RESPECT IS DUE
by Alan Hansen, BBC Sport
football expert
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho believes his team are not getting the
respect they deserve - and that is absolutely great.
And by that I mean great for Chelsea, not for their
detractors.
It is great because it is such an incentive for an already
outstanding group of players and it will only strengthen their
resolve to claim the big prizes.
Regular readers of this column will know I have championed Chelsea
and Mourinho from day one.
The players are a credit to themselves and their manager. They
deserve total respect for what they have achieved - and if anyone
continues to bang on about "boring Chelsea", then they are
crazy.
The old saying when I was at Liverpool was the title was never over
until you had the medal in your hand, but it will take a fantastic
team embarking on a fantastic run to take the title away from
Stamford Bridge and I just don't see that fantastic team out
there.
The warning signs are being posted in very large letters for the
rest of the title challengers and if Chelsea still feel they are
not getting the credit they deserve, it will only drive them
on.
When I was at Liverpool we never felt we got the respect we
deserved. Indeed when three points for a win were introduced, many
cynics said it would be the end of us because they regarded us a
team that ground out results rather than won games.
It was a theory that didn't do us any harm when it came to
motivation, and I suspect Chelsea feel the same now.
They were brilliant against Liverpool and showed the resolve of
true champions in those crucial moments after Steven Gerrard
equalised.
Most teams, especially with The Kop in full cry, would have had a
wobble.
Chelsea simply kept playing in exactly the same way, almost saying
to Liverpool: "OK. You've scored a great goal, but we're still here
and we'll score one of our own."
Those who prefer to carp go on about
Chelsea's money. There is a tinge of jealousy in this.
Money does not equate to success unless it is used wisely and there
is a hunger and desire in the camp.
Huge sums of money do not
necessarily mean hard work - in some cases it can mean the
opposite.
But you watch those Chelsea players when the chips are down like
places at Anfield and they are burning with desire, hunger and
determination.
They are playing for themselves and their manager - their success
is a huge reflection on how good Mourinho is.
As for being boring, nonsense. They can hit you from all
angles.
They have got pace, width, can go through the middle and can score
goals from 25 yards: they have got variety.
They have got outstanding players all over the pitch and a giant of
a leader in John Terry.
How football fans the length and breadth of the country would love
to be bored by that sort of winning football.
It is this commitment, determination and hunger I admire about them
as well as their ability.
Everyone is entitled to an opinion about Chelsea's style of play. I
can only give my own, and my belief is that they have every single
attribute you want in a football team.
For my old club, it was certainly a sobering experience to be on
the receiving end of their worst league defeat at Anfield in 36
years.
And yet I feel they acquitted themselves pretty well over the two
games they played against Chelsea.
The first rule of playing against Chelsea is to make them do
something special to score. Liverpool did not do that. The first
goal was a giveaway, with Djimi Traore doing what I've seen him do
100 times - letting the ball go past him because he has no right
foot in football terms.
Traore's clearance then strikes Didier Drogba, and I'm afraid
Djimi's tackle after that can be best described as a
non-event.
Liverpool have a foundation and have answered questions about their
commitment, but the big problem is that they have no pace through
the middle of the team.
Jamie Carragher is a brilliant defender, but he is not lightning
quick, while Sami Hyypia has also done great but isn't quick. Peter
Crouch has not get the speed to get away from you in attack, so
options are limited.
Chelsea exploited this because they have so much variety and came
at Liverpool from all angles.
You are not sure where the threat is going to come from, so this
leads to fear which in turn leads to mistakes.
Didier Drogba would never make a list of my favourite players, but
among all their other qualities, Chelsea know they can knock the
ball over the top and he is the big, strong type who will go for
it.
Liverpool were also lacking in width, and even though they have a
6ft 7in striker in Crouch, I don't think he has any decent balls
into the box to go for.
He had a chance against Birmingham, but he was stretching at the
far post and that's not the service he needs.
So while I think Liverpool are improving, aspects of the game
certainly need tweaking and they were on the wrong end of a very
bad result on Sunday.
As for Chelsea, they deserve respect and they will certainly get it
from me.
