Allen Hamilton
What: England Premier League
Who: Liverpool (16th; 12 points) vs Chelsea (1st; 25 points)
When: Sunday 7th November, 2010, at 16:00 UK time
Where: Anfield, Liverpool, England
Onwards and Hopefully Upwards
It’s hard to know what to make of Liverpool at present. On the surface, the future at Anfield should be bright. New owners have come in, in the shape of New England Sports Ventures, debt payments have been slashed from around £25-30M per year to £2-3M, and money has been promised for transfers. Another announcement from Liverpool this week was that the former Tottenham Hotspur and Saint-Etienne technical director Damien Comolli has been appointed as director of football strategy. So, the club should be moving onwards and, hopefully upwards.
However, things are not that simple. Current manager Roy Hodgson is one of the most unpopular appointments in recent years and, whatever amount of goodwill he had in the bank, was used up in record time during the first two months of the season. A midweek win over Napoli, inspired by Steven Gerrard, and hot on the heels of a win at Bolton Wanderers, has still not convinced Reds fans that the former Fulham boss should continue in his job. Victory over Chelsea would surely suggest Liverpool are capable of a run up the league and, given the stuttering form of their top four rivals, looks achievable if Hodgson can coax a bit more from his squad. And Hodgson, for what it is worth, is confident Chelsea are not unbeatable. "I don’t think any team is unstoppable. All teams, however good they are, are stoppable. All teams have bad days. All teams lose matches. They might not lose many in a season, but they will lose some."
An Efficient Blue Machine
Carlo Ancelotti is presiding over a Chelsea side that appears capable of conquering all in their path. Sat on top of the league, The Blues have rarely looked like being dethroned and brushed aside the challenge of Spartak Moscow in midweek Champions League action by four goals to one. Last weekend, Chelsea were made to work hard by Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park and, in many ways, the performance was a welcome one. Though Blackburn were not steamrollered, Ancelotti’s side had to roll their sleeves up and dig deep to take all three points – a sure sign of champions.
Indeed, the Stamford Bridge outfit owe their fine form to the potent combination of a miserly backline (their defence has conceded only three Premier League goals in ten games) and a lethal attack. Ancelotti has singled out Nicolas Anelka for praise especially, saying the former Liverpool striker is in the form of his life. "Overall, I believe that he is in the best moment of his career", said the Italian. Chelsea can also call upon a good record at Anfield of late, having won here for the past two seasons.
Recent form
Liverpool:
Liverpool 2-1 Blackburn Rovers
(24/10; Premier League)
Bolton Wanderers 0-1 Liverpool
(31/10; Premier League)
Liverpool 3-1 Napoli
(04/11; Europa League)
Chelsea:
Chelsea 2-0 Wolves
(23/10; Premier League)
Blackburn Rovers 1-2 Chelsea
(30/10; Premier League)
Chelsea 4-1 Spartak Moscow (03/11; Champions League)
Key absences
Liverpool: Joe Cole; Ryan Babel (doubt); Daniel Agger (doubt); Dirk Kuyt (doubt)
Chelsea: Jose Bosingwa (doubt); Yossi Benayoun; Frank Lampard (doubt); Michael Essien (doubt)
Players to watch
Liverpool – Steven Gerrard: "He is playing in a very dangerous position for us, a little bit behind [Fernando] Torres and we have to control his position during the game because he will be able to give final passes for Torres and be dangerous when he shoots from distance", so says Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti. After his virtuoso performance and hat-trick against Napoli, there is no doubt Steven Gerrard is in fantastic form. And The Blues boss knows it too. He could be key.
Chelsea – John Terry: The Chelsea stalwart knows how difficult a trip to Anfield can be, but the England defender also knows all about Fernando Torres. Stop Torres and a major source of goals for Liverpool is blunted instantly. Terry knows his team-mates will make chances at the other end, that much is certain, but having been a key part of such a strong defence this season, the defender needs to keep up the good work – and stop the Spaniard.
Match prediction
Liverpool have seen their form pick up a little and will be determined to record what could be a season defining win over the champions. Chelsea meanwhile have shown they can mix it no matter how hard the going. The game may rest on who strikes first; should Chelsea get the first goal it is hard to see Liverpool coming back against a defence bang in form, while a Liverpool breach of the Chelsea backline will spread belief. Even so, Chelsea to grind out a 1-0 or 2-0 victory.
