Football News: Chelsea v Liverpool - A Quick Liverpool Viewpoint Review

Chelsea v Liverpool

Just on the Sunday, I watched three games and in all three I watched at one of the teams try and implement a variation of this new fashion of inverted/hybrid full-backs. Not once did it work well or even look close to being the answer. Celtic v Aberdeen saw Celtic use it, with it allowing Aberdeen to make a game of it, despite the very obvious gulf in quality between the two sets of players. In what was to become the recurring theme of the day, Celtic were exposed on the flanks and struggled to deal with quick counters when the ball was simply just put down the flank. Tottenham Hotspur were next up to face Brentford, who completely exposed the system in the first half and cut Spurs to shreds, despite Spurs being the only one of the four sides playing the system on the day to have actual defensive midfielders in their team. Then it was Liverpool's turn.

Each game it was obvious that the system leaves the team completely exposed defensively down the flanks. Both Spurs and Liverpool also compounded the problem by having a wide forward, in the shape of Son and Salah, who were left isolated out wide, instead of more central where they are most dangerous. Instead of being able to make early runs from out to in to attack the box, Salah is now being forced to play like a more orthodox winger, almost hugging the touchline. It is the kind of role that would make sense if it was Diaz or Doak there, allowing them to draw out defenders by dribbling past them and then look to play balls into the space left. But Salah? He should be the one getting on the end of those balls. The odd thing is that on the opposite flank, because Robertson is still wide, Diaz is not having to play so wide and has the support that is missing from the opposite flank.

It makes no logical sense to continue this system with the players at Liverpool's disposal. Salah is not going to track back enough to cover the defensive deficiencies and Konate is just one man, so cannot possibly cover the entire right flank and the centre on his own. All that ends up happening is that the opposition play the ball to one flank to draw over the defence, leaving a huge gaping hole down the other side for them to hit a crossfield pass to and flood into. They do not even need to be accurate crossfield balls, just hit into a 50 yard space. It makes it impossible to press them as they have such an easy out ball. There is no amount of transfers that can fix the issues with this system the way Liverpool are attempting to use it. There are a number of options to improve it and make it a bit less open, but it will still lack width in attacking areas and will still be unbalanced by having the wrong full-back coming narrow.

- The most obvious way to improve matters is to play a proper specialist defensive midfielder, or two, in front of the defence. Having a player or two to track runners from deep and to drop in to the backline when needed would give the central defenders a little bit of help and a more solid base. When a centre-back is drawn out to the flank to cover the gaping hole, there is no need for the whole rest of the defence to shuffle over then, as the defensive mid can just drop in and cover the space left. It is not going to fix all the issues, especially the bizarre insistence on Trent having to revert to full-back during defensive plays, but it would at least help out.

- Putting Alexander-Arnold as that defensive midfielder, rather than requiring him to get back to right-back the moment the ball is lost, would also go a long way to fixing the problem. Whether that is with someone else slotting in as an attacking right-back, such as Bradley, or a more defensive-minded Gomez going in to create almost a back three, it would at least cut down on the confusion as the backline tries to organise each time the ball is lost. It would require the replacement to play as a natural full-back, rather than the new fad of inverted full-backs, but that would help Salah out a lot in the attacking third by giving him some natural width to support him.

- Dropping the press and the highline it requires, much as I personally hate the idea, would also help. A narrow defence can work fine, if it is deep and so there is no need for the centre-backs to be dragged out to wide areas. The team just drops off when it loses the ball and holds within the width of the penalty box. Or a combination of press and then dropping off can be workable if you follow the Manchester City tactical foul set up. They just foul immediately if a press is not on, to allow the team to drop off and take up defensive positions. Unfortunately though, I feel any other team that tried to do that would end up with 8 men left on the pitch and all on yellow cards, as referees only seem to remember they have cards for other teams! So that would leave the option of just dropping off straight away on losing possession and not allowing wide players to get in behind, so negating a large portion of the danger. That would however lead to a team that would become highly reliant on being drilled like a Roy Hodgson team and giving up even more possession than on Sunday.

- There is also the option of altering the way the front three work. Either expecting more defensive cover from the wide players, but that would mean they are likely to be less effective going forward, or having the central forward drop off. The central forward dropping off would mean a return to more of the way the front three used to work, as the widemen would need to be looking to make those runs from out to in that role Salah and Mane were so good at doing. But that would then make the centre even more congested.

- Dump the system altogether and go back to one that suits the players the club actually has. That would be the one I recommend, as this current set up is hindering the team rather than helping it.

Right that's it, I am going to stop eating these whine gums now and get back to the review!

As for Chelsea, they will have probably gone away disappointed not to have picked up all three points in the end, though they started very nervously and were there for the taking until they realised that Liverpool were also there for the taking! As they began to see how open the Liverpool tactical approach had made them, and that they could slice through at ease, they really began to take the game to LFC and dominated possession in a way that has rarely happened to Liverpool under Klopp. It was almost like an extended training session for Chelsea of how to attack the flanks at times. What they lacked was a clincial goalscorer to get on the end of the attacks, with Jackson being a long way off Nkunku. Though Jackson did impress, he is still very raw and will probably need a season or two to really find his feet. Bournemouth must be really regretting their decision to call off his signing after not liking the results of his medical! The boy does look a real player for the future and could have made a massive difference to them last season, as Real Madrid will no doubt agree after he gave them a torrid time last season.

They do look a completely different proposition from last season, with a lot less turmoil in the ranks, but they also are desperately crying out for a defensive midfielder. Though that particular need looks to be addressed already. I would worry about their goalkeeper being good enough for a title chasing team as well, but they are probably at least a season away from that anyway, so it could be something that is left until next summer to sort out. Overall, with the forthcoming arrivals of Caicedo and Lavia (or whoever they end up if not both of those), they will be a much stronger side than last time around and capable of causing anyone problems, but they are unlikely to be looking at a title push just yet. That is simply because their attack is toothless without Nkunku. Jackson is a worker but he does not look to be a prolific goalscorer and they do not look to have many goals in midfield either. They will need to address that before becoming genuine title-challengers.

Quick notes on the players:
Today you have a special 'treat' as Ed077 decided to grace us with some input for the review as well with his own player ratings which I will add in here.

Chelsea:

Sanchez: looks in need of more time training with the team as he was struggling to move the ball on quickly with his feet. Normally his distribution is the strength of his game, so I would put that down simply to the need to look around and assess the options, rather than having an idea where players would be going instinctively. That will improve and overall, apart from one mistake, he was fine, though clearly not a top class long term first choice.
Ed077 said: Did his job, one bad moment but overall alright, 6 out of 10.

Disasi: the disappointing thing, from a Liverpool point of view, is that he was put under almost no pressure on his debut and allowed to settle into the game nicely. What he had to do, he did do well, but he will not have many easier afternoons in the Premier League. That is no fault of his though and he did look a big improvement on Fofana and Chalobah. Also got their goal, so all round a very satisfying debut.
Ed077 said: Looks a good purchase for them, 8 out of 10. MOTM.

Silva: if only he had come to the Premier League a few years earlier because he is an absolute Rolls-Royce of a player even now at age of 38 (39 next month). His fitness is key to Chelsea's hopes this season.
Ed077 said: mostly faultless, 7.5 out of 10.

Colwill: looked nervous at first, but was able to settle in as the game went on. Partly due to Salah being so isolated it meant he did not need to get dragged too far out of position to deal with him and was able to just stroll through the latter parts of the game. Getting him tied down to a long term contract was excellent business for Chelsea and they need to keep him in the team to develop now.
Ed077 said: poor in the first half, 6 out of 10.

James: got forward well but his delivery was not at its best. In fact I would go so far as to say he was disappointing before he went off. His link up with Sterling showed some good signs though but he needs to do better when he gets into dangerous positions. I would say though that he is suffering from the usual curse of the injury prone player - because they are so in and out, they usually take time to get going when they return. The problem is that the moment they do get going again they usually pick up another injury! That is why it was a bizarre choice to make him captain. I know the fans love him, but he is so unreliable fitness-wise that it makes no sense.
Ed077 said: got into good positions but didn't find his teammates enough, 6.5 out of 10.

Chilwell: got forward really well and was the main threat to Liverpool pretty much throughout the game. Like James though, he should have done a lot better with regards to delivery as he had plenty of chances to put in something and Jackson offers an aerial threat for him to pick out. To be fair to him though, he did not have enough targets to aim for as Chelsea did not flood the box with numbers.
Ed077 said: non-existent first half, very good in the second, 7 out of 10.

Enzo: had a fairly good game and showed some nice touches, though it must be said it was rather easy for him to do so with absolutely no pressure on him on the ball at all. Liverpool's midfield was so far off him that he could pretty much do what he wanted, which is what worries me from his point of view. I would have expected more from such a quality player with the time and space he was afforded than just a few nice moments. I do wonder how much he is being hamstrung by the lack of a genuine defensive midfielder alongside him. It could be that he is afraid to drive forward too much due to a need to be in position to cover the defence. Enzo was certainly at his best when he had Florentino Luis alongside him doing all the donkey work so that he had freedom.
Ed077 said: good game overall, bit of a hot head? 7.5 out of 10.

Gallagher: grew into the role of holding midfielder as the game went on. He was helped by Liverpool's poor play on the ball and that he was mostly able to just pick up the pieces Jota had dropped, time and time again. However, he showed some awareness and discipline to his play. He is not the long term answer there though, so it is no wonder Chelsea are so keen to upgrade in that position.
Ed077 said: non-existent first half but did well in the second, 6.5 out of 10.

Chukwuemeka: despite picking up an early booking he worked hard and was always looking to get up in support of Jackson. His movement off the ball was really good and he moved the Liverpool defence around well to create space for the overload. His movement highlighted just how badly Liverpool need a defensive midfielder as no one tracked him.
Ed077 said: early yellow probably stifled him, 6 out of 10.

Sterling: started off brightly but quickly faded. Looked to try and link up with James but they ended up getting in each other's way more than anything. I think the way the crowd are on his back probably does not help him right now. He tends to struggle at Anfield due to the crowd being against him, he seems to let it get to him.
Ed077 said: hampered them, 2 out of 10.

Jackson: worked the Liverpool backline mercilessly and is a real grafter. Very raw and lacks a cutting edge at the moment but he is a real prospect. He is going to be a handful for every defence this season with his movement and workrate.
Ed077 said: looks promising but maybe not an out and out striker yet, 7 out of 10.

Gusto: offered very little after replacing James other than an ability to fall over easily.
Ed077 said: didn't impact the game either ways after replacing James, 5 out of 10.

Maatsen: never managed to get involved really.
Ed077 said: did he touch the ball? 5 out of 10.

Mudryk: quick but aimless and looks out of his depth at the moment.
Ed077 said: only one good moment when he rounded Alisson but nothing noteworthy except that, 5 out of 10.

Ugochukwu: barely got on the pitch, so there was no chance of him making an impression on the game.
Ed077 said: not enough time to make an impression, 5 out of 10.

Pochettino: got his tactics right and, once his team got going they were cutting Liverpool apart down the flank almost at will. However his substitutions were poor and made Chelsea worse.
Ed077 said: it took Chelsea half an hour to get going. Then they were good just before and after the half-time. His changes however had no impact at all. Might have even negatively affected the team, 6 out of 10.

Liverpool:

Alisson: his incredible ability in one-on-one situations saved Liverpool. He is just simply magnificent and will probably get plenty of chances to show his quality this season with the way Liverpool are defending.
Ed077 said: made some excellent saves. His ability to not commit and still react to strikers is amazing. Kept LFC alive, 8 out of 10.

Alexander-Arnold: was unable to get enough of the ball to make much of an impact and constantly having to get back into position after wandering into the centre is just not working. None of the problems are really his fault, the system is just not workable. Teams have worked out that they just need to stop him getting on the ball and Liverpool struggle to build from the back and turn over possession. He was left with two or three players to mark on their goal and cannot be blamed as he was the one person who actually saw and reacted to the danger of the attack.
Ed077 said: was 7 but nearly cost a goal with a poor pass. Defending was fine too, 6.5 out of 10.

Konate: at times he was excellent, but has a couple of spells where he made errors. Allowed himself to be pulled all over the place at times, and did have a period where he was constantly caught ballwatching, especially on the goal where he was so far out of position it was ridiculous.
Ed077 said: good for most part. Poor that two minute spell where Chelsea scored. But the whole team was poor during that period, 7.5 out of 10.

van Dijk: a decent enough game in the main, but there were periods when he was caught ball watching and not being aware of what was happening around him. They were the times when he was dragged too far over and created a huge gap at the back. Unfortunately with this system, when the centre-backs were dragged over, there was no full-back or midfield cover, so Alisson was left exposed. That made what would normally be minor moments into incredibly dangerous ones.
Ed077 said: same as Konate, solid overall, 7 out of 10.

Mac Allister: if he had been playing his normal midfield role, I would have been very pleased with his performance as he was very good on the ball. But he was meant to be playing as the defensive midfielder and protecting the back line. In that role he was terrible. He failed to track runners, was caught out of position on almost every Chelsea attack and offered no protection at all to the defence behind him and made no attempt to fill in and help out when needed either. He is far from the answer as a defensive midfielder, good as he is.
Ed077 said: amazing on the ball, good debut, 8 out of 10.

Szoboszlai: a very good debut. Did some good defensive work as well at times. The late switch to play him on the left wing did not work though as he dropped too far off defensively and allowed them easy possession when the press was finally on. Overall though it was a solid debut that augurs well for his future at the club.
Ed077 said: good debut again. Showed his versatility too playing left wing late on, 7 out of 10.

Gakpo: he is good when on the ball, but off it he is lost in this midfield role. Needs to play further forward.
Ed077 said: good on the ball but a liability when asked to defend in his midfield role. Looked nervous and confused in defensive moments, 5.5 out of 10.

Salah: playing far too wide and being left isolated far too much in this system but he was still able to get himself some chances and gain an assist on the goal. He is in need of support and to be closer to the goal. I am not sure that his unhappiness at the end was with Klopp for taking him off or his frustration in being made to play in a way that is hampering his game and so not performing to his incredible best. Either way, I do not think it is a bad thing that he is unhappy at coming off late on in a game against his former club with him no doubt fancying his chances of hitting the winner.
Ed077 said: good overall. What an assist, 8 out of 10.

Diaz: started brightly but faded quickly and found himself pushed back far too often. He did not receive the ball enough in dangerous areas.
Ed077 said: looked very good first half, faded in the second, 7.5 out of 10.

Jota: I need a whole bag of whine gums to write about his performance. He was not just giving the ball away over and over, he was actively getting in the way of his teammates. How on earth he got picked to start anyway, well I just do not understand. Yes he has scored a few goals in preseason, but so has Nunez, who offers far more up front than Jota as a link player, particularly with Salah. Jota is almost a man down at times. Even when he does do something good, you can guarantee he will mess up a simple 5 yard pass right afterwards and undo all the good work he did do. He is simply not a good enough footballer to start for a team that is looking to win things. He lacks the intelligence to be able to press consistently and to link up well with his teammates. There are far better options available to Klopp and he should be nothing more than an impact substitute now.
Ed077 said: no impact on the game, 3 out of 10.

Jones: whether it was down to him or not, his arrival made a huge change to the game and saw Liverpool take some measure of control of the game back from Chelsea, who had been dominant up until then. It was interesting to see him trying to organise the press, something that was very much needed. It is a shame Klopp did not feel he was ready to start the game, so that Gakpo could have played up front instead of Jota. He looks to have grown in stature mentally and confidence-wise over the last few months, after a good end to the season and then starring for England U21s as they won the European Championships. If Jones can stay fit, he could have a big part to play this season.
Ed077 said: gave the midfield some control, 5.5 out of 10.

Nunez: the attack looked so much better with him at the tip rather than Jota. He offers so much more in the build up and his workrate and pace can trouble even the great Thiago Silva and make him need to put the deckchair and cigars away to deal with him. The big question is why he was not starting rather than Jota and it is a question I have absolutely no answer for. I think only Klopp and Lijnders believe Jota is a better option.
Ed077 said: energetic and nearly won the game on his own with that deflected shot, 6.5 out of 10.

Elliott: linked up well down the flank with Doak and is so comfortable on the ball. He looks to have grown as a player over the summer as well, even if he was not as heavily involved in the England U21s success as Jones, it looks to have made a positive impact on his game.
Ed077 said: looks so comfortable on the ball. Seems to have been elected the new scapegoat/target to blame by the supporters though, 6 out of 10.

Doak: never got enough chances to run at Chelsea sadly. The one time he did it was the usual story of him doing something brilliant, breakng forward and then messing up his final ball. He really needs to spend some time working on his decision making in the final third as it is currently Adama Traore levels of bad! That is all he needs to take his game to another level, just picking the right pass/cross/shot to take at the end of his runs.
Ed077 said: didn't have much opportunity to affect the game, 5 out of 10.

Klopp: got the tactics all wrong and made no attempt to change things defensively even though it was a shambles back there and has been all preseason. I have no idea what he is seeing, but if he is not seeing that Alexander-Arnold immediately moving to the centre at goal kicks etc is adversely effecting the team, then he needs to go back to wearing glasses! His changes did help improve Liverpool's play and gave a measure of control at the end, even if they did upset Salah in the process. He needs to rip up this tactical approach and start again though, teams have the measure of it. And please, no more shoehorning players into roles that do not suit them. Putting Gakpo into midfield and playing Mac Allister as a defensive midfielder behind him is just asking for trouble.
Ed077 said: not having a defensive midfielder in the squad shows. Liverpool started bright. His changes had a positive impact on the game too, 6.5 out of 10.

Written by Tris Burke August 15 2023 17:10:11