One comment from Mauricio Pochettino in his press conference ahead of Chelsea’s visit to Anfield on Wednesday night might have Liverpool fans harking back to a jibe from Jose Mourinho 10 years ago.
The west Londoners provide the Reds’ first Premier League opposition since it was confirmed that Jurgen Klopp will step down at the end of the season, an announcement which turned the FA Cup win over Norwich on Sunday into an emotionally charged occasion in L4.
Speaking to reporters this afternoon, the Blues manager declared his intentions to rain on LFC’s parade, just like a previous holder of that job title did at Anfield in 2014.
Pochettino said (via football.london): “It’s a special game for him [Klopp]. Until the end, it’s going to be special always. Every time they play at Anfield, it’s going to be a party always, to celebrate, and to give him all the love they feel, the fans feel for him and I think it’s deserved.
“But we are thinking we need to go there and win the game. Sorry, but we don’t want to be involved or be part of the celebration. We want to perform well and win the game.”
Pochettino’s words carry echoes of Mourinho from April 2014, when as Chelsea manager going to Anfield during Liverpool’s Premier League title run-in, he vowed to ‘destroy their party’ (Daily Mail).
Unfortunately, the Portuguese was as good as his word, with his side manning the barricades and securing a smash-and-grab 2-0 victory which signalled the beginning of the end for our hopes of becoming champions, and his over-the-top celebrations in front of the away end that day merely rubbed salt into the wounds.
The current Blues boss is unlikely to be that petty if they win tomorrow night, and his team surely won’t be as depressingly negative as the team Mourinho sent out against LFC a decade ago, but he’ll still hope to summon the spirit of that victory and throw a spanner in the works for Klopp and the Reds.
Liverpool have failed to beat Chelsea (without recourse to penalties) in their last eight meetings, so we’re under no illusions as to how tough a challenge we can expect at Anfield.
However, with a gap of eight places and 17 points between the two teams in the current Premier League standings, hopefully that superiority will be reflected on the scoreboard when the full-time whistle blows on Wednesday.