CARLO ANCELOTTI will experience the antipathy that rains down upon Chelsea on visits to Anfield for the first time tomorrow but insists Liverpool should respect their visitors’ “different history” as his side seek the victory that could yet win them the Premier League title.
Games between the two have been explosive since Roman Abramovich’s money transformed Chelsea into title contenders seven years ago. The Champions League meetings, whether the nouveau riche club were coached by Jose Mourinho, Avram Grant or Guus Hiddink, were fractious affairs with Liverpool’s supporters basking in bellowed reminders of their club’s five European Cups and 18 league championships.
That last record could be lost to Manchester United should Chelsea fail to secure their third league title under Abramovich’s ownership, though Ancelotti, whose Milan side confronted Rafael Benitez’s Liverpool in the Champions League finals of 2005 and 2007, called for a show of respect ahead of tomorrow’s encounter.
“The past is the past,” the Italian said. “The Liverpool players will be focused on this game, only this. Everyone respects the history of Liverpool. Everyone has to have respect for our history, too. Maybe it’s a different history, but everyone has to have respect for the history of this club.”
Ancelotti expects an awkward challenge tomorrow despite Liverpool’s elimination from the Europa League by Atletico Madrid on Thursday and their season of desperate underachievement under Benitez.
He will take heart from the absence of the injured Fernando Torres – whom he described as “one of the most important strikers in the world” – but will stress to his players the need to focus and spring from the blocks as they seek to avoid the sloppiness that cost them dearly in their recent defeat at Tottenham Hotspur.
Asked what his final message would be to his players before they run out at Anfield, Ancelotti said: “I will say the opposite to what I said before the Tottenham game. But for this kind of game, motivation will not be a problem. We have 180 minutes before the end of the season and, if we stay focused for every one of those minutes and keep our concentration, we can be champions. We will win if we play at our best; we have to believe that we are able to win against Liverpool.
“We have had some problems and lost a lot of away games, particularly after going 1-0 up at places like Everton and Aston Villa. But every game is a different story. The performance against Stoke last weekend will be good for us because, after we won 7-1 against Aston Villa, we went to Manchester United and won at Old Trafford. I hope we can repeat that same level of performance.”
John Terry will return to the visitors’ starting line-up after his one-match suspension against Stoke, with Branislav Ivanovic expected to revert to right-back at the expense of Paulo Ferreira.
It is more than five years since Chelsea last won a league game at Anfield – Hiddink’s team did triumph there in the Champions League quarter-final last season – with Ancelotti wary of the threat their wounded hosts will pose and intent on snuffing out the dangerous Steven Gerrard, his nemesis in the 2005 final in Istanbul.
“We must pay attention to him because he’s their best player and so much of their play goes through his feet and his mind,” he said. “But Liverpool are a strong team and it’s difficult to win at Anfield. We’re up against a strong team with fantastic players in a difficult atmosphere.
“They played for two hours on Thursday night so, maybe, they’ll be a little bit tired, but I’ve never seen Liverpool look tired at Anfield. They play strongly every game, and will do again on Sunday. I think Sunderland will do their best to beat United and Liverpool will do the same against us.
“But we know that, with two victories, we will be champions, so we have to focus on our games and that is it. Our aim at the start of the season was to win something. Now, 15 days from the end of the season, we are still involved in two important competitions. At the moment, I have a good feeling about things.”
