We’re ready to add to your cup misery, Green tells Chelsea

 
P57 Ramires of Chelsea
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Simon Johnson17 December 2012

Leeds midfielder Paul Green insists his team can pile more misery on Chelsea by knocking them out of the Capital One Cup.

Chelsea take on Neil Warnock’s side on Wednesday for a place in the last four with confidence at an all-time low after they suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Corinthians in the FIFA Club World Cup Final yesterday.

Fatigue is sure to be an issue, too, after landing back in the UK today following a 12-hour flight, while Chelsea will be without suspended trio Ramires, John Obi Mikel and Gary Cahill and captain John Terry is not expected to return from his knee problem.

Leeds have knocked out Everton and Southampton to get this far and Green feels they can cause another upset against a Premier League side, especially after seeing Yorkshire rivals Bradford send Arsenal out of the competition last week.

Green said: “No team like to come to Elland Road and play Leeds and that is what it is going to be like on Wednesday night.

“We will take heart from the Bradford win over Arsenal because they put a strong side out and anything can happen in the cup.

“We know what it is going to be like. They are a quality outfit and we have to be ready for them because we know they will be at us.

“It’s going to be great to play against a big team like Chelsea. I’ve played Arsenal, Man City and Man United but never Chelsea. It’ll be a tasty game because there’s a bitter rivalry between the sides.”

Chelsea’s team spirit is also in question after quotes attributed to Brazilian duo Lucas Piazon and Oscar appeared to criticise their team-mates and coach Rafael Benitez respectively, following yesterday’s defeat in Yokohama.

Piazon was quoted in the Brazilian press questioning some of the Chelsea players’ desire, while Oscar was said to be furious about being left out of the starting line-up.

The former took to twitter to clarify his comments, saying: “All I said was that Corinthians had more courage to play the final than us, that they wanted this title more and that they played with more passion than us! I would never say something about my team-mates.

“I’m just 18 and with them I learn a lot of good things. And I also said that this title is so important for the South American clubs and that was a dream for me — that’s why I was so sad.”

Fellow Brazilians David Luiz and Ramires were in tears after the final whistle, having seen Paolo Guerrero’s 69th-minute header prove the difference between the two sides in the final.

Goalkeeper Petr Cech revealed he gave a team-talk to the distraught Chelsea squad on the pitch after the game to ensure that they target a return to the competition.

He added: “I said to the guys on the pitch, ‘it is now only up to us’. If we want to have another chance [to win the FIFA Club World Cup] we have to qualify for next year’s Champions League.

“We will try to win it and then we can come to the same tournament again and have another go. It’s the only way.”

Benitez certainly believes the players have to show some resolve to bounce back, as Chelsea begin a run of six games in just 18 days. The Chelsea interim coach said: “We play Leeds in the Capital One Cup and then Aston Villa at the weekend, so we need to be strong mentally. We have to be ready for the next challenge.

“We are improving every week. Hopefully that will continue and it will be easier to keep on winning games.”

Corinthians goakeeper Cassio, who made vital saves from Victor Moses, Fernando Torres and Gary Cahill, was voted man of the match and player of the tournament. He admitted winning the trophy was the highlight of his career.

“It was the best game I’ve played,” said Cassio. “I managed to do my bit for my club in a very important game, to help us win a very valuable trophy. That makes me very happy.”

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