Liverpool v Chelsea Build up Thread

[BobTheCharmer]

Well the worst season for 60 years does that too, as does only winning 4 league games in 4 and 1/4 months.

It's not our worst season in 60 years. Far from it. Unless the season only includes league games these days.

[Liverpel]

Roberto Di*Matteo is expected to hand Fernando Torres a place in the Chelsea starting lineup against Liverpool on Tuesday night, giving the striker his first action at Anfield since his British record £50m move to London 15 months ago, as his side attempt to maintain their faint hopes of a top‑four*finish.

The FA Cup winners will travel to Merseyside for a swift rematch against the team they defeated at Wembley needing to win to stand any chance of being in contention for a top‑four spot when they host Blackburn Rovers in their final game on Sunday. Had Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United won on Sunday then Chelsea would already be contemplating a sixth-place finish, their lowest in a decade. Yet the failure of the three sides immediately above them in the table to emerge victorious from the penultimate round of matches means Di*Matteo's team can still strictly finish as high as third, above Arsenal.

That scenario remains unlikely but the team selection at Anfield will reflect such a possibility even with the Champions League final against Bayern Munich to come this month. The interim first-team coach indicated at the weekend that his selection would "depend on Sunday's results" and, while the likes of Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and Juan Mata are all likely to sit out the*match, the coach will still pick a strong side that includes experience.

Torres, an unused substitute at Wembley whose three meetings with his former club since moving south have been lost at Stamford Bridge, should start with Ryan Bertrand drafted in at left-back, the former Liverpool midfielder Raul Meireles coming in for Lampard and Michael Essien replacing Mikel John Obi at his side. Daniel Sturridge and Florent Malouda will also hope for some involvement.

The game will come too soon for both David Luiz and Gary Cahill, who continue their rehabilitation from hamstring injuries which threaten their chances of playing in the European Cup final in Munich, and José Bosingwa, a potential emergency centre-half in Munich, may be rested at Anfield with either Paulo Ferreira or Sam Hutchinson, who has not started a game since September 2009, utilised at*right‑back.

The fixture could yet prove to be Di*Matteo's penultimate Premier League match in charge, with the Italian still unsure where his future will lie beyond the end of the season as Roman Abramovich contemplates a permanent successor for André Villas-Boas. Pep Guardiola, the oligarch's first choice, has reiterated that he intends to take a sabbatical after leaving Barcelona, thus ruling him out of contention, and support gathers within the Chelsea set-up for Di*Matteo to be offered the role on a full-time basis.

The playing staff, buoyed by securing silverware at the weekend, continue to praise the stand-in's impact. "Robbie knows how to manage this team," said Mikel. "He is very similar to the way (Guus) Hiddink and (Jose) Mourinho did the job. He came in and noticed where the problem is, and put it right. If you are not going to be involved he puts his arm around you and tells you he believes in you and that, in the next game, you are going to be involved. I think his man-management has been fantastic. All the players, even the big players, like what he is doing and, hopefully, the club will make the right decision."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/may/07/fernando-torres-liverpool-chelsea

[Mattshark]

It's not our worst season in 60 years. Far from it. Unless the season only includes league games these days.

Sorry, I rephrase it, our worst league season in 60 years. It is still unacceptable.

[Lee]

Is this match on TV tomorrow?

I didn't think it was but someone in the pub today said it is on. I'm confused.

[Craig_H]

It's on Sky Sports, isnt it?

[Mattshark]

It is on sky.

[Lee]

Oh good.

[Mostar]

It will be an interesting game for so many reasons.

Torres back for the first time to play against us at Anfield, probably the farewell game for Kuyt and Maxi and possibly Carra's last home game as well.

With the game having so little meaning I'd like to see Coates given the start and Sterling given some valuable minutes.

Cannot wait to see if Carroll can pick up where he left off on Saturday.

If he finish the season on high he may actually have a chance to be chosen for England NT.

[Tee]

Another anti climatic home performance IMO. I just hope it is an entertaining game! Players will not be mentally switched on for this one sadly.

Just hope Torres gets a good reception tonight, that will really rub it in for him.

[Vermilion]

We could have been lifting the cup around Anfield tonight, would have been suuuuch a good feeling.

Suppose we should count ourselves lucky we aren't at the Bridge, otherwise we'd have had to face that same scenario.

Shame though, a great opportunity missed.

[Phoenix07]

We can still parade the Carling Cup around like we did against Arsenal.

[Vermilion]

We can still parade the Carling Cup around like we did against Arsenal.

Not quite the same effect.

[Nick77]

There are some miserable ****ers on here and you for one always have an empty fridge outlook on things.

Do u think I should be happy that we have a squad of mostly useless players who are not fit to wear the jersey?!
And it also doesn't help when some of the better players (Maxi, Sterling, etc.) can't get a look in either when a blind man could see that they would improve the team...
With all due respect to the King, when a competent manager comes in then I shall be more optimistic ok?

[Pablo]

With all due respect to the King, when a competent manager comes in then I shall be more optimistic ok?

[TheElephantMan]

Trying to think positively in a negative way - I despise those chavs and tonight we can effectively prevent them from achieving top 4. If they lose the CL final then they'll be playing in the same ****ty European competition as us next season.