame that injuries and suspensions (including Henderson) have robbed this game of a fascinating encounter.
Are you suggesting that this is not going to be a exciting game?
ReplyDeleteLukaku bottling it? Is that the spin to let Jose off is it? Rather than him not seeing the best striker at his disposal this season. Rewrite history all you want but if Lukaku had stayed with you plastics this season you would be top of the league right now.
ReplyDeleteCFC use 19th century tactics you mean? Kicking players, niggling play by parking the bus and throwing the ball up to Ba in the dying embers of the game? It is a shame that Remirez's thuggery has intensifies this season. I wonder why that is?!
How old are you Gregg, cos either your suffering from Parkinson's or in the middle of potty training??
ReplyDeleteKicking players FFS never heard of Case or Souness.
As for Lukaku Jose asked him to stay and fight for his place. Had he done so he would have been 1st choice and certainly we'd have had a weapon to fight the likes of 4-5-1. Lukaku decided at the late hour he wanted to go on loan as he was concerned for his WC place and Benteke's form from the previous year. He fell out with Mourinho and will be sold to Madrid as a part deal for Costa.
Think tense is the word.
ReplyDeleteFair point. Heard of them but didn't see them in their pomp.
ReplyDeleteI thought Lukaku was supposed to be going to WBA for ages and that fell through when Everton came in. Could Jose have told him to stay? If he had seen him as first choice why not tell Lukaku that?!
Wow imagine if those one trick ponies manage to find another trick. Their season has been so poor fighting for the title and getting to the CL semi finals. Mock all you want, enjoy your title, but next year is another battle
ReplyDeleteThat was the falling out. Anyway it's your big day Sunday. Enjoy I'll leave you boys to chat
ReplyDeleteHow's he going to park the bus without a bus driver?
ReplyDeleteMore like painful for the plastic fans to watch.
ReplyDeleteNice to see that you have accepted defeat and that we are going to win the title playing the most exciting football and scoring the most goals ...... 27 more than your lot last time I looked . But then you always have Torres
ReplyDeleteAh yes, deflecting attention away from your own fans to one of your past managers. Chelsea fans deflecting the attention. Oh the irony!
ReplyDeleteRafa had Cahil and Ivanovic playing well together. I don't think they need Terry (was that who you mean?) as much as it has been made out. Matic is the player that I would have over all their players and he will definitely play.
ReplyDeleteIf you meant Cech that might be a good shout but Schwarzer is a decent keeper.
Chelsea will put out a full strength team. May not be their best, but their strength in depth is good enough for their second string to be at least as good as Man U's best 11.
ReplyDeleteSurely no-one can fail to understand JT is the bus driver Greg!? - IMO he's still the best EPL centre back/centre fwd and is a tremendous driving force for his Chelsea team. As a person I cannot stand the bloke but if I were the England Manager I would do my best to have him in the team for Brazil.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, I'll bet if he was released by Chelsea Rodgers would head the queue to sign him. - At least I'd expect him to be.
Mourinho will always probably have to something to complain about whenever he drops points ,we should only concentrate what we can do on the field by winning 1-0,2-1 i don't care how ugly it gets i just want to see him drag his sorry ass back to the bridge and complain all he wants.
ReplyDeleteJust hope that it doesn't get too dirty and we sustain injuries for our remaining matches
ReplyDeleteOur net spend for this seasons transfer dealings is 19 million. What's Chelsea's?
ReplyDeleteQPR's wage bill is higher than Dortmund too. Unbelievable. They could hold a seminar on how not to run a football club. Rangers would be the headline act, QPR supporting. Both great examples of why clubs need to be run responsibly and not just throw money around
ReplyDeleteWord on the street is that Jose's already started parking the bus since Wednesday... almost complete.
ReplyDeleteWith Chelsea's full Team playing, I would back us to win 2-1 or even 3-1. Not only that the Plastics had a mid week tough away CL game, but simply we are too hot for anyone at home. & I believe both Suarez & Sturridge 'll have extra fire against Chelsea.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's disrespectful for LFC if the Special Clown opts of sacrifice personal pride for the sake of his ass. After all those big mouth & free spendings, if the Wednesday night tie goes wrong, the Special Clown might need to find another stage for his verbal antics. The Mafia Don has abundance sources of louted money, but he also needs to buy something - might not like to end the day empty handed & could kick the Special Ass for the second time out of the whore house. If they field a weaken team, we need to make sure we get 3 points & if possible humiliate; but I 'll be quite happy with 1-0 against even the Blues Academy team.
However, for that the naughty man he is, I 'll not be surprised if he fields quite a strong squad. Without Terry, Ramirez, Cech & probably Hazard, it's already an understrength Chelsea team, but they have a big & deep squad, most of their reserves are quite good for a full season for any EPL mid-table team, so we must not be complacent. Win against Chelsea & a draw at Place 'll leave us to win the title against Newcastle at Anfield - I 'll take that every day of a week.
Chelsea squad is very deep and skilled. He would have to rest the top 6 to be 'weakened'. We need to approach this game like man c, Manu ,arsenal and Tottenham. Press early and often, not letting them breathe fee for a second. Their defense is strong so we need speed and great passing like we have shown in the big games. Can't wait but admit I am nervous.....
ReplyDeleteIt's his dirty tactics that scares me trying to be overly physical abd getting away with it .I just hope the Ref is strong enough to have greater control on mistime/stupid tackles like Eto on Hendo or Suarez .
ReplyDeleteBecause when we lose those players, we don't have the same quality player coming into the team.
ReplyDelete