I am not a Liverpool fan, but I am a human being. And as a human being, I felt horrible for Liverpool, especially Steven Gerrard as he let the Premier League title “slip” away when he slipped on the pitch against Chelsea.
Liverpool controlled their own destiny down the stretch of the 2013/2014 EPL season. Heading into the match with Chelsea on April 27, 2014, Liverpool only needed a draw against the West Londoners stay on course for their first ever Premier League title.
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You can criticize Brendan Rodgers for his tactics and for not playing more conservative knowing that he only needed a draw, but when it all comes down to it, it was the slip by Gerrard which gifted the title to Manchester City.
Seven months after the heart-breaking loss for Liverpool, Jose Mourinho leads his Chelsea club back to Anfield. But the status of the two teams could not be more different from last season’s meeting.
Chelsea are now the league leaders who already look poised to win the Premier League. We may only be a quarter of the way into the season, but Chelsea are the clear front-runners for the EPL crown.
On the other hand, we have Liverpool. A team so confusing and dare I say boring, their fans need to drink twice as much beer as normal to survive the 90 minutes. What has happened to Liverpool? All of their excitement and flare from last season evaporated quicker than water on a desert floor.
With the exception of Raheem Sterling and at times Philippe Coutinho, every other returning player looks to have taken several steps back from last season. On top of that, the new players look confused and disoriented as they try to fit into the Brendan Rodgers system.
Liverpool is more of a mystery this season than girls are to a hormone-raged teenage boy.
A part of my heart aches for Steven Gerrard as I think back to his slip last season. I’m sure he wakes up from nightmares reliving the experience. He arguably wants an EPL title more than any other player in the league, and now with Luis Suarez gone and the rumors of his departure at season’s end, his hope of winning a title for his boyhood club may be gone for good as well.
Saturday’s match will be a chance for Liverpool to get revenge on the team that ransacked their title aspirations a season ago. But if Liverpool were to pull off the shocker, would it actually be retribution?
Speaking about last season’s match and specifically about Gerrard’s slip, Jose Mourinho said,
"“It gave the title to Man City, as simple as that. Liverpool, with a point in that match, would have been champions. Without it, they lost the title. It meant nothing to us.”"
Chelsea’s victory last season did not lead them to a title, nor will a defeat on Saturday destroy their championship dreams. So even if Liverpool does pull off the upset, the sickness the players still carry from last season will not so easily be replaced.
Chelsea will lose at some point this season. Whether that loss comes Saturday against Liverpool or in March against Hull City, Chelsea will still have what it takes to win a championship this season. Which is more than I can say for Liverpool who appears to be light-years apart from the contenders they were last season.