Mikel Vows To Keep Chelsea Atop
Mikel
The clash between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield today is unarguably the biggest match of Week 12 in the English Premier League. Meanwhile, it is a very important match for both sides.
Liverpool needs victory today to keep its hope of remaining above board afloat.
And 'The Blues', as Chelsea is popularly known, is leading on the Premier League table with 25 points, five points ahead of the second placed Arsenal. As it were, the Abramovich-bankrolled side is not going to give in an inch, as it has vowed to defend the two trophies it won last season, with a desire to make it treble by adding the Champions League this season, all things being equal.
Liverpool has not been doing well in the current season, though it won its last two matches against Bolton and Blackburn. The seemingly reinvigorated Anfield giants are known to rise to the big occasion and their numerous fans do not expect anything less today. Meanwhile, league leader, Chelsea, has continued to post impressive results. Its EUFA Champions League match on Wednesday ended 4-1 against Sparta Moscow.
Chelsea and Nigerian international midfielder, John Obi Mikel, has vowed to ensure that The Blues maintain their grip on the leadership of the Premier League. Mikel, who has over the years established himself as a regular in the star-studded Chelsea side, said he would ensure that Chelsea compound the woes of Liverpool, as he would frustrate every move made by The Reds at Anfield today.
Liverpool is going to use the encounter to prove to its loyal fans that it has bounced back to reckoning after a series of poor runs.
The tactical abilities of both managers will be put to test while the battle rages. Liverpool Coach, Roy Hodgson, is sound technically, same for Chelsea's Carlo Ancelloti, who has over the years proved to be one of the best coaches in Europe. He won the prestigious EUFA Champions League with AC Milan and in his first year in charge of 'The Blues', he won both the League Shield and the FA Cup.
Hodgson will count on his world-class striker, Fernando Torres, who is showing signs of returning to the form that made him one of the most dreaded strikers in the world before injuries sidelined him for months.
Other players the Englishman will rely on to deliver the good include captain Steve Gerrard, Babel, John Cole, Carragher, Kurt, Robinson, reliable goalkeeper, Reina, Kyrgiakos, Johnson and Aquilani.
On the opposite side, Chelsea would be filing out Didier Drogba, Ashley Cole, John Obi Mikel, John Terry, Malouda, Ivonovic, Solomon Kalou, Nicholas Anelka, Ramires, Sturridge, Kakuta, Essien and Alex to ensure it continues its impressive run in the Premiership. Meanwhile, Frank Lampard is expected to return to action after he was sidelined for weeks by injury.
It is going to be a cracker that will offer both Chelsea and Liverpool fans equal value for their money while the teams battle for the maximum points in this afternoon. Only time will tell where the pendulum will swing after hostilities.