Chelsea may have an FA Cup draw against Ipswich to worry worry about this weekend, but you’d be hard pressed to find a single player with the mind on the match.
With Chelsea currently sitting two points behind table-toppers Liverpool and Manchester United, many players know that another slip-up in the league could prove to be the costliest of them all.
You can count Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka amongst those who fully believe that their season will continue of end with next weekend’s match against Liverpool.
Anelka, who is the Premier League’s leading scorer with 14 goals, told Gazetta dello Sport: “On 1 February at Anfield we absolutely have to beat Liverpool.
“We’re two points off United and Liverpool, the race is very open, but it is a very hard race.
“Up until now we’ve had bad games against United, Liverpool and Arsenal. It’s obvious that we can’t continue dropping points against our direct rivals, otherwise we can say goodbye to the title.” (The Guardian)
Anelka has a very good point. Liverpool and Manchester United probably won’t drop very many points along the way; but should Chelsea really write the season off so early even if they lose?
There would seem to be a bit of mind games going on at the moment between Chelsea and their Premier League rivals. Surely Chelsea wouldn’t shut it down if they lost on 1 February, right?
What do Chelsea supporters think? Is the club up shit creek without a paddle if they lose at Anfield?