Luiz Felipe Scolari has warned Tottenham that his Chelsea stars will be motivated by revenge in Sunday's London derby at Stamford Bridge.
Scolari spoke to John Terry, Frank Lampard and company about their meetings with Spurs last season and quickly realised they are still sore over the 4-4 draw that dented Chelsea's title charge.
Although Chelsea lost the League Cup final to Tottenham it is the painful memories of their March visit to White Hart Lane which will fire up Scolari's players this weekend.
The Blues led three times before conceding a last minute equaliser to concede crucial ground on Manchester United. They eventually lost the title by just two points and the momentum squandered at Spurs proved crucial.
“They have talked to me about the 4-4 game, not the League Cup. One mistake in the last two minutes meant they lost the Premier League.” Scolari said.
“They also told me they respected some of the Tottenham players and at this moment it is important for Tottenham not to lose another game.
“They want their first three points in the league so we have some problems, we know this. We need to respect them even more.
“If you win a derby it is fantastic. When I arrived here some people said to me 'you need to win three derbies – Tottenham, Fulham and West Ham'.”
Tottenham have made a dismal start to the season but Scolari isn't taking another victory for granted.
“Tottenham thought they would have a better start to the season than they have done because they have lost both games,” he said.
“But I know Juande and the players at Tottenham. They made one or two mistakes in the games before ours but we need to remember this is a big chance for Tottenham because it is a derby.”
Chelsea's 100 percent winning record under Scolari has showcased two completely different sides of the team. They turned on the style to rout Portsmouth in his first match, the ground out a 1-0 victory at Wigan.
The impressive play of Scolari's five-man midfield has been the highlight of those wins but the Brazilian could be missing three key players in the centre as Michael Ballack, John Obi Mikel and Michael Essien are all struggling with injuries.
While Chelsea will be driven by their revenge mission, Spurs make the short trip across London with an equally pressing need for a positive result.
Defeat on Sunday will condemn Tottenham to their worst start to a season since 1979. The omens aren't good for Ramos's side as Spurs are without a win at the Bridge since 1990.
Ramos also has to cope with the unwanted distraction of Dimitar Berbatov's attempt to force a move to Manchester United. The Spanish coach dropped Berbatov from last weekend's defeat to Sunderland after he handed in a transfer request and was unsure whether to bring the Bulgarian back at the Bridge.
In the meantime, Ramos has told the rest of the squad they must improve.
“At the momemt we owe something to our fans but we can and we must give a lot more and that's what we are working on,” he said.
“The team have to improve. We need to be ambitious and keep our concentration for the full 90 minutes.
“We are more concerned with the errors we have made in the last few games rather than obsessing about achieving our first victory.
“Chelsea are a great team but we also have a very solid base. I have no doubt in my mind that Tottenham are capable of beating any team.”
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