Liverpool vs. Chelsea: Key Takeaways from Jose Mourinho's Pre-Game Presser

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho doesn't believe selling star striker Luis Suarez this summer gives Liverpool any excuse to underperform this season. Mourinho's Premier League-leading squad travels to Anfield to battle a Liverpool team mired in seventh place.

The Red have struggled without troubled genius Suarez up front, but Mourinho believes the Anfield club spent enough this summer to cope with the loss, per The Times reporter Matt Hughes:

In a typically backhanded Mourinho-style compliment, the Chelsea boss praised the players Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers invested in this summer, per ESPN reporter Miguel Delaney:

Just in case you still missed what Mourinho is getting at, he reminded reporters again that Liverpool spent quite a bit of money this summer:

Mourinho is making obvious reference to the arrivals of expensive recruits such as Lazar Markovic, Adam Lallana, Mario Balotelli and Dejan Lovren. They were the major additions in Rodgers' widespread summer spending spree.

In typical fashion, Mourinho is attempting to increase the pressure on Liverpool by reminding them the new faces haven't exactly jelled yet. Of course, Rodgers doesn't need telling that his muddled squad has yet to meet expectations.

But that won't stop Mourinho from trying to rattle the Anfield hierarchy. As the presser continued, he was also at great pains to suggest how exertions in the UEFA Champions League may have taxed his squad, per Hughes:

Mourinho was referencing Chelsea's recent and rather tame 1-1 draw against NK Maribor in Slovenia. Of course, Liverpool had their own Champions League duty, losing 1-0 to Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.

That was a game that courted controversy due to Rodgers' decision to rest several key players. BBC Sport presenter Gary Lineker was among those less than impressed:

Mourinho is likely using the comparison to cement the idea the pressure is on Liverpool, not his own team. He is also fostering a classic siege mentality in his own ranks.

Speaking of a siege, that's just Chelsea what laid down the last time Mourinho visited Anfield. The Blues won 2-0 back in late April, thanks to a defensive contrition act that was akin to watching paint dry.

The result was a victory for Mourinho's ruthlessly cynical pragmatism and all but ended Liverpool's title bid. Chelsea's first goal that day was created by a slip from Reds skipper Steven Gerrard.

Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Mourinho has magnanimously downplayed that gaffe, per Hughes:

The Portuguese boss also promised his team will show plenty of forward intent this time, according to Chelsea's official Twitter feed:

In fairness to the Blues, they have been more pleasing on the eye so far this term. The arrival of gifted playmaker Cesc Fabregas, along with the continued development of young attacking stars Eden Hazard and Oscar, has ensured that.

It will also help that Mourinho has strikers Diego Costa and Loic Remy available. He confirmed the pair are back ready to play, per the club's official Twitter account:

Mourinho also took time to make special mention of the famous and sometimes forbidding Anfield atmosphere. The Chelsea gaffer apparently remains fearless, according to Delaney:

But Mourinho has some reasons to be wary. He has a checkered history at Anfield, attributed to Champions League defeats inflicted by Rafa Benitez and the slow pace of progress regarding goal-line technology.

Mourinho hasn't forgotten how he and Chelsea have suffered on Merseyside in the past:

Mourinho is wheeling out his usual tricks for a marquee fixture. He'll know that despite Liverpool's current issues, the Reds are sure to raise their game for the visit of the league leaders.