Chelsea v Liverpool - Match Thread.

[Frogfish]

Yes a shambles.
Trent and Robertson were all over the place positionally long through balls penetrated us easily, Willian, Hazard both had one on ones with the keeper to go with Hazards run through for goal.
We havnt given those type of chances away all season. Chelsea didnt have to work that hard to get at us. We were fragile at the back.

Hopefully we wont be again for ages.
It was hard to watch.

That's very tough on both FBs. Klopp has them pushing upfield (at least one of them at a time) and that in turn stopped Alonso and Azpil' from making any serious runs at all, virtually for the whole match. I think Klopp was aware of the danger of allowing Chelsea's FBs to join Hazard+Willian and had confidence in VvD and Gomez (plus whatever midfielder was defending) holding them off. Both VvD and Gomez have awesome pace (VvD was the fastest player on the pitch vs. PSG). I also think Klopp tried to stem their supply at source, by pushing our FBs forward, which was often successful judging by the amount of long balls they tried - not typical your Chelsea play.

 

[ibromurph]

Yes a shambles.
Trent and Robertson were all over the place positionally long through balls penetrated us easily, Willian, Hazard both had one on ones with the keeper to go with Hazards run through for goal.
We havnt given those type of chances away all season. Chelsea didnt have to work that hard to get at us. We were fragile at the back.

Hopefully we wont be again for ages.
It was hard to watch.

A shambles to me is when players are all over the shop and you look panicked at the back, miss-kicking clearances, no communication amongst players, being dragged all over the place.

I didn't see that.

What I saw were a few moments of players switching off. Robbo twice and Trent not getting back in for the goal.

The moments that Trent got forward and was caught "out of position" was because we were chasing the game in the 2nd half against a resolute Chelsea defence so HAD to throw men forward. It's not Trent's fault that he was moving forward when Milner lost an easy ball, when he wasn't under any pressure.

You have to trust your teammates when you go forward as a full back. I think Trent picked his spots well in the game. Gomez only got isolated 1 v 1 against Hazard once (for the goal). If anything, it was his crossing on the ball which was most disappointing.

To limit them to 2 counter attacking chances like that in the 2nd half was good work from the whole team. Especially when one chance, they didn't really create.

I think we got the balance right in terms of chasing the game, but not leaving the back door wide open.

 

[Oncy]

I dont think it matters all that much.
Our defence has been brilliant all season. One crap game hardly is the end of the world. It didnt even cost us a defeat

 

[gkmacca]

Maybe. But anyone who has watched Hazard for any amount of time knows that 99/100 he goes across the keeper. I think Alisson should have been ready for that and left just a smidgeon more at the near post, maybe tempting him into going for a more difficult shot.

But then he's good enough to go for that shot. The keeper is damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.

 

[peekay]

One could argue that Kepa aka most expensive keeper ever could have should have saved Studge's worldly too.

If he had somehow stopped or deflected it, he should throw the ball inside and apologize to Sturridge and the football world for preventing that. It was that good of a shot.

 

[Frogfish]

But then he's good enough to go for that shot. The keeper is damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.

Yes he is. But you should still cover the mathematically logical option - which in Hazard's case is across the keeper. If he somehow finds that 12" gap at the near post, just hold your hands up, but it's a lower percentage shot based on available stats on Hazard's shooting preferences. We're nit-picking though, it was a great shot and Alisson was a mere inch or two from saving it.

 

[Halmeister]

I'd much rather he saved the basic ones that go near post - you know, like the ones ol' crisps wrists Karius used to let in routinely - than maybe gamble on the more difficult shot. It's just basic goalkeeping. If Hazard beats you there then fair play. A keeper is always taught not to get beat at your near post.

 

[moron]

I'd much rather he saved the basic ones that go near post - you know, like the ones ol' crisps wrists Karius used to let in routinely - than maybe gamble on the more difficult shot. It's just basic goalkeeping. If Hazard beats you there then fair play. A keeper is always taught not to get beat at your near post.

Funny you should mention the near post issues that Karius had - as we are about to face Man City again on Sunday -🙂

 

[JurgenKlopp]

 

[Insignificance]

Yes a shambles.
Trent and Robertson were all over the place positionally long through balls penetrated us easily, Willian, Hazard both had one on ones with the keeper to go with Hazards run through for goal.
We havnt given those type of chances away all season. Chelsea didnt have to work that hard to get at us. We were fragile at the back.

Hopefully we wont be again for ages.
It was hard to watch.

You seem a bit itchy these days mate. We clearly play a game were good teams can create chances. We have a back 4 under Development and a midfield Three trying to cover the ground. The attacking line is working hard to find the offensive rythm, hence they seem to take their defensive routines a little more easy which of course can put the defence under more pressure if the opposition can unlock the midfield pressure. It happened a few times on saturday. It will happen again. But this is against the very top teams in the League and in Europe. I think that for large parts of that game we succeeded in puting them under heavy pressure and kept them to busy to even try attacking us. That kind of game, away against top quality, is risky. But it should have paid of with a win so I have no problems with us doing that. But saying Our defence is in shambles cause the areas open were to large for the young guys to cover is defo stretching it far.

 

[Woland]