A Liverpool fan's wish

| Friday April 30, 2010 00:00

No football fan will ever wish to see their side lose a game. On the contrary, football fans are spoilt, they always dream for the impossible. All they ever wish for is to see their side win every week.  I will be an oddity this Sunday. I wish for something that football fans often dread.  I would not be too bothered to see my team lose. I am putting it rather mildly - the reality is that I want my team to lose.

It is not that I have suddenly lost interest in my team. No! That would be treacherous. I love Liverpool Football Club so much that I want them to lose.

This Sunday Liverpool face current English Premiership log leaders, Chelsea at Liverpool's home ground, Anfield. This game has been hyped as the game of the week and a game that could decide the destiny of the English Premiership title although both Chelsea and Manchester United will have a game in hand after the Sunday games. Ordinarily, the game between Chelsea and Liverpool is a mouth-watering fixture that football fans around the world look forward to. This is the kind of game that will get many Liverpool supporters' adrenalin pumping, particularly when the game is the last season game to be played at Anfield.

Nothing usually gives Liverpool supporters the kick than beating upstarts such as Chelsea who only on account of Roman Ambromovich's Russian petro-rubbles think that they have become an instant  football powerhouse even before they can win a single UEFA Champions League title. This game offers Liverpool an opportunity to avenge the 2-0 first round defeat. Chelsea.... I could go on and give all the justification why one needs to be excited about this game. 

Fact is I have no heart in this game and I believe I am not the only Liverpool fan to harbour such a queer feeling.Let no one be duped by Liverpool coach Rafael Benitez's grand delusions of grandeur that Liverpool is competing for position four in the English Premiership and hence a place in the Champions League.

Every football realist knows by now that number four is out of reach for the Mighty Reds. Currently Liverpool are seventh and if they win the Chelsea game and the last league game against Hull City, they will chalk up 68 points.

Fellow position four competitors Tottenham Hot Spurs will amass 73 points if they win all their three remaining games, fifth placed Aston Villa could eventually bag 70 points, Manchester City could get to 72 points, thus making nonsense of Liverpool's last ditch effort.

Position four is a bridge too far for Liverpool. Even if they could beat Chelsea, it is highly likely that Liverpool will  still  end up missing out on position four. If Liverpool cannot get the fourth spot it is not a matter of life and death to get the points. We will still be in the Europa League any way.

Football supporters are motivated by conquests and bragging rights and hence Liverpool supporters have even in barren years when they won nothing - bragged to all those who cared to listen that their team is the most successful in English football after having won 18 league titles and five UEFA Champions League trophies. If Liverpool were to win the Chelsea game this coming Sunday, they  will give bitter rivals Manchester United a passage to overtake them in winning the nineteenth league title and thus shading Liverpool's record that had been established as far back as 1990. If this were to happen, Liverpool will have shot themselves in the foot. If the Reds beat Chelsea this Sunday, they will win a little battle but will lose a bigger war. The greatest beneficiary of Liverpool's conquest will not be Liverpool but second-placed Manchester United who will in all likelihood go on to win the league.

Manchester United is just a point adrift from log leaders Chelsea and any little slip-up could result in Manchester United running away with the league. Many Liverpool supporters will not want to abet and aid Manchester United in overtaking Liverpool to reach the 19th league title.

Fortunately football players are professionals who should be impervious to un-sportsmanlike interest of fans. Ideally professional football players are supposed to be concerned with getting three points than emotive issues of who has the bragging rights.

Liverpool players might be concerned with getting the three points against Chelsea to avoid being overtaken by fellow Liverpudians, Everton, than being concerned with protecting a legacy that was long set by previous generations.

The Sunday game comes at a time when the two teams seemed to have picked from their last weekend games. Liverpool scored four goals against Burnley and in the process condemned Burnley to the lower division. In that game Liverpool captain Stephen Gerald who has been playing below par in most games found his scoring boots and he could be picking at the right to inflict damage on Chelsea's march to the league title.

Liverpool, however, will go into the game without their goal-getter Fernando Torres and without him they have limited choices in the scoring department. The number two striker David Ngog and industrious Dirk Kuyt suffered knocks in the last games. This will further limit Liverpool's options upfront, particularly that want-away Spanish winger Albert Reira has been declared an outlaw at Anfield and hence denied game time.

Long-term injuries to quarterbacks Emiliano Insua and Fabio Aurelio and centre half Martin Skertel could seriously undermine Liverpool's attempt to hold their own against a goal-hungry Chelsea side.

Chelsea too posted seven goals against Stoke City over the weekend in their resolute march and only Liverpool stand between them and the title.

Chelsea will go to Anfield knowing that nothing other than a win will be required to snatch the title.

Chelsea have been boosted by the return of Ashley Cole who gives them width when going forward. Frank Lampard seems to be back to his usual best.

Perennial substitutes Joe Cole and Ivorian Solomon Kalu together with Frenchman Flourent Malouda are some  of the players who can turn the tide of the game and appear to have removed much of the burden from Didier Drogba and, to a little extent, Nicholas Anelka.

There is no doubt that as usual - even when the Kop is tentative - the fans will cheer the team on although I suspect it will not be with the usual intensity and pomp,  knowing that there is nothing to die for in this game; in fact there is everything to lose if they snatch a win against Chelsea.

For some, including myself, who believe that the time for Rafael Benitez to go has come, could be secretly entertaining a loss hoping that it could precipitate his departure  either to Juventus or Real Madrid.

If Liverpool needs to lose to Chelsea so that we get a new coach so be it.

Nothing will be sweeter than losing three points that will ensure that Alex Ferguson's Manchester United does not surpass us for the 19th title while at the same time pushing Benitez closer to the exit. A deeper burning feeling in my belly tells me that Liverpool will have  to lose to Chelsea in order to set in motion the rebirth of this once great club.

 Losing to Chelsea will not only preserve our bragging rights over Manchester United who will at the end of the season be runners-up and will have nothing more than some insignificant League Cup in their 2009-2010 season. I am prepared to live through the Sunday loss to Chelsea without losing face.