Chelsea: View from the opposition

Pat, are you looking forward to the weekend’s game at Stamford Bridge with Chelsea set to celebrate winning the Premier League title?

You don’t often get this where you have three games at the end of the season and you can really enjoy each one and the pressure’s off. Although people didn’t realise, the pressure really was on Chelsea, they were running out of top players, were out of form and they were grinding it out. They’ll turn up in a party mood, but they’ll still want to win because of the relationship between the two clubs and the great games there’ve been over the last few years.

Jose Mourinho has never been one to allow his teams to ease off but will having won the title affect them negatively or allow them to express themselves?

It can go either way, it’s quite common that you will see a team opening up when the pressure is off. That could happen with Chelsea but I don’t think it will. The reason being is that they’re not in the form to do it. I suspect you’ll get another similar Chelsea performance like you’ve seen this year. It’ll be a tight and technical game. In any case, if we look back to the League Cup games between the clubs this season, there weren’t many goals but they were very close and exciting.

Eden Hazard has had an incredible season. As an attacking winger yourself how impressed by him have you been?

He’s taken massive leaps this year. We talk about Hazard as one of the best players of the world but need to be realistic; obviously that doesn’t mean Messi and Ronaldo, they’re absolutely in a league of their own. In the group below that, world-class players, I think Hazard’s there now. He is improving all the time, though, I would compare him with [Cristiano] Ronaldo at Manchester United, because there were elements of his game that were superfluous, and he then got rid of them all and kept the things that worked. The best I have ever seen in my life at doing just that was Kenny Dalglish. I watched him at Celtic and he was fabulously entertaining, and as the years went by and he grew at Liverpool, he just got rid of the unnecessary stuff, he was a better player and became one of the best in the business. 

How do you think Liverpool’s collection of young attacking players like Raheem Sterling, Philippe Coutinho and Jordon Ibe may fare against Chelsea?

I was at the Hull game and it wasn’t a good day for Liverpool or Raheem, but people forget he’s very, very young. It'll be tough for them if they play against [Cesar] Azpilicueta and [Branislav] Ivanovic as they’re as good as it gets. It may be especially tough for Ibe if he plays on the right against Azpilicueta - he’s as good a marker as you’ll find in the game. For pure pace Raheem may be able to do Ivanovic, it’s just getting the opportunity. To be fair Coutinho stands out, I think he’s been a joy this year. The bits we’re beginning to see of Coutinho, he’s absolutely up there and he’s a phenomenal standard of player. 

From the Liverpool perspective, a win is vital. How can they defeat Chelsea? 

It’s really hard to say. Chelsea and Mourinho’s home record is ridiculous. If Mourinho sets up a team to go defensive honestly I don’t see many teams in the world scoring against that, especially with [Thibaut] Courtois behind it. If there are a couple of adaptations and changes though, maybe. The one thing is if they get a chance they have to take it. In the end it may be down to Mourinho, if he opens it up it could be anyone’s game and the fact that Liverpool need it more I wouldn’t be too surprised if they win if Mourinho makes a few changes.

It may be Steven Gerrard’s last visit to Stamford Bridge, what are your reflections on his career?

I think he’s up there with the best players Britain has ever produced. People will say to you what about the trophies but look at what he’s done for Liverpool over the years in good and bad times. There were times when he wasn’t a one-man team but he was carrying the club. I remember sometimes you’d watch a big game and the best defender, the best midfielder and the best striker on the pitch was one guy - Steven Gerrard. Any generation, any team, any level Stevie walks into the team and I mean that at every club.

Your early playing career at Chelsea and on Merseyside with Everton coincided with some of Liverpool’s greatest ever teams. What memories do you have of taking on the Reds?

There are two memories which stick out. In 1986 when Liverpool won the league at Chelsea and Kenny Dalglish scored the winning goal. We really gave Liverpool a hard time most of the time and it was a close game. That day, that moment, you just thought, 'What can I do to stop them?' He was someone who’d been a hero of mine as a kid growing up as a Celtic fan. The other is playing for Everton against Liverpool in the 1989 FA Cup final and I’ve always said I thought Liverpool cheated because it’s unfair having [John] Aldridge and [Ian] Rush in the same team! From [Graeme] Souness to [John] Barnes, wonderful players, even as a former Chelsea player and Evertonian I’ve always had admiration for Liverpool.