Mourinho: Liverpool has unbelievable advantage
Print Edition
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho believes Liverpool’s absence from European competition this season means they must be considered genuine contenders for the English Premier League title.
The two teams play today at Stamford Bridge with Chelsea in third place, two shy of Arsenal. Liverpool is fourth, one shy of Mourinho’s side.
“Liverpool are on holidays (from Europe for) one season: one week to prepare a match, play the match, one more week to prepare the next match,” Mourinho said. “This is an advantage, an unbelievable advantage.”
At the same time, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers had kind words about Mourinho, who he says gave him a chance to be where he is today.
Rodgers spent three years working under Mourinho as a youth coach during the Portuguese’s first spell at Chelsea between 2004 and 2007.
Following subsequent spells as a manager at Watford, Reading and Swansea City, he will go up against Mourinho for the first time. He says he owes his former mentor a debt of gratitude.
“I probably wouldn’t be sat here today if it wasn’t for him. He played a huge part,” Rodgers said.
“He was brilliant for me. He really took me under his wing. I was a 30-year-old nobody who worked in youth development, who was assigned to come in and work there with him.
“From the first day of meeting him, he gave me the confidence and responsibility and accountability to work at that level. There are not many managers that would have done that.”
The key to Liverpool’s impressive form this season has been Luis Suarez, who has 19 goals in 13 games since returning from a ban for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic during a game in April.
However, while Mourinho is aware of Suarez’s importance to manager Brendan Rodgers’ side, he says their strengths do not begin and end with the Uruguayan striker.
“He didn’t start the season, with suspension, and after that the numbers are fantastic,” Mourinho said.
“When he came back, it was a big plus. But let’s be fair: Liverpool did very well without him when he was suspended.
“I think they can (win the Premier League), because they are good, because Brendan is good, because they have time to prepare the team tactically, because they are not involved in the heat of the knockout situation in the Champions League or even Europa League.”
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