Something something Chelsea Football Club is in crisis (hint: they’re not). Following a 1-1 draw in leg one at Anfield, and a tough defeat to Bradford City in the F.A. Cup, at The Bridge, when leading 2-1 at halftime, the Blues look to rebound tonight in leg two of the Capital One Cup semifinal.
In the debut of a new series on this website, I spoke to Liverpool fan and writer at Read Liverpool, @SteHoare, to get his insight on his beloved club and the match:
Something I’m always interested in when talking to opposing fans is how their fandom started. Long story short, how did you become a Liverpool fan?
Family. My Dad, Mum and pretty much all of my family grew up as Liverpool fans, and that was passed on to me. Some kids in this city sometimes go against their parents and switch allegiances, but I don’t think that could’ve been the case for me, I might’ve been disowned!
Liverpool currently sit at 8th place in the Premier League table with 35 points, 17 points back from league-leading Chelsea. What has gone wrong with Liverpool this season?
We had a terrible start. We lost Luis Suarez to Barcelona and Daniel Sturridge to injury, and we didn’t replace the goals they scored. Added to that, our defence was extremely shaky and the goalkeeper had a massive dip too. The summer transfers needed time to settle, but we had to perform a bit better while they settled. Unfortunately, that didn’t turn out to be the case.
I would agree with that, for however much my opinion counts. Liverpool brought in multiple players over the summer, a la Spurs, and just need some time to settle in. I still don’t think they should’ve sold Suarez, though their hands were kind of tied.
What’s up with Mario Balotelli? How do you feel about his performance this season? Should he stay or leave?
There’s nothing really wrong with him as such, he’s just being Mario Balotelli. He has a lot of ability but I think his application can be questioned, but that’s the player we bought. At £16m, it was probably a risk worth taking but that signing needed to be complimented with a more suitable player too. When Sturridge got hurt, we were left without a similar type player, and that really hurt us.
What part(s) of your squad would you like to see strengthened in January? Who are some realistic names that could join Liverpool this transfer window?
I’d want a new goalkeeper and a striker. In terms of names, it’s tough really as nobody quite knows who’s available. Lacazzette maybe? Who knows?
I thought Chelsea claimed finders keepers on Lacazzette? Just kidding. The January transfer window can be tricky.
Unless the Los Angeles Galaxy pull a New York City FC, this will be Steven Gerrard’s last season with Liverpool. What will go down in history as your fondest memory of Gerrard?
Istanbul. He was unbelievable that day, especially in the second half and extra time. He played in numerous positions, and lead like a true captain should. There were players in that Liverpool team that quite simply weren’t that good, but Gerrard, along with a few others, guided that side to an amazing comeback against one of Europe’s greatest sides.
Steven, in my opinion, is the best player to ever play for Liverpool and it’ll be sad to see him go.
I totally agree with your last statement. I’ve been a Chelsea fan since the days of Chris Sutton (long story), and Gerrard is the best player I’ve ever seen in a Liverpool jersey.
There have been many incredible moments between Chelsea and Liverpool throughout the years. Aside from the Stevie G Slip, what is your most memorable moment from Liverpool-Chelsea?
Had to mention that didn’t you?! Seriously though, it has to be the 2005 Champions League Semi-Final. I was at Anfield that day and it was the best atmosphere I’ve ever experienced at a football match. I was apprehensive going into the game, but when I got to Anfield and felt the atmosphere, I knew we’d win. Thankfully Luis Garcia’s shot (that almost touched the net..) went in and we held on heroically.
There really is nothing like Champions League nights. Nothing in this world even comes close.
Now: on to match. The first leg of the semifinal, to me, seemed like the Liverpool and Chelsea teams of last season. Liverpool dominated play, while Chelsea sat back and defended, waiting for their chance to counter. What are your thoughts on the first leg?
I thought we were much the better side to be honest. Chelsea hardly had a sniff but we made one error and it got punished. From there, we pretty much dominated and I think if it wasn’t for Thibaut Courtois, we’d be taking a lead to The Bridge.
I’m not going to deny that one bit. Liverpool were a much bigger threat. Courtois has been unreal for us this season, and saved the day for us in leg one.
After leg one, there were reports of a scuffle in the tunnel after the game between Diego Costa and Jordan Henderson. In a no-holds-barred, fight to the death, who would win: Costa or Henderson?
Henderson. Costa looks like a tough guy but he’s got hamstrings made of cheese. Henderson would just constantly keep moving and Costa’s leg would eventually give way!
That’s a really bold strategy, actually. I never thought of it that way. I’ll take that and raise you a tag team match: Henderson and Martin Skrtel vs. Costa and John Obi Mikel.
When looking at this Chelsea side, who do you feel poses the biggest threat to Liverpool tonight?
Eden Hazard. I think he’s amazing to be honest. As good as Chelsea are, I think he’s the key to their success. There are other top class players in the Chelsea side who could easily hurt us too, but I feel if we can contain Hazard, we’ve got a great chance.
Hazard’s ability to take over games is unrivaled in the Premier League. Roman Abramovich needs to hand Hazard a blank check, and tell him to write any number down. To me, he would be worth every penny.
Finally, can we get a score prediction and how you think the game will play out?
1-1. We win on penalties. Costa misses. Hopefully!
After the loss to Bradford City, this game is a must-win. Chelsea score early and win 2-0.
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Again, a huge thank you to Ste for chatting with me. If you want to follow him on Twitter, you can find him at @SteHoare. For more view from the opposition, follow @TheBibTheorists on Twitter. If you would like to follow myself and read my hot takes on the game, you can find me at @KBJelly on Twitter. Lastly, be sure to stick around the website for much more coverage of tonight’s game.
