Excitement expected as Chelsea continue cup quest at Anfield . Having blitzed Swansea City with a five-goal salvo on Saturday that cemented their position as Premier League title favourites, Chelseas pursuit of silverware takes a midweek detour to Anfield, where they face Liverpool in the first leg of an eagerly anticipated Capital One Cup semifinal tie. Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho hailed Chelseas victory at the Liberty Stadium as the perfect game, and its difficult to find fault with his observation. From the first minute to the last, Mourinhos players were on top against Swansea, and supporters of the London club will be hoping for more of the same against Liverpool knowing a good result against Brendan Rodgers team on Merseyside will balance the tie in Chelseas favour for the return leg at Stamford Bridge. The prize for an aggregate victory is a trip to Wembley at the beginning of March and an opportunity for Mourinho to secure his first trophy for Chelsea since returning to the Bridge in June 2013. The great news for Chelsea fans is the fact that the Capital One Cup, and indeed all cup competitions in which Chelsea participate in while the Special One is in charge, are taken very seriously. Mourinho may have a squad of world-class players to call on and a bevy of talented youngsters to supplement them, but analysis of his starting XIs highlight the importance to the Portuguese of always fielding a side that wont leave supporters who have purchased a ticket for a Chelsea game feeling cheated. Against Swansea, Mourinho fielded the strongest, most experienced side available to him. Petr Cech and Filipe Luis were more than capable deputies for Thibaut Courtois and the injured Cesar Azpilicueta, while Gary Cahill was restored to the centre of defence at the expense of young Kurt Zouma. Branislav Ivanovic, John Terry, Nemanja Matic, Cesc Fabregas, Oscar, Willian, Eden Hazard and Diego Costa completed the team and, despite the FA CUP match with Bradford looming four days later, minimal rotation can be expected at Anfield. Zouma could return to the team, and Andre Schurrle, who enjoyed a goal-scoring 15 minutes cameo against Swansea, may be promoted from the substitutes bench, other than that it would be a great surprise if Mourinho shuffled his pack significantly. Since that New Years Day wobble at White Hart Lane when Chelsea conceded five goals and set supporters hearts a flutter with concerns about defensive robustness, they have racked up three consecutive clean sheets scoring 10 goals in the process. Now, the Spurs debacle looks like it was just a bad day at the office. One game too many at the end of a busy period. Mourinho and his players regrouped swiftly and its been business as usual once more with all eyes on the four prizes still available to the London club. The Chelsea manager recently highlighted the importance of winning trophies as opposed to just winning games. There is no history without titles, he said after the Swansea game. If we play fantastically well but we dont win cups, I think in 20 years time nobody will remember this team. Mourinho is right. In 2005, during his first sojourn at Stamford Bridge he masterminded League Cup and Premier League triumphs and, ten years on, Chelsea supporters recall the players that achieved such great success fondly -- they will still remember them in another ten years. Liverpool represent the next obstacle in Mourinho and Chelseas quest for silverware, and while Liverpool supporters love nothing more than talking up the Anfield clubs history while proclaiming Chelsea have none, in recent years the London club have amassed trophies and set records, while the Merseyside outfit have flattered to deceive. Last season, Rodgers men had the chance to win the Premier League only to see the title slip, literally, from their grasp on a sunny Sunday April afternoon at Anfield when a mistake by legendary Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard allowed Demba Ba to race away and score. In the end, Chelsea won the game, Liverpool didnt and Manchester City stole the title away. The memories and pain are still there for Liverpool, and Rodgers and his players will be supremely motivated to avenge that defeat by beating Chelsea. Liverpool are in a rich vein of form going into the game; unbeaten in eight matches and Mourinho will be wary of the threat that Liverpool pose at Anfield. With so much at stake, an exciting game looks in prospect with referee Martin Atkinson likely to be the focal point when big decisions are called for. Will Atkinson be prepared to give a penalty to Chelsea in front of the Kop should Hazard be clattered to the ground in the box in the last minute? Time will tell. Whatever the outcome, expect drama, expect controversy, expect the unexpected. Liverpool vs. Chelsea always delivers on every level. #tlaw
Posted on: Sun, 18 Jan 2015 22:00:11 +0000
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