Three Things That Chelsea Need To Do To Beat Liverpool
Antonio Conte’s Blue army will face off against Jurgen Klopp’s Reds on Saturday in what can be described as a battle royale with both clubs looking to keep the momentum going in the Premier League.
The Blues are currently 3rd in the league and are just one point off 2nd placed Manchester United as they look to push on by challenging Manchester City for the title this season.
Chelsea remain unbeaten in the Premier League since their 2-0 defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace last month. The London club will be looking to make a statement by beating an in-form Liverpool side on Saturday.
Conte must be at his best to beat Reds side in their own backyard as Liverpool remain unbeaten at home this season. The Reds have an almost fully-fit squad and will be a hard team to beat at home. Here’s a look three things Conte should do to beat Liverpool at Anfield.
Start Willian Alongside Eden Hazard
Although Pedro has made a decent contribution to the Blues side this season, Conte must start Willian on the left wing if he wants to dominate Liverpool. Both Willian and Hazard have enjoyed an excellent relationship on the pitch in recent times and were also on full show against Qarabag in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Both players combined for two goals in the game and looked excellent in the build-up of the Chelsea attack. Willian’s last start came in late October when Chelsea faced Everton in the Carabao Cup.
Stick To 3-5-2 Formation
The Italian manager’s decision to change from the 3-5-2 formation to 3-4-3 turned out to be a masterstroke as Chelsea completely annihilated Qarabag in the Champions League. This formation will allow Conte to play Eden Hazard as a false-9 with Alvaro Morata partnering him at the front.
Liverpool’s defence are unlikely to handle the pressure from both Hazard and Morata running at them at Anfield.
Use The Set-piece Advantage
If there’s one thing we have noticed from Liverpool’s game against Sevilla on Wednesday, it’s their inability to handle set-piece situations. The Reds hit the self-destruct button as soon as the opposition gets a free-kick near their box.
Jurgen Klopp is unlikely to fix this problem overnight and will need time until at least January to bring in new defenders. Chelsea must capitalise on the free-kick situations by giving either Fabregas or Willian the set-piece duty letting Morata and the centre-halves to get some target practice.