[lfc-news] Chelsea not favourites to progress, says Alonso - Post

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Liverpool Daily Post, 15 April 2005
Chelsea not favourites to progress, says Alonso
By Andy Hunter, Daily Post

XABI ALONSO insists Liverpool must treat their final six Premiership
games like Champions League finals as he dismissed Chelsea's billing as
favourites for their semi-final showdown.

The Spanish international produced an outstanding comeback against
Juventus to help Liverpool secure their first European Cup semi-final
spot for 20 years.

Despite three defeats to Jose Mourinho's champions-elect this season
Alonso believes Liverpool have no reason to fear Chelsea on April 27 and
May 3.

But he admits Rafael Benitez's side cannot lose sight of their
Premiership objective amid the euphoria of Turin and has challenged
Liverpool to finally sustain their European form at home.

"I believe that we can still finish fourth in the Premiership, but we
have to face each game as if we were playing in a final," said the £10.7
million playmaker. "We have to win them all, and we can do that."

Alonso added: "In Italy, we showed that we are capable of anything in
Europe because against Juventus we were superior in both games.

"A semi-final against Chelsea is enormously attractive. We know
ourselves very well and the time has come for us to take revenge for the
defeats this season. For me, they aren't such favourites as everybody says.

"The good thing is that we know Chelsea and that we know that we can
beat them.

"It is a big match but I am living a dream because the Champions League
is the best competition in the world. I'm very happy we're in the semis,
but now I want more. I want the final."

Alonso defied original plans to only play 45 minutes in Turin and
delivered an accomplished 90-minute display to help subdue Juventus.

"I am very happy to have recovered from my injury and to have helped the
team to get to the semi-finals of the Champions League," he said.

"For me, returning to the field this season is a personal success
because the doctors' calculations weren't very optimistic. I worked hard
in the gym and now I want to enjoy playing.

"It was great to come back, and it was a wonderful evening for the club.
I would never have expected to come back in a game like this.

"It's a great feeling at the moment because to knock out Juve is a first
for all of us. I have never seen so many injuries in one team and at key
moments but we came through.

"Luckily, we've shown that we have excellent players and that the fans
can feel proud of us."

Alonso's team-mate and compatriot Luis Garcia echoed the belief that
Liverpool can end their losing sequence against the Stamford Bridge club.

Garcia said: "It will be a complicated tie but we've already played
three times against them and every time we have played them we have
played well, let's hope that fortune will be on our side.

"To reach the Champions League semi-final and to be so close to the
final is a dream come true. I couldn't have asked for a better result in
my first season with Liverpool.

"We've worked hard and we proved to everybody that we deserved to be in
the final four."

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