Chelsea v/s Liverpool: Preview

A face off between a star player and his former employers is on the cards. 18 Yard Box has a look at the clash of the two EPL giants.

With ten games into the English Premier League season, Chelsea has certainly shown that early season promise, much more than Liverpool has.  With 23 points of a possible 30 and an attractive brand of football, Chelsea have kicked off their new campaign in style. Liverpool on the other hand have no realistic chances of winning the Title they last won in 1990, having won just two games in their ten thus far.

The game, as has been the scene since the transfer of Fernando Torres, will again put the spotlight back on him. As unfair that it is, he had it coming in the way he left Anfield back in January, 2011. Torres’ form may be on the rise but he by no way is the lethal finisher of old. He has lost a yard of pace, probably because of injuries and looks deflated at times. Whatever may be the case, he will definitely try to get on the score sheet, and if he does manage to do that, football fans worldwide will feel a sense of redemption for him. I am not quite sure what Liverpool fans will feel though.

Torres will again be the centre of attention against his former employers

18 Yard Box analyses the strengths and weaknesses of both teams here, which will make for an interesting game at the Bridge.

Chelsea

Strengths

Chelsea’s attack has been oozing class this season. With 22 goals scored till now, which is just more than two goals per game, the front four are only getting better with time. Mata, Hazard and Oscar along with Marin, Moses form a formidable line up and shows the depth they have in these positions.

Victor Moses, their summer recruit has been in scintillating form. Having scored the match winnner midweek, he is surely looking to challenge Torres for the starting line-up. With Sturridge waiting in the wings, the Londoners have a good attack which could help them win the League yet another time.

Mata's presence is going to be cruical for Chelsea

Mata, who missed last weekends’ game with a hamstring injury, is expected to be back in the lineup. Extremely important for them, he has been the creative mainstay for Chelsea this season and the possible force without which they struggled against a resilient Swansea.

With Terry returning from the four match ban he faced for racially abusing Anton Ferdinand, Chelsea receives a major boost. Cahill and Luiz’s pairing in the heart of their defense is yet not up to mark and Terry’s experience will be vital against the in-form Suarez.

Weaknesses 

With yet another off field controversy niggling the European Champions, this is one weakness that could harm them. Mikel is determined to go ahead with the case against Clattenburg, accusing him of directing a racist slur at him while playing Manchester United in the league. Off field controversies have just become a habit for Chelsea but it might just shift the focus away from their football.

Yet another off-field controversy for Chelsea involving Mikel

On field, one issue that troubles Di Matteo is Torres’ run of form. Having improved since last season, he is still not firing on all cylinders. His contribution to the team has been good but in departments he shouldn’t be involved in. With ill timed runs, constant shifting out towards the wings, Torres is playing more like an attacking midfielder than a striker. A striker is what is needed at Chelsea to bang in those shots, and believe it or not, he might just be running out of time with the transfer window looming.

Liverpool

Strengths

Luiz Suarez. If in one word you could describe Liverpool’s strengths. Not that it undermines the work of players like Daniel Agger, Martin Skrtel, Steven Gerrard. But Suarez has been phenomenal this season. Deft touches of the ball, perfectly timed runs and even better passing, Suarez creates sheer class from nothing. Terry and Luiz will have to be at their absolute best to keep out Suarez, not only from scoring but also from coming deep and making those deadly solo runs straight at the defender.

Suarez has been absolutely top draw this season

With the pairing of Skrtel and Agger doing tremendously well this season, their defense is certainly top class. Glen Johnson has returned exactly in time to face his former employers which only helps their cause. Although Hazard, Mata and Oscar could be a little too much to handle,  they should be able to considering they very well know how they play.

Weakness

Liverpool’s new passing style is refreshing to see, but the real problem is that neither Joe Allen is Xavi, nor Gerrard is Iniesta. Not that they don’t have their own strengths, but their passing right now looks enforced. Their goals still come from long balls or crosses and not by accurate incisive through balls. So, trying to be the English version of Barcelona is just a bit too soon. They need to find their Xavi’s and Iniesta’s before expecting to be successful at it.

He is not Xavi as of now

With Suarez the only recognized striker, they are lacking in the goals department. Borini was expected to be partners in crime, but has slightly been sidelined due to a broken foot. Sterling is trying to take the burden off, but its that too much to ask for from the young. 

Importance of a win

With Chelsea a point behind Manchester United, they will definitely try to get a win against Liverpool. Liverpool on the other hand need to get their season up and running having only achieved two victories in the League till now. Beating Chelsea at the Bridge will certainly boost their confidence and possible be a turning point in their season. 

The Verdict

Tactical Analysis

With Suarez more often than not coming deep to collect the ball and then running straight at the centre backs, Ramires is going to have a tough evening. The centre back i.e Terry or Luiz cannot mark Suarez to an extent of coming in the middle of the park simply because they will be out of position. Hence this run has to be accompanied by a hard running player in a blue shirt.

Talking Tactics

To counter this defensive tactic which should be employed by teams playing Liverpool, Shelvey, who should start ahead of Sahin, has to keep track of Ramires. Mikel on the other hand has to check Gerrard’s runs who has a knack of scoring from the attacking third of the opponents’ half. This will help the Blues’ defense be comfortable throughout the game. Both the players can hurt going forward and Chelsea will also be have to be weary of the through balls to Sterling on the left and also keep track of Johnson' overlapping runs.

Gerrard and Shelvey will play important roles in the middle of the park

On the other hand, the trio of Hazard, mata and Oscar can link up well to create something special for Torres, for which Agger and Skrtl have to be alert and tight so as to not let through  those incisive through balls they will wish to.

Expect Chelsea to win comfortably here simply becaus you can’t see Liverpool scoring against Chelsea’s defense with only Suarez showing intent. Sterling and Suso/Downing have been promising but will fall flat against Chelsea’s experienced defense.

By Aman Arora, 

Aman is a Contributor at Goal.com India and Sportskeeda.com, writer and editor for 18 Yard Box.

Follow Aman Arora on Twitter

Want to see how John Terry will fare against Suarez? Or how Jonhson willl cope up with the likes of Hazard? Read our Player Battles article by clicking here.