LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 16: Sadio Mane of Liverpool and Eden Hazard of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on September 16, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
Liverpool scored an impressive win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge
It’s safe to say after Liverpool’s 2-1 victory at Chelsea yesterday that Jurgen Klopp’s side is for real. It might even be fair to say that Liverpool have what it take to challenge for the Premier League title this season. Then again, this was just an early season result…right?
The reality is both teams learned a lot about themselves as a result of yesterday’s match. It was a captivating affair that may have been the Premier League’s best match of the young season.
The entertaining nature of the contest won’t be any comfort to Antonio Conte though. As elated as Klopp was about his team’s performance, the Chelsea boss was irate with his own club. Each manager learned drastically different lessons from the intense encounter.
As is usually the case with early season matches, there’s more value in what each manager learned about their club, than the actual three points earned. Read on to discover the top five lessons that Chelsea and Liverpool learned about themselves as a result of yesterday’s match.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 10: Roberto Firmino of Liverpool celebrates scoring his sides first goal during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Leicester City at Anfield on September 10, 2016 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
5. Liverpool aren’t dependent on Roberto Firmino
I must admit that when Liverpool revealed their squad without Firmino being included at all, I was a little worried about their chances. Instead of suffering from the Brazilian’s absence, Liverpool’s attack flourished.
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That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t play Firmino moving forward, but it’s nice to know they aren’t wholly dependent on him. Starting a healthy Daniel Sturridge at centre-forward proved to be just fine against a quality opponent.
It does make you wonder who Klopp will ultimately settle on as his first-choice attacking group. The German manager certainly has plenty of choices. It’s certainly a story to watch moving forward.
Klopp will need to work hard to keep everyone happy. Sturridge has already been upset this year, and Firmino won’t take kindly to missing out on big matches. It worked for Klopp today, but it could blow up a time or two this season.
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 16: David Luiz of Chelsea looks on following an injury during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on September 16, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
4. David Luiz is still David Luiz
They say you can’t go home again, but centre back David Luiz is trying his luck at Stamford Bridge. The more appropriate adage to apply here might be the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Luiz waltzed back into the Chelsea starting XI and looked to be the exact same player he was when he left. That can be construed as either a positive or a negative.
On the positive side of things, Luiz still has an exceptional ability to distribute the ball from the back line. He’s one of the best ball playing defenders in Europe. The trouble is that Chelsea also need him to defend.
His positioning against the Liverpool attack left a lot to be desired. It will surely be a hot topic of conversation between the Brazilian and his manager this week. Luiz has to be a better defender if he’s going to stick in Conte’s starting XI.
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)
3. N’Golo Kante is human
The former Leicester City midfielder arrived at Stamford Bridge with a lot of fanfare, and had played magnificently up until this match. His performance against Liverpool came back down to an Earthly level.
It’s not that the Frenchman was bad against Klopp’s side, he just wasn’t great. In fact, his partner in the double-pivot, Nemanja Matic, outplayed him. It’s safe to say that won’t happen very often this season.
In particular, Kante struggled to make anything happen on the offensive end of the pitch. That could be an issue as the season goes on. For Leicester, he only needed to break up play and quickly transition the ball forward. He’ll need to improve his offensive skills for when his Chelsea side are able to dominate possession.
In fairness, Kante was due an off match. It isn’t something for Chelsea fans to be concerned about. He’ll still be an excellent member of the squad all season long.
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 16: Antonio Conte, Manager of Chelsea and Jurgen Klopp, Manager of Liverpool look on from the touchline during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on September 16, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
2. Liverpool are one year ahead of Chelsea
Perhaps we shouldn’t be so surprised that Liverpool managed to take out Chelsea. After all, Jurgen Klopp has had more time than Antonio Conte at his current club.
That extra time has given Klopp the chance to do several important things at Liverpool. First, he’s had extra time to bring in players that fit his image of what the squad should be. Secondly, he’s had more time on the practice pitch to teach those players his preferred methods.
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Both of those facts were clear yesterday in the match. In particular, Conte had no answers off his bench. Forgive me if I wasn’t impressed with the trio of Cesc Fabregas, Victor Moses and Pedro. Conte brought them on too late in the match, but I doubt it would’ve mattered if he brought them on much earlier.
That’s a positive for Liverpool now, but Chelsea fans shouldn’t be too concerned. Their roster will only get stronger the longer Conte is in charge. They’ll have a bench capable of changing a match sooner, rather than later.
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 16: Joel Matip of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on September 16, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)
1. Liverpool may have found a centre back pairing
One of Liverpool’s most pressing concerns entering the year was whether or not Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip could form a solid central defensive pairing. The two showed a great deal of promise together at Chelsea.
I’m not just talking about Lovren’s opening goal either. That was just icing on the cake. The real progress was how the pair handled a dangerous Chelsea attack. There was no shame in giving up one goal to Diego Costa.
In particular, Matip showed real poise in the match. Playing against an antagonist like Costa can wind up any opponent. The German centre back didn’t seem fazed at all by Costa’s antics.
Lovren has struggled for Liverpool since his move from Southampton, but really played well against Chelsea. Kloppites around the globe will hope that this is just a sign of things to come for the talented, but inconsistent defender.
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