CARRA: CHELSEA GAME WILL BE BIG TEST

Paul Rogers 14 January 2007 Liverpool's 3-nil win at Vicarage Road on Saturday might have restored some pride to supporters after two demoralising cup defeats to Arsenal last week but for Jamie Carragher, next weekends clash with Chelsea is the real big one.

While Liverpool have enjoyed Premiership success over the Gunners and beaten both Chelsea and Manchester United in knock-out competitions under Rafael Benitez, the Reds are still waiting for their first Premiership victory over the top two since the Spaniard arrived at Anfield. However, with seven wins from their last eight Premiership fixtures, Carragher believes the time is right for this Liverpool team to finally prove to the world that there is no mental block when it comes to facing Chelsea and Manchester United in the league. "We're probably the form team in the League at the moment and we've got to keep that going because in the next few weeks both Chelsea and United have got to come to Anfield," revealed the Liverpool Vice Captain. "I'd like to think we will be a lot closer to the top two after those games than we are now. They represent a big opportunity for us after what happened against Arsenal. "Our record against the top teams isn't a good one, especially in the League. We know if we are going to win the title it's something we have to improve on. It is something we've got to get right over the next few years if we are to make that step up to become champions. I can't explain it. I don't think there is a big gap between us and Chelsea, United or Arsenal - and in the cup competitions over the last couple of years we have proved we can beat anyone. "We beat Chelsea in the Champions League semi-final and last year's FA Cup semi-final and we also knocked United out of the FA Cup last season. So in the real one-off games we have done well. We know we can beat them on any given day. "All the players are aware that our record in these games isn't that good, but there's no mental block or anything. Little things can decide the big matches and it's just unfortunate that we've been on the receiving end a few times over recent seasons. I don't want to make excuses for what happened against Arsenal, but I thought we were a bit unlucky in the first game and I am hoping that the second defeat was just a freak result. "It's been a bad week for us, but we still have a lot to play for this season and it's no good crying about what happened. We had a bad start in the Premiership and maybe Manchester United and Chelsea are too far ahead of us for us to be involved in the title this season. I think we are a better team now than we were last year, but the League table at the end of the season is what matters. "And the games against United, Chelsea and Arsenal at Anfield will give us a better idea of how far we have come and what's still to be done. We can't let our heads drop. We want to make sure that we don't finish any lower than third in the Premiership. "There is also two massive games to look forward to in the Champions League against Barcelona. It is going to be very tough for us to go through because they are the European champions and a great team, but we've been in these situations before. If we can get past Barcelona then we'd have a great chance in that competition. It would be great to give the fans something to shout about again after what they went through against Arsenal."