Chelsea drubbing strengthened Reds' resolve
Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann believes defeat to Chelsea earlier in the season made the Champions League holders “tougher”.
Hamann was in the side beaten by Chelsea 4-1 at Anfield in the Premiership, with Liverpool’s title aspirations dented.
Despite a slow start to the season, Liverpool are now unbeaten in eight games without conceding a goal, with tomorrow’s clash with Chelsea wrapping up their Group G campaign in the Champions League.
Although Hamann accepts defeat to Fulham as a pivotal moment, he believes the loss to Chelsea earlier in the season has also helped them bounce back.
Hamann said: “The 4-1 defeat we suffered was not that one-sided. We conceded a penalty, they hit us twice on the break. It wasn’t as one-sided as people suggested and they know we are good enough to get a result against them.
“We were not scoring enough early on but the turning point was our last defeat at Fulham. The 4-1 defeat to Chelsea certainly helped us to stick together as a squad, it made us tougher.
“There won’t be many surprised because we know each other so well, but we also know what a good team we are facing.”
Liverpool beat Chelsea in the semi-finals on their way to lifting the trophy last season, with Luis Garcia’s controversial winner separating the teams.
Chelsea were favourites to progress to the final and Hamann accepts they were extremely difficult opponents.
“Yes you were probably the best team in Europe last season,” he said of Chelsea.
“They were probably the best team in Europe last season, but we were the best team in the Champions League.”
Both teams are through to the knockout stages of the competition and Hamann insists finishing second would not be the “end of the world”.
He said: “The mood among the players is good, we have had a good run in the league and not conceded a goal. We are getting results because we are playing much better than at the beginning of the season.
“We will be trying to get a result that will mean we are top of the group, and Chelsea know we can do that.
“We have been drawn in a group that included the English champions, so they don’t come much tougher than that. So to have qualified already says a lot about us.
“The main thing has been achieved, but we will try to claim top spot although if we don’t manage that it’s not the end of the world.
“But it doesn’t make much difference whether we finish first or second, because you know with only 16 teams left everybody is top class.”
