It’s fair to say that the vast majority of the footballing world will be rooting for Liverpool when they take on Chelsea over two legs to determine who will be playing in the Champions League final. Indeed, Rafael Benitez reveals why this is the case on the Sky Sports website. The Blues have been heavily bankrolled by a Russian oligarch for a number of seasons, much to the distaste of other football clubs.
“The key to them is Abramovich,” said Benitez. “The only difference I see between Mourinho and Grant is in their press conferences! I watched the game at Everton and they were playing the same as they always did.”
So much for Grant’s protestations that Chelsea’s style of football is now becoming more flamboyant and exciting since Jose Mourinho left. Speaking of which, there’s one particular Spaniard who is glad to see the back of the self-style ‘Special One’.
“I don’t like to talk about Grant,” added Benitez. “As a manager, I have a lot of respect for him because he’s being correct. I have nothing bad to say. The media might miss Mourinho, but not me. I have enough things to do in Liverpool now. At the end of the day, the players are the key more than the managers.
“Managers can talk before the game but, during the game, the players make the difference. The best thing for a manager to do is not create any mess so the players can just play.”
Indeed, previous clashes between Liverpool and Chelsea have been dogged by Mourinho’s vile pre-match and post-match comments, where he was never gracious in defeat and always protested that the Blues were the better team.