Former Blues coached unimpressed with former club’s youth policy.
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has criticised rivals Chelsea, insisting the London outfit will not play their ‘kids’ at Anfield on Sunday ‘because they never have done’.
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Rodgers, a former youth team coach at Stamford Bridge during Jose Mourinho’s first spell, said young players do not get an opportunity at Chelsea, a far cry from the set-up at Liverpool where English youngsters Jon Flanagan, 20, Raheem Sterling, 19, have played a key part in the Reds’ title bid.
Chelsea’s shock 2-1 loss at home to Sunderland last weekend has left their title own challenge hanging by a thread, prompting manager Mourinho to shift his focus to the Champions League.
His side drew 0-0 at Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their semi-final earlier this week and Mourinho created a storm afterwards by claiming that he would field a second-string team at Liverpool to preserve his players for next week’s return leg.
Rodgers, however, says there is no chance Chelsea will field a young team on Merseyside.
“I don’t think Chelsea will play the kids because they never have done,” Rodgers told the Liverpool Echo.
“As a football club they have a wonderful academy there but young players don’t get the opportunity there. That’s one thing you can rule out – there certainly won’t be kids playing.”
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