With injuries to Petr Cech and John Terry ruling two of his key players out, Chelsea manager José Mourinho is ready to turn his back on his team’s slim chances to track down Liverpool in the Premier League. Threatening to play a reserve team thisSunday at Anfield, Mourinho said he will seek owner Roman Abramovich’s permission to concentrate the team’s efforts on Champions League.
Chelsea will enter Sunday’s game five points behind Liverpool in the Premier League. With a win at Anfield, the Blues would be in position to capitalize on a potential if improbable Reds slip over the season’s final two weeks. If they can’t get full points on Sunday, however, the Blues’ title pursuit is over.
In light of the two injuries Chelsea incurred during Tuesday’s 0-0 at Atlético Madrid, Mourinho’s no longer willing to fight on two fronts, casting blame at the Premier League itself for failing to help his team juggle commitments.
“We represent English football and are the only team in European competitions,” Mourinho explained after his team’s performance in Madrid (as reported by The Telegraph). “Spain has four and gave them all the conditions to try to have success, so I know what I would do. But I’m not the club. I have to speak to them. I would play with the players who are not going to play Wednesday.”
“The fact that the (Liverpool) match is on Sunday, I think puts the problem not in my hands but in the hands of those who decide the game should be on Sunday and not Saturday or Friday.”
As far as who would make the decision to start a weakened squad, Mourinho pointed to his boardroom. If Chelsea is going to forgo its chance to win the Premier League (diminishing as that chance may be), it’s going to have to be Abramovich’s call.
“I’m not the most important person in the club. Roman and the board, everybody is above me. I work for them and have to follow what my club decides. My priority is the Champions League.”
With John Terry out until the Champions League final (according to Mourinho), the depth in defense is compromised. And given Frank Lampard and John Obi Mikel are both out next Wednesday with yellow card accumulation suspensions, Mourinho can’t afford to start any midfielders in Liverpool who’ll have to give big minutes against Atlético. With Eden Hazard’s situation improving but still uncertain, the choices in attacking midfield are thin, too.
Mourinho’s alluding to the boardroom as a way to point out the decision goes beyond him, but is there really a decision to make here? Even with a win at Anfield, the odds remain against Chelsea in league. The odds are also against Chelsea in Champions League (they’re “against” most teams), but at least they control their own destiny in Europe.
You can’t waste time with the battles you can’t win. At this point, particularly with the injuries, England’s probably gone. Then again, it could just be Mourinho setting a low bar for this weekend’s trip to the northwest.