FOOTBALL

Slot has found the Achilles’ heel of Chelsea

Liverpool showcased their quality to the entire league. After defeating Chelsea, they have secured the top spot in the English Premier League. Everyone expected that this match would be an even contest between the two sides. Under Enzo Maresca, Chelsea are thriving. Since the previous season, the Blues have improved a lot.

We all know that Anfield is the most difficult place to win games. Their home crowd makes a hostile atmosphere for the opponents. That is why Liverpool are one of the most feared teams in Europe. Everyone thought that Arne Slot wouldn’t be able to match Klopp’s intensity, but he has proven the doubters wrong.

What is the weakness of Chelsea?

From the beginning, Chelsea were controlling the match. They were looking more lethal in the final third. We all know that Enzo Maresca has established a system at the heart of Chelsea that prefers to have more ball possession. Arne Sot and his Liverpool team used this strategy in their favor.

In other words, Liverpool were giving the ball to Chelsea so that they could hurt the Blues in counter-attack. Arne Slot made sure that Chelsea didn’t penetrate through the middle. So, he employed Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch, and Curtis Jones in a closely compact shape.

Usually, Cole Palmer thrives in these types of matches, but it turned out to be an off day for the young English prodigy. Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones and Szoboszlai were continuously pressing Cole Palmer. Whenever he was getting that ball, they didn’t let him breathe. That is why Palmer was ineffective throughout the entire match. This turned out to be a masterstroke for Liverpool and an Achilles’ heel for Chelsea.

Curtis Jones was the best player for Liverpool. He was playing as a box-to-box midfielder. There was a situation where the English midfielder blocked Palmer’s attempt. On the other hand, he scored the second goal, where he escaped Maresca’s offside trap and slotted the ball back in the net. From the start, Jones was disturbing the Chelsea backline.

Although Cole Palmer got two clear-cut chances, he failed to equalize them. All of those attempts were nullified by Slot’s organized defensive setup. According to football.london, the English attacking midfielder had a single dribble in the entire match. This is quite shocking for a player of his caliber.

Analysis of the match

This game was filled with several wrong decisions. Both teams should have gotten more penalties. The referee completely ignored the tackle of Alexander Arnold on Jadon Sancho, which happened inside the penalty box. Among all these incidents, both sides were able to entertain the football fans.

In the first half, Mohammed Salah converted a penalty and gave a one-goal lead to the Reds. On the other hand, Chelsea equalized the scoreline when Nicolas Jackson scored a goal from open play. In this season, the Senegalese forward has scored 5 goals after playing 8 English Premier League matches. This is a decent stat for any young number nine.

On the other hand, Liverpool outplayed the Blues with their experienced players like Mohammed Salah, Trent Alexander Arnold, and Virgil Van Dijk. This Chelsea squad contains a group of young players. This has made a major difference between the two sides.

Till now, we have seen that Maresca’s team can easily penetrate high-line defense, but they have struggled with those teams that play in low-block. Arne Slot and Nuno Espirito Santo both used this strategy that was used against Chelsea, and they were successful in implementing it. At this moment, Enzo Maresca is not willing to change his strategy. So, this might hurt them in the upcoming matches.

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