Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has once again praised Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard ahead of the game on Sunday.
Chelsea host Liverpool at Stamford Bridge and have already sealed the Premier League title after beating Crystal Palace at home last weekend. Liverpool are still in the hunt for a Champions League spot and will try to avenge their earlier Capital One Cup exit at the hands of Chelsea.
Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard has had a very hard time in opposition team’s stadiums as he is often reminded of what happened at Anfield last season when his slip cost Liverpool the game and they ultimately finished second behind Manchester City in the table. However, Jose Mourinho only revealed how much he admires the 34-year old by claiming that Gerrard is his favourite enemy.
There have been talks that Liverpool could give Chelsea a guard of honour after the blues clinched the title last weekend, but Mourinho focussed on how it’ll be his chance to honour Gerrard instead, “It is my time to honour the champion. It’s my time to honour Steve Gerrard and say with opponents like him that I am the manager I am. I learn with my players and my best opponents.
“With my players’ doubts and qualities and with my best opponents with the problems they give me and way they make me think and analyse them and study how to play against them.
“Steven Gerrard is for sure one of my favourite enemies and for sure my dear enemy, the one who made me a better manager.
Gerrard will leave the club at the end of the current season and will move to LA Galaxy in the MLS where he will join Chelsea’s Frank Lampard who will play for New York. Mourinho has tried signing Gerrard in the past and was very close in doing so during the endo of the 2004-05. Liverpool were set to lose one of their star players but then followed an inspiring night in Istanbul and ever since then, Gerrard has been at the club that he supported growing up.
Mourinho also spoke about Lampard and said, “I am sad he is leaving the same as our Frank Lampard, but Frank is a Chelsea legend and it’s a different situation because Steven was always on the other side. I tried to bring him to Chelsea, I tried to bring him to Inter, I tried to bring him to Real Madrid but he was always with the enemy. I want to honour him and I hope Stamford Bridge has the same feeling.”