Chelsea lose to Liverpool: Four quick reactions
Liverpool handed Antonio Conte and Chelsea their first Premier League loss of the campaign. Here are four quick reactions from the 2-1 defeat.
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 16: Gary Cahill of Chelsea reacts during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on September 16, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Chelsea fans can finally get the loss out of their way. The Blues have been defeated for the first time this season, falling at the feet of Liverpool 2-1. Jurgen Klopp was better than Antonio Conte on this night. Here are some quick reactions to the game.
The defence is still non-existent – Ajitesh Rasgotra
What in God’s name happened on that first goal. First of all, Branislav Ivanovic had a horrific night. He was bestowed with the captain’s armband, but it was like he had been bestowed with ten litres of Captain Morgan as well right before kick-off.
The Serbian bumbled around and committed about a gazillion fouls (conservative estimate) in the first half-hour of the game. One of his bone-headed tackles resulted in Liverpool’s first goal.
However, the rest of the defence is equally to blame. The free-kick was taken short and Chelsea’s defence took this as a signal that absolutely nothing was going to come of it. Alas, a ball found its way into the box, past the cluster of Blues players and into the five unmarked Liverpool players at the far post.
Dejan Lovren calmly finished it to put Liverpool up 1-0.
This was not a question of zonal v man-marking, it was a question between Premier League v Sunday league defending. Moreover, a Sunday league player would have probably spotted the opposition lingering around without a care in the world. They were wearing bright red tops, too.
We’ll just say the second goal was a magnificent strike because I don’t want to moan about the defence anymore.
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 16: N’Golo Kante of Chelsea in action during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on September 16, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Kante should never ever ever shoot – Ajitesh Rasgotra
N’Golo Kante is a fantastic player and someone who will be probably turn out to be the purchase of the season. For all that he can do on a football pitch, the one thing he is incapable of is shooting.
Chelsea fans who watched the Swansea City game will remember his efforts. They were memorable not because they skimmed the bar, but because they skimmed the International Space Station. The man can’t direct a shot on target.
Nevertheless, that didn’t put Kante off and I guess he deserves some gold stars for perseverance. The *strictly* defensive midfielder had another two or so attempts on goal against Liverpool. And they were nowhere near.
The temptation to unleash a strike as you bear down on goal is often an insatiable one. But if you are being paid six figures per week to play football, you should understand what your job is. Whenever Kante finds himself in such a position, he should shovel the ball on to someone else like he was playing hot potato.
VATICAN CITY, VATICAN – 2016/03/16: A man dressed as Moses with the Ten Commandments attends Weekly General Audience in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, Vatican. Pope Francis offered words of solidarity for those in the Middle East currently suffering from the wars and violence which are affecting the region. (Photo by Giuseppe Ciccia/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Subs after the 80th minute are cameos, not tactical changes
Conte has been praised for his substitutions turning the tide of game. This has been noticeably absent in the Swansea and the Liverpool game.
The Chelsea boss is waiting too long to bring the players on. The first half was dreadful, and a substitute should have been made as soon as the momentum shifted towards Chelsea. Instead, Conte waited until the momentum had died before he made his changes.
When there are 10 minutes left on the clock, it is a cameo for the player coming on, not a tactical move. Substitutes need time to change the game, and with less than 10 minutes the tide is against them. The winning team will start to close up shop, and make it more difficult for the team to equalize.
Conte’s flaws are starting to show in this aspect, and it needs to be remedied if Chelsea are to challenge for the title.
That is Victor Moses you have on your bench, Antonio, not the other guy…
SWANSEA, WALES – SEPTEMBER 11: John Terry of Chelsea reacts during the Premier League match between Swansea City and Chelsea at The Liberty Stadium on September 11, 2016 in Swansea, Wales. (Photo by Athena Pictures/Getty Images)
Defence: Part 2 – George Perry
Ajitesh said he wasn’t going to moan about the defence anymore, but that won’t stop me.
Last spring John Terry had to beg and plead for a one-year contract extension. This spring, Chelsea will be begging Terry to postpone retirement a few more years. Either that, or Roman Abramovich must be willing to liquidate his Gazprom assets to pay whatever extortion other clubs demand for their experienced centre-halves.
Three Reds were wholly unmarked and another was mostly open on Liverpool’s opening goal. Chelsea’s defence was staring at the ball as one-third of Liverpool’s squad moved in behind and goal-side of Chelsea’s defenders.
John Terry may not have pace or agility, but he knows how to organize and he ensures that the opposition is covered. Neither David Luiz, Gary Cahill nor captain-in-name-only Branislav Ivanovic filled that role.
Antonio Conte teams are supposedly well-disciplined and highly organized, while Jurgen Klopp’s sides are all heavy metal football. Tonight at Stamford Bridge, Liverpool’s lines were more effectively organized than Chelsea’s by a wide margin. With John Terry injured, the Blues were completely leaderless on the pitch and were lucky to only surrender two goals on defensive lapses.
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