Jose Mourinho will field a weakened Chelsea line-up against Liverpool on Sunday night
CHELSEA boss Jose Mourinho has tried to explain his selections for the clash with Liverpool, which could include resting goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.
WHAT is Jose Mourinho up to?
Chelsea’s top brass, including Roman Abramovich, have endorsed the manager’s preference to field a ‘weakened XI’ against Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday night.
“Those plans were discussed with the chief executive, Ron Gourlay, and the sporting director, Michael Emenalo, en route back from Madrid with the pair, together with the chairman Bruce Buck, relaying the manager’s plans to Roman Abramovich at a board meeting on Wednesday,” The Guardian’s Dominic Fifield reports. “It is understood the owner is content with the manager’s thinking, with Mourinho’s selection to reflect the midweek game ahead.”
And with the new Premier League rules allowing a manager to pick whatever combination he desires – even if it is a perceived weakened XI – so long as it comes from the top 25 squad list, the door is open for Mourinho to carry through his plan. And that plan could include resting Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.
“The only person I can tell you who will play against Liverpool is Nemanja Matic. Chosing my goalkeeper is a big dilemma.
“And with players who are always looking for penalties and going for contact with the goalkeeper, it is dangerous.
“Dangerous when the goalkeeper comes and some strikers go there and dive for penalties.
“No we can’t afford to be without Mark Schwarzer on Wednesday.”
Is the king of the mind games resorting to exactly that - more bizarre mind games - before the biggest game of the Premier League season, by pledging his preference to playing his ‘second XI’ against Liverpool?
Here you go, Brendan Rodgers, the title is yours; let’s see if you can take it.
Or is the ‘Special One’ genuinely throwing in the towel, purely focusing on the return leg against Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League next week, particularly given Chelsea is already down Petr Cech and John Terry?
Given it is Mourinho, it’s a mix of both. Gamesmanship, pragmatism and making sure the pressure is off his players, while also giving himself the best chance of steering Chelsea to the title he still hasn’t won at Stamford Bridge yet.
“I lost the goalkeeper, John Terry, Hazard, Mikel, Lampard,” Mourinho said on Saturday. “Do you think if I lose one more player I have any chance to try to play in the Champions League final? I don’t think we have a chance. I can’t lose more players, especially in some positions, because I don’t have them.
“Eto’o has a minor problem in his knee and he’s not ready. With Petr Cech, I suppose his season is over. They are analysing the situation but it looks like he will need surgery.
“The priority is the Champions League because if we win two matches we win it. I have to defend Chelsea.
“In the attacking areas we have Torres, Demba, Schurrle Oscar Willian, Salah. If you lose one you have another one, but there are positions where if you lose one you don’t have any more, I just don’t have them.”
Don’t forget, this ‘weakened XI’ will still feature the likes of Frank Lampard and John Obi Mikel – suspended for the return leg; Nemanja Matic and Mohamed Salah – cup-tied in Europe; and fringe stars like Demba Ba, Andre Schurrle, Ashley Cole and a returning Branislav Ivanovic, albeit in central defence, not at right-back.
Indeed, the Daily Mail reports that a Chelsea ‘second XI’ is still valued at more than Liverpool’s likely starting side.
When Mourinho returned to England everyone expected fireworks. There have been the headlines, the quotes, the run-ins with authority ...
But, with The Special One’s antics on the cusp of being overshadowed by Liverpool’s brilliance, he might be ‘rotating’ his side, but will he really be handing all the attention and goodwill to the Reds without even a bit of fight?