Game Preview Saturday 20th Jan: Rafael Benitez didn't seem pleased at all after Arsenal emphatically beat Liverpool twice at Anfield. I mean how could he be? Being beaten 3-1 and then 6-3 isn't something that would put a smile on your face especially if you're being knocked out of cup competitions.
His rotation rule seems to be receiving a lot of criticism from football analysts (including yours truly) because all we have seen since he started it is him being beaten by a bunch of teenagers 6-3.
I have noticed that since the time Liverpool knocked out Chelsea in the Champions League, Mourinho and Rafael have started a small rivalry that in fact is very entertaining to watch but the last few times they have met, the matches have gone Chelsea's way.
I think this time, Rafael needs to beat one of the top four clubs or even beat Chelsea in order to get his pride back. He needs to show us the same magic he exhibited in Amsterdam against AC Milan in the final of the Champions League (what a memorable game that was.
As I said earlier, Rafael hasn't used Craig Bellamy to his full potential. I believe Craig has got more than it takes to score a hat trick against Chelsea. He's got the pace, power and pinpoint accuracy to score goals regularly.
Steven Gerrard has already shown us what he can do. He has shown good leadership skills and a deadly right foot. Peter Crouch has proved all his critics wrong. He is not only good in the air but he can use his long legs to his advantage.
I do hope that Sammy Hypia (one of Liverpool's Center halfs) has worked on his defense with Rafael because if they do what they did with Arsenal, Drogba and Shevchenko will have a field day scoring goals.
But to be honest, Drogba and Shevchenko haven't shown us much this season, in fact they have shown me nothing. If Shevchenko doesn't live up to his fame, then we believe that Drogba will step up to his place and work wonders as he always does.
Lampard should also try his level best and at least show us a little bit of the magic he had in earlier seasons. Ballack should shrug of that German pride of his and chase the ball more often in midfield. Let him live up to the salary that he's being paid.
Most probably, Chelsea will win 3-0 and humiliate Rafael again but if Gerrard is going to play in the game, then don't count him out yet. He has been known to exhibit some sort of supernatural leadership skills and score goals that defy the laws of leg muscles and gravity.
This game will either be the most boring game ever in recent times or it could turn out to be the best and become more entertaining than Arsenal vs Man U. It all depends…
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