Chelsea played Manchester City on the opening day, but this feels like the biggest game of the season so far, by some distance.
Enzo Maresca’s team was still totally embryonic at that point, and some players were yet to even sign With 7 games played, a team is really coming together now, and this weekend ending Super Sunday clash at Anfield is mouth watering.
The London is Blue podcast did an appropriately detailed preview of the game, which will see two teams under new managers looking to show their new-look team is here to stay, and is a real contender. They focused on the pressing strategies both teams might employ in a really interesting video featuring Twitter user CFCCentral
You can see the tactical breakdown in the clip embedded here:
🚨 @CFCCentral3 on the risks and rewards of pressing Liverpool in build up – why it could work & why Konate is a threat when the press is inadequate.
FULL POD 👉 https://t.co/d75AKEVTr6 pic.twitter.com/fHzQL2v3KK
— London Is Blue Podcast ⭐️⭐️ (@LondonBluePod) October 20, 2024
Maresca looking for Liverpool weakness
A major weakness noted by the analyst was Liverpool’s playing out from the back They’re moving to a more considered and slower build up under Arne Slot than Jurgen Klopp, but they’ve not perfected it yet.
“There’s a lot of times when they try to play out of pressure by going centrally… Chelsea can try to exploit Liverpool’s build up.”
The risk if of course that you get caught out, and you’ve got one of the fastest and most deadly players in the league in Mo Salah running at your back line suddenly. But it might still be a risk worth taking.
Enzo Maresca has had two weeks of preparation for this game, and it will be very interesting to see how his team approach it. Will they sit back, or will they push on and try to quieten the Anfield crowd by getting on the front foot and pressing high?
As CFCCentral notes, the fact that our first choice left back, the man who would be up against Mo Salah, is out makes things even more interesting.
