Jump to content
tlw content
tlw content

Chelsea 1 Liverpool 0 (May 6 2018)



dave_usher.jpg

 
 
Report by
Dave Usher
 
 
 
 
Entirely predictable. I said in the Roma report I wasn’t expecting anything from this game and even though I did a complete 180 before kick off and foolishly decided we’d win easily, I just put that down to being out in the sun too long. This was always going to be desperately tough for our lads and Chelsea played them like a fiddle. 

 

They sat deep, rarely ventured out in any numbers and challenged us to break them down. They let us have the ball but never let us counter attack. It’s a big compliment in a way as Chelsea are the reigning Champions but that’s twice now they’ve set up with only two attacking players and everyone else charged with stopping us. They were at home, they needed to win and they were still reluctant to attack us. Unfortunately they didn’t need to, as the one serious effort on target was all they needed. 

 

It wasn’t a bad performance from us but it never looked like we were going to have enough to break them down. We started quite brightly and the lively Mané had a couple of stinging shots from the edge of the box, but other than that Chelsea were comfortable. 

 

So were we until we gave a goal away from nothing. It was a bit unlucky as the cross by Moses took a nick of Mané which altered the flight of the ball and caused it to loop up between Van Dijk and Lovren, allowing Giroud to glance it over Karius into the far corner. 

 

Both centre backs maybe could have done better, although Lovren had more than just Giroud to worry about so any blame for him is fairly minimal I’d say. Van Dijk was in no man’s land, but I do think the deflection on the cross was the biggest reason for us conceding. 

 

Chelsea did have one or two more threatening moments with balls smashed across the face of goal, but generally we were never really under any real pressure at the back. 

 

In terms of the overall performance I think the only thing missing from when we’re at our best was that we got virtually nothing from Salah and Firmino. The rest of the side were fine, but the way we’re set up means that most of the players are facilitators for the front three. That’s why they score all the goals, but if you have two of them not firing then it’s always going to be problematic. 

 

Firmino never hid and once again used up a hell of a lot of energy chasing around the field, but much of that was trying to get the ball back after he’d given it away himself. It was tough for him, not least because Kante occupies much of the space he likes to operate in. 

 

That little fucker is unreal. If you’re playing a pass into the middle of the field, you better make sure it’s inch perfect because if it isn’t then he’s going to nick it away. So many times he got a toe in or just stepped in front to intercept what would have been a successful pass against anyone else. He’s the best I’ve ever seen at doing that and it really is like having an extra player in there. 

 

Chelsea are difficult to break down when they play as defensively as this and we might have struggled even if our players weren’t completely goosed. It’s moments like this when you need some magic from Mo, but the last three games he’s not been at it and this was probably his second worst performance of the season. Old Trafford was obviously the worst, but this wasn’t much better. 

 

Whereas United crowded him out, this time it was mostly just Rudiger, who dominated him completely. Mo couldn’t get away from him and his frustration was obvious. He was even booked for a clear dive in the box following a poor touch. Then later on when he perhaps was fouled by Cahill, the referee wasn’t interested and who can blame him really? If a player tried to con me by diving, I’d seriously think twice if there was a 50-50 incident later on involving him. 

 

His goals have dried up at precisely the worst fucking time for us and we need him back on track immediately, not least because we literally have no choice but to keep playing the front three irrespective of how tired or our of form they might be. 

 

I mean what else can we do? Dom Solanke came on and had a couple of off target headers, and I’m now resigned to the fact he’s simply never going to score. He’s making me look like a fool after how high I was on him earlier in the season. He’ll go on to have a good career I’m sure, but he’s about as much use to us right now as an ash tray on motorbike and after a promising start he’s looked worse with every appearance he’s made since about October. 

 

Ings isn’t any use either. If he can’t get on ahead of Solanke then what does that say about him? The best alternative we have to the front isn’t even here because he’s out on loan, and I don’t mean that bum Origi who is on the brink of being relegated with Wolfsburg. No, I’m talking about Harry Wilson. Oh how we could do with him right now. 

 

The decision not to replace Coutinho hasn’t cost us in the Champions League but only a fool would say it hasn’t hurt us overall. We might get away with it if we win next week and scrape fourth. We gambled last January too and just about got away with it, but you can’t keep going to the well as eventually it will run dry. 

 

Irrespective of whether we get away with it this time or not, lessons need to be learned because once again we’re stumbling towards the finish line, jelly legged and completely gasping for breath. Klopp had his reasons for not spending in January, but we’re crying out for another wide forward right now. We can blame injuries for the lack of midfield options, but I don’t think we have much cause to feel hard done by because at least the front three have stayed injury free. Where would we be if we’d lost one (or two) of them? 

 

I’m not going to criticise any of the regular starters as they’re giving us absolutely all they have. Their work ethic and desire is unquestionable and we should be proud of them, it’s just that they just don’t have much left in the tank right now. I feel bad for them, basically the same eleven are having to play all the time because there is too much of a drop off in quality when any of the back ups come in. 

 

The only back up who doesn’t massively weaken the side when he comes in is arl Ragnar, the rest are pretty much un-selectable at this point, and it’s really fucking us over right now. Not only have we spent weeks failing to get the one result we needed to secure a top four spot, we’re running the players into the ground ahead of a Champions League final because of it. Thank fuck there’s a two week break between Brighton and the final. 

 

All we needed to do was beat Everton or West Brom or Stoke and the Chelsea and Brighton games would have been immaterial anyway. We kept fucking up though and now we have to win next week. I see people being all bullish about that but there’s more than enough evidence to suggest that Brighton is going to be a tough afternoon for us. 

 

Boro last year was stressful enough and they’d already been relegated. It ended comfortably but it took a while to get that first goal and Boro could easily have had a pen when it was still 0-0. People forget that because we won, but it wasn’t the walk in the park the 3-0 scoreline suggests it was. Hopefully the crowd can get us through next week as it will obviously be bouncing at Anfield. 

 

Next week should have just been a stroll around in the May sunshine and a chance for Klopp to rest players and the fans to give the lads a great send off ahead of the final. Now it’s probably going to be a must win game (unless Wagner or Rafa can do us a favour) with loads of fucking tension and no chance of resting anyone. That isn’t because of this game, it’s because of the last few weeks. Mostly though it’s because of the gamble taken in January. 

 

Star man is Sadio for being the only threat we had. 

 

 

Team: Karius; Clyne (Henderson), Lovren, Van Dijk, Robertson (Solanke); Wijnaldum, Milner (Moreno), Alexander-Arnold; Salah, Firmino, Mané:


User Feedback

Recommended Comments

Actually has the flavour of 13/14 about it, when basically the same XI played from mid-January.

 

Let's hope that heartbreak doesn't re-visit us.

 

There is a recurring theme with not so much the squad size perhaps, but the quality of it.

 

You get what you pay for, perhaps, so the old chestnut of owner's ambition - as pertains to transfer policy and money - rears again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually has the flavour of 13/14 about it, when basically the same XI played from mid-January.

 

Let's hope that heartbreak doesn't re-visit us.

 

There is a recurring theme with not so much the squad size perhaps, but the quality of it.

 

You get what you pay for, perhaps, so the old chestnut of owner's ambition - as pertains to transfer policy and money - rears again.

Year in, year out, our bargain purchases are absolute shite.

 

Klopp's currently poor in-game management is terror induced by sending any of them onto the pitch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


×
×
  • Create New...