Liverpool FC Forum

[anfieldadorer]

The boss has said:

We cannot catch Chelsea - Benitez

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez says the European champions cannot catch Chelsea in the Premier League this season and is not sure if they ever will.

Liverpool travel to Stamford Bridge today 18 points behind the title holders with two games in hand.

The last of Liverpool's record 18 league titles came in 1990 and Benitez accepts that the next might be some time in coming.

Asked if his side could catch Chelsea this season, he said: "No, we will just have three more points.

"At this moment we can beat anyone but in nine months different clubs have different players, so it's hard to know."

Benitez should not need to spend too long analysing Chelsea as he has faced them eight times in the past two seasons.

However, despite knocking them out of the Champions League last season and finishing above the Londoners in the group stages of the same competition this season, the 1-0 Champions League win at Anfield last May is Liverpool's solitary victory.

This season's league game at Anfield in October was a 4-1 win for the visitors.

"We have had a lot of games against them.

"We know them and they know us and there will be no surprises," he said.

agreed?

[Effes]

Well , the odds are stacked heavily against us.
The only way we would win it is if Chelsea get very complacent and lose form.
I suppose if Rafa is saying that we cannot catch them then that may lead to complacency in the Chelsea ranks. Or plant "seeds" of complacency.
It's a long shot, but I'd rather him saying what he has said than "We can catch them" mentality which ,I think, would make them more determined.
He's deflected the direct question really.

[el_stinger]

Hypothetically, if we would have won against Man Ure and Birmingham, plus won our two games in hand PLUS against Chelsea this weekend, and if results for Chelsea remained the same so far, the points won in those matches would have been 15. At the start of those matches, we were 19 points behind ( i think), you do the math.

Unfortunately, results hadn't gone our way, so I agree, Chelsea will not be caught this season. @nd spot is well up for grabs, and we are in the prime position to get it. If we are undefeated, and Chelsea continues to falter, then we'll take that, but that is not a given at this stage.

[laza]

If the trawler slows enough the seagulls will catch it 

Rafa looks to be playing some minds games as he claims we may never catch them in full article.
Just part of the pre match game, i prefer it to the they are scared of us tactic

[Owzat]

I was just reading on another forum fergie saying the mancs haven't given up. Still one of the most expensive defences in the league leaking six goals in two games is no cause for alarm - doh

[el_stinger]

And he was saying that he hopes we will win against a "lesser" side in Chelsea. LOL

[anfieldadorer]

Reds star Xabi Alonso claims that Chelsea who are 18 points clear of the Reds in third place, are too far away to catch now.

"It will be hard," he said.

"Chelsea have an advantage over us. They demolish teams with their consistency and solid play. The problem is that we've been on a good run but they're on an even better one. It's incredible."

"Mathematically it's possible to catch them, but the reality is that they won't mess up. That makes it 'mission impossible'."

"But the most important stage of the season is still to come and now we really have to square up to the challenge."

The cultured midfielder scored an unlucky own goal in the 1-1 draw against Birmingham in midweek and will be hoping to make up for it with an outstanding performance today. Alonso is confident about the task ahead.

"Liverpool are in great form but if we don't keep it going, we won't get anywhere. We're tough to beat at the back and creating danger up front. We know what we want to do on the pitch."

"I read somewhere that, according to the stats, we were the best team in 2005. It's clear we have improved a lot and you can see it this season. The campaign is excellent. We're all happy. We're fighting for second spot."

talklfc

[mark the red]

chelsea are going to stroll it this season but dont worry becuase we are gaining ground

[L-type]

I never expected us to win the league this year.  And I had only ever hoped to close the distance on chelsea.  We are performing admirally and I'm proud of the reds, they have turned their game around and are now the main challengers to chelsea.  In my eyes we have achieved what we have set out to do this season already!!  Anything we do now is bonus; win the fa cup, cl, and in a true dreamers world the league.  But let's show the world what we can do and stick it to chelsea and hopefully walk away with a win and a statement of intent of our ambition.

[Salvi Torres]

we might no win the league , yes but i think what i want is us to make it hard for chelsea, if we lose the league by 6 points then i think we have taken 5 steps forward ....we lost by many points last year and came 5th in the EPL , big improvement ... we become a more attractive proposition for investment and maybe the Kraft family will buy us  giving us the final push ? trust me , we still have lots to play for ¬!

[mikeg]

i really dont see how anybody is ever gonna catch chelsea, im sorry but it just simply isnt gonna happen whilst abramovich is there,  its not the best team that wins the league, its the best squad, injurys and suspensions have no bad effect what so ever on chelsea and its that fact that will see chelsea continue to win the league every season until something changes there.

Its pretty sad really, its sad mainly for the fact that the premiership would be so so exciting now if abramovich wasnt on the scene, it would be so close and the race would go right down to the wire with a handful of teams all in the mix up instead of the usual 1 or 2 horse race

and its sad that a russian billionaire who just wanted a new toy too play with has made our league a lot less enjoyable to watch for the millions of football fans in this country, he hasnt done anything big or clever, hes just done what anyone that rich could do if he wanted, and for what?  chelsea are never gonna get any respect for anything they achieve whilst he is there so its all pretty pointless, 140 million losses last year what a joke

the worse thing is out of all the teams he picks chelsea to buy, a soul less, history less club with horrible fans that cant even fill there own stadium,  i might have been able to handle it a bit more if it was tottenham he bought considering he wanted a london club, but no he gos and picks that shower of lol

[Rastalovich]

Hypothetically, if we would have won against Man Ure and Birmingham, plus won our two games in hand PLUS against Chelsea this weekend, and if results for Chelsea remained the same so far, the points won in those matches would have been 15. At the start of those matches, we were 19 points behind ( i think), you do the math.

Unfortunately, results hadn't gone our way, so I agree, Chelsea will not be caught this season. @nd spot is well up for grabs, and we are in the prime position to get it. If we are undefeated, and Chelsea continues to falter, then we'll take that, but that is not a given at this stage.

I was thinking along those lines, plus getting `something` with chelsea.

(goes back to the corner of the room, sits on a stool and mumbles to himself)

[redmist]

You dont have to be a detective to realise the truth- we aint catching em, scum aint catching em and whats more is, nobody deserves to catch em- simple. while their beating us and grinding out 1-0 's then who are we to say they dont deserve it? Not me. And i hate that.