{"id":1243,"date":"2018-05-06T19:14:00","date_gmt":"2018-05-06T19:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/?p=1243"},"modified":"2018-05-06T19:14:00","modified_gmt":"2018-05-06T19:14:00","slug":"chelsea-1-liverpool-0-match-review-analysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/chelsea-1-liverpool-0-match-review-analysis\/","title":{"rendered":"Chelsea 1 &#8211; Liverpool 0: Match Review &#038; Analysis"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>There are some people that genuinely feel as though J\u00fcrgen Klopp should\u2019ve sacrificed the chance of making it into the final of the Champions League in order to get three points against one of West Bromwich Albion or Stoke. That would\u2019ve guaranteed top four, meaning that we\u2019d be in the competition again next season, with these folks believing that winning the thing when we\u2019re actually in it is secondary. Even aside from the fact that there was no guarantee that we\u2019d have been able to beat either Stoke or West Brom, especially given that Manchester United and Tottenham have both lost to the Baggies in the last two games, the manager will have been looking at the fixtures and feeling as though he could still finish top four. That\u2019s not good enough for these folks, however, and they\u2019re actually angry that we didn\u2019t go weaker in the Champions League in order to have top four sewn up by now.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\" data-cards=\"hidden\" data-partner=\"tweetdeck\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">That competition really isn\u2019t the objective for the season, is it? Would you take a loss in the final and no top four? I certainly wouldn\u2019t. Trust me I\u2019m as much of a <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/lfc?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#lfc<\/a> fan as you are and I want the best for this club just think wrapping up the top four should\u2019ve been priority<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 ali (@Gerrardology) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Gerrardology\/status\/992834119930347520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 5, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Heading into this game, we knew that a point against Chelsea would be enough to secure our position in the top four for next season. We also knew that losing would mean that we\u2019d need to beat Brighton on the final day of the campaign to do the same thing, presuming that both Chelsea and Spurs win their game in hand. Back in August, I wonder how many Liverpool supporters would\u2019ve taken a game against a newly promoted side, who had nothing left to play for, to get Champions League football again? That\u2019s without adding in an appearance in the final of the competition, which we still have to come and which would also secure us a return to it next year, of course. Yet some people honestly think we\u2019re a team of \u2018bottlers\u2019, citing the fact that we couldn\u2019t beat Stoke, West Brom or Chelsea as proof. Football doesn\u2019t exist in a vacuum, though, and there\u2019s the small matter of a Champions League final charge that some people are willingly ignoring. What happened today, then, to put us in this situation?<\/p>\n<h2>We\u2019re Knackered<\/h2>\n<p>As I say, football doesn\u2019t exist in a vacuum. You can talk all you like about what \u2018should\u2019 have happened, but this Liverpool team has reached the final of the Champions League. The reason why that\u2019s happened is down to the manager having used his squad in an intelligent manner, which has involved resting players against weaker teams. Should we have beaten West Brom when 2-0 up with ten minutes to go? Absolutely. Should we have beaten Stoke City at home? Of course we should. But then you remember that pesky Champions League competition and the fact that we\u2019d played huge games before and after the matches against Stoke and the Baggies and sensible people realise that fatigue is a real thing.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-partner=\"tweetdeck\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/LFC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#LFC<\/a> physically and mentally fatigued, which given continental exertions and their injury list, is no surprise. Emre Can last played on March 17. Adam Lallana and Joel Matip, March 31. No Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Joe Gomez. Nathaniel Clyne made his first 2017-18 start on April 7.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Melissa Reddy (@MelissaReddy_) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MelissaReddy_\/status\/993185216016666624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 6, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>We looked exhausted today, not just physically but mentally. The choices made in the final third were those of a team that have put everything into reaching the final of the Biggest club competition in the world. It was a performance that came on the back of having put everything into doing enough against Roma to ensure progression, with practically no time to recover when you take the time needed to fly home into account. It\u2019s a clear sign that J\u00fcrgen Klopp needs to do his utmost to strengthen the squad heading into next season, given the manner in which we\u2019ve failed to get top four sewn up over the last couple of weeks. He knows it, of course, but now the reality is looking ever starker.<\/p>\n<h2>The Midfield Didn\u2019t Work<\/h2>\n<p>Everything that I say from now on must be bracketed with the disclaimer that I\u2019ve written above. Some supporters don\u2019t seem to think that fatigue is an issue, that they\u2019re \u2018professional footballers\u2019 and therefore there\u2019s no excuse, but those people are idiots. Yet we can\u2019t simply say \u2018fatigue\u2019 and have that take care of everything. The reality is that the midfield didn\u2019t work; at least not until Jordan Henderson came on and injected it with a bit of energy and purpose. Just as fatigue needs to be taken into account as a factor, so too much Trent Alexander-Arnold\u2019s age be borne in mind when discussing his performances. His incredible play against the likes of Manchester City has perhaps encouraged some to forget that he\u2019s still young and inexperienced. That, combined with the fact that he\u2019ll also be tired, showed today.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-partner=\"tweetdeck\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">This playing Trent Alexander Arnold in midfield experiment needs to stop, he may be good enough there for the U33&#8217;s but he is massively out of his depth every time he plays there in the league. Keep him at RB where he&#8217;s been brilliant.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Sean Peach (@Peatcheo) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Peatcheo\/status\/993177777577889792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 6, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>I can completely understand why the manager has felt as though he wanted to have a look at Trent in midfield, given the lack of other options in there and the possibility of injuries, yet it\u2019s an experiment that simply hasn\u2019t worked. He has made that his position for the Under-23s, but against both Stoke and Chelsea he\u2019s looked like a boy up against men. He could easily develop to become a top-class midfielder, but for the foreseeable future he shouldn\u2019t be moved out of the right-back slot. He wasn\u2019t helped by James Milner, I have to say. I\u2019ve had to eat humble pie over the club\u2019s vice-captain and I\u2019ve been happy to do so. He\u2019s been in brilliant form lately and has made my criticism of him look foolish. However, when he\u2019s bad he absolutely stinks the place out and he could barely find a pass today. Hopefully it\u2019s just a blip in an otherwise excellent period for him.<\/p>\n<h2>It\u2019s Still In Our Hands<\/h2>\n<p>A win or draw today would have made it a done deal, but qualification for next season\u2019s Champions League is still in our own hands. If we\u2019d been told at the start of the season that a top four finish would come down to a home match against Brighton a week after they secured their position in the league for another campaign, we\u2019d definitely all have taken it. Add into the mix the fact that we\u2019ll have a European Cup final to play and only the most moronic of Liverpool fan wouldn\u2019t have snapped your hand off for that situation back in August. That doesn\u2019t mean that we can\u2019t be frustrated by the way it\u2019s all happened &#8211; after all, we were 2-0 up against West Brom with fifteen minutes left to play and we should\u2019ve have about three penalties against Stoke. Yet this is where we are and I think most people would\u2019ve accepted this given the choice nine months ago.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-partner=\"tweetdeck\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">I might be wrong but I&#8217;m fairly sure most associated at <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/LFC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#LFC<\/a> would have taken a must-win at home to Brighton&#8230; and a Champions League final&#8230; back in August.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Kristian Walsh (@Kristian_Walsh) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kristian_Walsh\/status\/993180920818622464?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 6, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s far from ideal, but it is what is. There are never any guarantees in football and I expect Brighton to show up at Anfield and give us a game, but those worried about them being a defensive team that we\u2019ll struggle to break down have apparently decided to forget the fact that we put five past them in December. Given the option of playing a newly promoted team who will be as close to on the beach as it\u2019s possible to get, we have to be honest and say that we\u2019d have taken that even as recently and February. That, of course, is presuming that both Spurs and Chelsea win their last two games, which is also far from guaranteed. Unlike today and against both West Brom and Stoke, we\u2019ll be rested when Brighton come to town. It\u2019s also worth remembering that the manager likes his teams to have rhythm, so he\u2019ll be playing his strongest team regardless. Today wasn\u2019t his strongest team and no one was rested. The result wasn\u2019t a shock.<\/p>\n<h2>What\u2019s Happened To Salah?<\/h2>\n<p>I\u2019ve been as amazed and delighted with the performances of Mohamed Salah as everyone else this season. When he arrived, I thought that he was just going to be a backup to Sadio Man\u00e9, another fast lad that we could bring in when the Senegalese sensation was out injured. Obviously he\u2019s been so much more than that, winning the Player Of The Year award and putting himself in prime position for the chance to win the Golden Boot. This isn\u2019t a statement that ignores all of that, therefore. If anything, it\u2019s precisely because of all of that that I\u2019m trying to get my head around exactly what\u2019s happened to him as the season\u2019s worn on. Obviously he was sensational against Roma in the Champions League, but in the Premier League the Egyptian\u2019s performances have been found wanting for a few weeks now. I absolutely understand why J\u00fcrgen Klopp keeps playing him, not only because he\u2019s our best player but also as man management when he\u2019ll be wanting to score a couple of goals and bag that top-scorer award. But the might the manager have done well to give him a rest at some point?<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-partner=\"tweetdeck\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Just a tad worried about Salah lately. Appears exhausted.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 LFCZA &#x1f1ff;&#x1f1e6;&#x1f1fa;&#x1f1e6; (@LFCZA) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LFCZA\/status\/993185497500540929?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 6, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s incredibly difficult to ask questions of a man who has scored forty-three goals in all competitions this season. Yet I do think he\u2019s been making poor decisions lately when he\u2019s been unsure whether to pass or shoot. Some people have suggested that he\u2019s been nothing but selfish in his last few games but I\u2019m not sure that I agree with that. I think he\u2019s been looking for passes when they weren\u2019t on precisely to avoid the appearance of selfishness and then taking on shots when a pass was the better option because he\u2019s desperate to tie up the goalscoring record. I think the manager has a responsibility to remind him that the team is the most important thing and that personal glory comes second. We\u2019ve seen with Harry Kane\u2019s embarrassing decision to beg for a goal from one of his teammates what can happen when you\u2019re only thinking about yourself. He\u2019s an amazing player and I love him, but I do fear that he\u2019s been gripped by fatigue and a confused mindset in recent weeks. The problem, though, remains that the top-quality options aren\u2019t there to rest him. He\u2019s now got a week off until Brighton and three weeks off until the Champions League final. Rest, recuperate and a return to his goalscoring ways would be ideal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are some people that genuinely feel as though J\u00fcrgen Klopp should\u2019ve sacrificed the chance of making it into the final of the Champions League in order to get three points against one of West Bromwich Albion or Stoke. That would\u2019ve guaranteed top four, meaning that we\u2019d be in the competition again next season, with these folks believing that winning the thing when we\u2019re actually in it is secondary. Even aside from the fact that there was no guarantee that we\u2019d have been able to beat either Stoke or West Brom, especially given that Manchester United and Tottenham have both [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":702,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1243"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1243"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1243\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1244,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1243\/revisions\/1244"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/702"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1243"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1243"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.andcouldheplay.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1243"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}