Chelsea 1 Liverpool 1 (Sep 29 2018)

[tlw content]

    

  

 

Report by

Dave Usher

 

 

It was a draw but it was almost like a win. We didn’t deserve to lose the game but it felt like we would from the moment we fell behind. We played well, created chances, but it had that “one of those days” stink about it from pretty early on I thought. To grab a point so late, and so spectacularly, feels massive.

 

I was totally convinced we were never going to score. I felt that way from the moment Salah had that one cleared off the line by Rudiger in the first half. We’d squandered several chances before that and it was clear that the front three just weren’t quite right once again. 

 

Eventually Shaqiri came on but he was just as wasteful, missing a sitter and producing a tame free-kick. Thankfully at least one of the forwards remembered his shooting boots. Shame he only got five minutes like, but thankfully it was enough.

 

I’m certainly not at the point just yet where I’d be making Sturridge first choice, but I'll tell you something, another couple of games like this and I probably will be. I can’t believe I’m actually saying that, but that’s where I’m at right now. I keep waiting for the front three to run wild on someone, and each week it doesn’t happen.

 

We’re nine games in now and still no closer to it happening. Sturridge, meanwhile, is our joint top scorer despite only starting two games, and he's averaging a goal every 40 minutes or something. Can we afford to NOT pick him at this point? For now, yeah, but this can't go on indefinitely.

 

If we’d lost this game it would have been on the forwards, because the rest of the team all did their jobs. If the forwards had done theirs as well then the game could have been won in the first half. Maybe I’m being overly critical. Maybe my expectations are too high. All I know what we’re seeing at the moment is not what we were seeing last year.

 

So for us to still be joint top despite them not having caught fire yet is testament to the job the rest of the lads (and Klopp) are doing. We can't keep on winning week in week out unless the front three hit form though.

 

I feel as though Mo is really, really close. It’s small margins, but that’s all it takes at this level. He was brilliant in the first half. He did everything right all the way up until his final pass or shot, which was SHITE. The runs, movement, turns and little interchanges of passing to get him into those positions were fucking ace. Vintage Mo. It’s just that final moment kept undermining it all.

 

 

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[buster69]

Just a thought, but how much can the form of the front three be related to them having a long summer at the World Cup, whereas Sturridge is fresh from having his best (or only) pre-season in years? I know the form of Hazard would kind of contradict that finding but he may be the only top player who is like that this season.

 

I also think Salah is still feeling the strain from his run ins with the Egyptian FA. That sounds like a massive headache for him. The fact that he came back soon from that shoulder injury probably didn't help him either. 

[Jenson]

I don't want to be too critical of Trent because I thought he had a good game, but he went ball chasing for their goal instead of tracking Hazard's run after the initial flick. That's what left all the space for Hazard to run into.

[dave u]

8 minutes ago, buster69 said:

Just a thought, but how much can the form of the front three be related to them having a long summer at the World Cup, whereas Sturridge is fresh from having his best (or only) pre-season in years? I know the form of Hazard would kind of contradict that finding but he may be the only top player who is like that this season.

 

I also think Salah is still feeling the strain from his run ins with the Egyptian FA. That sounds like a massive headache for him. The fact that he came back soon from that shoulder injury probably didn't help him either. 

 

The world cup probably is having some kind of negative effect, but what I find a little odd if that Mo doesn't look jaded or anything. As I said in the report, his general play in the first half was dynamite, but his shooting and passing was woeful. Not sure thats a result of any fatigue from the world cup.

 

1 minute ago, Jenson said:

I don't want to be too critical of Trent because I thought he had a good game, but he went ball chasing for their goal instead of tracking Hazard's run after the initial flick. That's what left all the space for Hazard to run into.

 

Yeah it was a momentary lapse in judgement, but he gets away with that against almost anyone else. Chelsea worked that situation superbly to be fair to them.

[bossy]

Salah will come good I’m sure. It must be weird to go from being a really good footballer to a superstar in 6 months. It must play with your head and your nerves as you adjust to people treating you differently and expectations and all that. 

 

[Stickman]

They always say great sides don't lose two games on the bounce so to lose to the same team on the bounce could have been huge especially with two really tough games to follow.

We could still lost to Napoli and City but if we don't then I think that goal will have been a major influence in that not happening.

[The Guest]

I can’t help but like Hazard.  He’s just such a good player.  I think Sturridge will start against Napoli and I’d be giving him a run in the league after the City game.  I’d probably drop one of the midfielders out and play Bobby behind him.  Sometimes you just have to ride the wave with players.  His confidence is up and it just looks like he’s going to score every time he’s on the pitch.

 

I think we should be doing the same thing with Shaqiri.  I reckon if he’d have had more minutes on the pitch this season he would have been sharper and finished that chance on Saturday.  Although I’m not sure how or who to take out to do it.

[Mark M]

46 minutes ago, The Guest said:

I can’t help but like Hazard.  He’s just such a good player.  I think Sturridge will start against Napoli and I’d be giving him a run in the league after the City game.  I’d probably drop one of the midfielders out and play Bobby behind him.  Sometimes you just have to ride the wave with players.  His confidence is up and it just looks like he’s going to score every time he’s on the pitch.

 

I think we should be doing the same thing with Shaqiri.  I reckon if he’d have had more minutes on the pitch this season he would have been sharper and finished that chance on Saturday.  Although I’m not sure how or who to take out to do it.

Negged

[DaveT]

Good stuff, as ever. One reason I still wouldn't start with Sturridge is that when Bobby is around, nobody e.g. Jorginho, can relax and pick out his passes - unlike what we saw last Wednesday when Fabregas had all the time in the world to dictate play, as Danny just doesn't do that pressing. Another big difference from last Wednesday was that we weren't up against 12 men (Kevin Friend, I'm looking at you, you cheating twat). Marriner did ok, but the foul he gave against Mo which led to their only big 2nd half chance was a joke - we should have had possession in a dangerous areas, instead, Kante's quick thinking and our whole team's paralysis at such a dopey decision resulted in Hazard's one-on-one.

[Daisy]

How can anyone like that pube faced cunt

[Babb'sBurstNad]

Mané had various opportunities to play in someone on the left, and every time he either ignored them or - more worryingly - was completely unaware of them. You're spot on that we're missing Ox's breaking of the lines, but in lieu of him I think Mané's being tasked with taking on a bit more of those responsibilities and coming central. We need that drive and dynamism, but he's not that great in terms of reading the play in front of him, he's better at passing quickly and creating space himself.

 

I think it'll click once Keita gets up to speed. You saw how he offered something the other midfielders don't, namely the ability to move through packed areas in possession rather than choosing to pass when bodies are in front of him.

 

I knew Sturridge was going to score though.

[Bobby Hundreds]

I listened to the anfield wrap post match review and they where salivating over Chelsea. I thought they where good but we where the better side and on their turf.  Them scoring first skews the game. The front 3 decision making is a bit head wrecking at the moment it reminds me of that Chelsea Barca game where Barca where just doing dumb shit around the box and Chelsea where happy to watch.

 

It will come though. They will find their mojo. I'd start cementing Keita into that side now though.

 

[Gav]

I know stats can be used to prove or disprove anything but MOTD 2 showed stats on Mo from last season and he's 1 goal off last seasons numbers even with his erratic finishing .He definitely looks far better these last 2 weeks and getting his mojo back a bit...Mane worries me more.Not sure if Sturridge starting is ideal though ,the lack of pace is a too big for the way way we play

[scudger99]

Has Sturridge set some sort of record there ?  5 minutes on the pitch and Man of the Match ?

And I'd go along with it too, just for THAT goal and the circumstances surrounding it.

Fuck it, he probably deserves it for not being injured this season.  Showing again what an asset he is when he isn't on the treatment table.

[Frank Dacey]

As I recall at this stage last season there were a lot of comments about how good Salah would be if he started taking his chances. Hopefully, history will repeat itself..

[niallers]

On 10/1/2018 at 10:29 AM, Jenson said:

I don't want to be too critical of Trent because I thought he had a good game, but he went ball chasing for their goal instead of tracking Hazard's run after the initial flick. That's what left all the space for Hazard to run into.

I said this immediately after they scored. He follows the ball instead of tracking the run. I thought the Anfield wrap lads would dissect the goal but they just said it was good play, which from an attacking point of view it was. However, given that it was away to chavs and hazard loves to run into those areas after a turn and spin, I'm pretty certain that Trent would have been warned to follow hazard instead of the normal routine of chasing down the ball. Against everyone else,bar sane,he'd have got away with it you'd imagine.

Also,Gomez doesn't cover Trent. Now, either he doesn't see it or he expects Trent to track as he makes no move to cover until the through ball is played. Salah half tracks but is worried by Alonso and that's not what he's told in the main. 

I'd love to see a proper breakdown of it by a proper coach to see what we can do in future to prevent that much space from being left exposed.

Would love to know klopps thoughts too to be fair.

[etho]

With Jorginho and Kovacic especially, and Kante's energy, Chelsea have a very good midfield that can get a control of the game if you're not careful. To that effect I thought Wijnaldum was magnificent, strong and winning everything and keeping the ball in tight spaces and knitting everything together. 

He's our best No 6 by quite a distance for me right now.