Chelsea take on Liverpool for the second time this season. With the two managers intent on playing the game the right way, we can expect an afternoon of fireworks. Off the pitch, that goes without saying.
Let’s face it: the intense rivalry that exists amongst the group of supporters that follow Chelsea and Liverpool often goes beyond the pale. However, with Jurgen Klopp praising Frank Lampard’s Chelsea, comparing them to his Borussia Dortmund side, they could soften the animosity that has existed since Roman Abramovich walked into Stamford Bridge in 2003.
Back in the day, Chelsea and Liverpool were poles apart. Whilst Chelsea yoyo’d between the pre-Premier League First and Second Division, Liverpool were winning pre-Champions League European Cups. The two existed in parallel worlds, so the two fan bases were never on each other’s radars. The Russian’s arrival sparked that change.
We don’t need to say it was Abramovich’s financial boost that moved Chelsea into another league – that was happening way before Abramovich came along. The money is irrelevant, anyway, by virtue of the fact that every team that has won a major league in the world will have done so because they were in a position to invest the most.
Chelsea were different because the money came in lump sum, where most other teams drip-feed it in. There are, of course, exceptions as Leicester City recently proved, but in the main, those with the most cash finish on top in their particular field.
As Chelsea became more competitive, they came up against Liverpool more often. Two seasons, in particular, were significant in how the relationship between the two sets of fans developed. From 2004/05 to 2005/06 the two clubs played each other 10 times. Chelsea won five of those games, drew three and lost only two.
Chelsea won all four Premier League encounters, but significantly lost a Champions League semi-final by one Luis Garcia “ghost-goal” and an FA Cup semi-final that thwarted the possibility of them grabbing their first-ever League and Cup double. On the plus side, there was also a League (Carling) Cup final victory that Liverpool were winning until Steven Gerrard took the game to extra-time with a well-directed header into his own goal. Didier Drogba, of course, and Mateja Kezman sealed the win.
However, the biggest catalysts that intensified the bitter rivalry must surely be two managers.
One, incredibly, managed both teams. Talking about Chelsea giving out flags to supporters ahead of the 2007 Champions League semifinal Rafa Benitez said:
"We don’t need to give away flags for our fans to wave – our supporters are always there with their hearts, and that is all we need. It’s the passion of the fans that helps to win matches – not flags. – Bleacher Report"
And in the same year, he said this about the club he would later manage in 2012:
"Chelsea is a big club with fantastic players, every manager wants to coach a such a big team. But I would never take that job, in respect for my former team at Liverpool, no matter what. For me, there is only one club in England, and that’s Liverpool. – Goal"
Jose Mourinho’s actions spoke louder than his words where Liverpool were concerned. That 2005 League Cup win saw Mourinho “shushing” the Liverpool fans, although the Portuguese suggested the gesture was aimed at the media. Similar followed in 2014 following the Slippy G incident that all but ended Liverpool’s title hopes. Mourinho – despite being ill – charged down the touchline manically beating his chest. Classic Mourinho.
The Chelsea – Liverpool rivalry is not geographical so the games between the two are not derbies, but nonetheless the two groups of supporters dislike each other with a passion that only ever grows. Sadly, that hate has become less about football and more personal and, in a society that is beginning to mirror the faceless, anonymous world of social media, that can only be a bad thing.
May the best team wearing blue win.