© EuroFootball.com
The war of words between the UEFA Champions League semifinal coaches Rafael Benitez and Jose Mourinho from London started a couple of weeks before the match.
The charismatic English champion's manager from Portugal has already stated that the favorite to secure a spot in the final in Athens will only be the "Liverpool" team, who are fighting for one trophy this season.
In response, R. Benitez retorted, saying: "We were good friends until our teams started winning. Since then, he has changed.
The same happens with all the strongest club coaches. J. Mourinho gets along well with those strategists whose teams he easily defeats, but he is hostile towards colleagues whose teams occupy high positions.
"The war of words against us started by the Portuguese yesterday," Benitez emphasized.
"Chelsea" on Tuesday, after a dramatic battle, defeated the former R. Benitez's team "Valencia" in the quarterfinals, while "Liverpool" easily won twice against PSV Eindhoven. Fate decided earlier that the winners of this encounter would clash in the semifinals and repeat the 2005 battle.
Back then, "Liverpool" secured a 0-0 draw away, and at home, after a controversial Luis Garcia goal, they grabbed a 1-0 victory.
"I am not vengeful in life or in football," stated J. Mourinho, whose first match against the visitors from Liverpool will be held on April 25.
"It will be a fight that we will start a bit behind because "Liverpool" is fighting for the title of winners only in the Champions League, while "Chelsea" is also in the English Premier League and FA Cup competitions.
"Besides, we have quite a few players disqualified due to yellow cards received, and the situation of the Liverpool team is much 'cleaner', so I think they will start the match a step ahead," added Mourinho.
In response, R. Benitez said that "Chelsea" could have solved similar problems in the summer when, as always, they were spending in the players' market.
"The head coach must always be confident that his team will win. Any "Liverpool" team has this confidence.
"We also know that "Chelsea" is a powerful club, having spent a lot of money to acquire new talented footballers and greatly strengthening their squad.
"Chelsea" will be a tough nut for us. They have money, they fight in other semifinals for trophies - in short, they do what they wanted and are prepared for.
"Yes, we are only fighting for the title of Champions League winners, but our opponents probably wouldn't want to change the current situation for the worse," concluded Benitez.
Benitez also assured that the fact that the second leg match will be played at home for "Liverpool" could be a small advantage.
"They may not agree with what happened here two years ago, but they cannot change the current situation either.
"We are pleased to play the return match at the "Anfield" stadium. If we manage to achieve a decent result on the opponent's field, it can give us a small advantage.
"Chelsea" knows this, but playing such a counterattacking football, as they did in Valencia, they have already proven that they are dangerous playing away.
"We are well-acquainted formidable opponents," concluded Benitez.
