Premier League preview: Liverpool v Chelsea
A penny for Martin Broughton’s thoughts on Sunday afternoon.
The Liverpool chairman, who was appointed two weeks ago solely to aid the sale of the club to new owners, is a Chelsea fan and season ticket holder. He’ll sit in the Anfield directors’ box at the weekend knowing that his team could potentially be 90 minutes away from a third Premier League title in six years, but standing in their way is the club that he now works for, and a defeat for Liverpool would end their chances of a fourth placed finish and Champions League football next season, thus surely harming their appeal to new investors. So what does he want to happen?
He’s unlikely to influence Rafael Benitez’s team selection, as the two have reportedly yet to speak since Broughton, the chairman of British Airways, landed at the club.
Far more likely to have a bearing on things is Liverpool’s Europa League exit last night, a heart-breaking, energy-sapping extra time loss to Atlético Madrid that plunged their campaign even further into darkness, just when they thought that there was no lower to go.
A win for Liverpool would of course virtually hand the title to Manchester United, giving them 19 league crowns and sending them clear of the Reds at the top of English football’s domestic roll of honour. No-one at Anfield would enjoy seeing that, but suggestions that Liverpool will let Chelsea win have been scoffed at by the Reds.
“I don't play for Chelsea,” said goalkeeper Pepe Reina, and how Liverpool supporters are glad of that.
“I play for my team and my supporters,” the Reds’ best player of the campaign continued, “we will try to deliver a last home win of the season. We play to win on Sunday.”
That’s that then, but playing to win and being good enough to win are different matters entirely. There might still be a slim chance of the Reds qualifying for the Champions League, but it is positively anorexic. A point is still needed to assure European football of any kind next season, but Liverpool are shattered after their exhausting Atlético experience, and they are about to play the strongest team in the league.
Chelsea’s 7-0 hammering of Stoke last time out showcased all of their attacking talents, and they’ll head to Anfield without any fear.
Carlo Ancelotti can smell the title. He’s been freely admitting that “it’s in their hands” without picking up on the negative, tension-building tendencies that that phrase has conjured up for other managers in recent seasons. Still working on his English, he probably doesn’t understand them, but that is proving to be a positive thing.
The Blues will be favourites at Anfield, and they will relish that tag.
Liverpool won’t make it easy for them, but changes to their line-up are inevitable following a mentally and physically demanding few days. That will pay into Chelsea’s hands, and they’d love to take a giant step towards the title at a club who have become one of their bitterest rivals in recent years.
The Reds will come out fighting, they’ll try to win, but will probably just fall short. If the title really is in Chelsea’s hands, then they could be about to tighten their grip.
Just don’t expect the bitter pill of defeat to be as hard to swallow as usual for Liverpool.
Prediction: Liverpool 1 Chelsea 2
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