The clash in the fifth round of the Premier League has to be Chelsea taking on Liverpool. The Blues will be hosting the Merseyside club on Friday and it pits two of the most exciting teams in England going head to head.
Antonio Conte has done a great job at Chelsea so far picking up 10 points from the opening four games. Jurgen Klopp, on the other hand, has seven points from his side’s four games but Liverpool were dominant in their last tie against Leicester City.
Chelsea were good value for the 2-2 draw against Swansea at the weekend but they will see it as two points dropped. Liverpool will be in buoyant mood after dismantling last season’s champions and they will have fond memories of the 3-1 win at Stamford Bridge over Chelsea last season.
This Chelsea is a different beast altogether and their Italian manager, Conte, has drilled a lot of tactical nous into the side. Jurgen Klopp will have a tough task on his hands if he is to repeat his victory from last season and here are three things he must instruct his side to do at the Bridge.
Let Diego Costa be
Diego Costa has been on fire this season and already has four goals in the Premier League. His brace against Swansea ensured Chelsea remain unbeaten and he will want to continue his scoring ways against a Liverpool side that is yet to keep a clean sheet this campaign.
Costa is a bit of a hothead and getting under his skin might be one way of disrupting his playing style. But the Reds should know that once the Spaniard gets upset, he can go on and hurt teams. The best way to deal with Costa is not to retaliate in any way.
We saw in the game against Swansea, how he was targeted by the defence of the Welsh team. Liverpool’s defenders should be careful while dealing with him and Klopp must ensure that his players don’t lose the plot against Costa and keep their cool.
Attack the Chelsea central defence
With John Terry being ruled out of the game against the Reds, it would be David Luiz partnering Gary Cahill in the heart of the Chelsea defence. The London club did struggle in the game against Swansea and Cahill had an absolute stinker, though he was fouled by Leroy Fer for the second goal they conceded.
The pairing of Luiz and Cahill is begging to be attacked and with Thibaut Courtois not looking reassured, this is Liverpool’s best avenue of attack. The pair didn’t perform well under pressure and if there are long balls pumped into them or even direct running at them, the duo could make a number of mistakes.
Liverpool’s players would have to be alert to the knock-ons and second balls, which should be drilled into the side by Klopp.
Ensure the tempo of the team does not drop
Liverpool were attacking right from the start against Leicester and they should do the same against Chelsea as well. The Blues have not played against a side that presses high and that could be a problem for them.
The Reds did face a problem when they were up 2-0 and eased off a little. That led to the only goal of the game for Leicester but they cannot afford to make such mistakes against the Blues. Sadio Mane, Daniel Sturridge and Roberto Firmino could be the starters and they have to keep attacking the Blues relentlessly.
The constant running and pressing have to be on for the entirety of the game. If they back off even a little bit, Conte could be the one celebrating on the sidelines.
