Liverpool continue their title push with their most difficult remaining task of the season as they welcome Chelsea to Anfield.
Liverpool currently sit 2 points above Manchester City having played an extra game but could find themselves back in second as City play Crystal Palace earlier that day.
Jürgen Klopp’s men are riding a wave of momentum having won each of the last three league games with late winners.
They are currently coming off a six-match winning streak in all competitions and will most likely need to extend that if the 29 year title drought is to be ended.
Chelsea are also on a bit of momentum as of late as they also enter this game needing a win to main a top 4 place.
After a few bad results in February and March, Maurizio Sarri has seemed to have steadied the ship a bit as Chelsea are coming off a four-game winning streak, with three of those coming in the league.
Their last outing was a 1-0 victory against Slavia Praha in the Europa League quarterfinals.
And although that game came two days after Liverpool’s last match, Sarri was able to rest some key plays ahead of their visit to Anfield.
I spoke to Alex Goldberg to get his thoughts on Sarri, Hazard, Chelsea youngsters and the current state of the side as they prepare for an all-important clash with Liverpool.
The biggest story surrounding Chelsea right now and probably will be throughout the summer is the future of Maurizio Sarri. He has come under immense scrutiny in the last few months which has caused many to call for his sacking. Where and why has Sarri failed to impress at Chelsea?
To be honest he really has only faltered in one or two categories. The first one being something that should be no surprise to anyone who followed him at Napoli.
His rigid rotating this season has also been disguised as an issue with youth since some of the players many fans have wanted him to rotate in have been Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ruben Loftus Cheek.
He has recently started playing those two much more, but is still struggling to give ample minutes to Andreas Christensen and has almost completely excluded youngster Ethan Ampadu.
But consensus feeling is because he is now playing Hudson-Odoi and Loftus-Cheek more, he is improving upon this weakness.
The other category he has struggled with this season is proving that he’s a good in game manager.
Even he has said he really only wants to focus on a plan A. He has shown many times this season a weakness or maybe just an unwillingness to make tactical tweaks during a game.
In your opinion is all this criticism justified or blown out of proportion?
I feel it is a mix of both. The rotating or lack thereof has definitely been a legitimate issue this season.
It would be totally fair to wonder if Chelsea would be in a better position in the table or at least have more points if he had played someone like Hudson-Odoi more this season.
Or if he had switched out Marcos Alonso for Emerson earlier. And I do think at times the lack of in game management has been a legitimate gripe as well.
But inevitably, being the manager of Chelsea, a club that continuously sacks their manager or at least thinks about it the moment things go wrong, he has definitely been a victim of unfair scrutiny as well.
He took over at Chelsea very late in the summer, had very little time with his players, many of whom had just come back from the World Cup, and fast forward to now, he has Chelsea fighting for top four in the Premier League and still in the Europa League.
Both of those things were the consensus main targets for him when he was appointed Chelsea manager. So yes, I think he has been the recipient of some unfair stick, but one could argue that comes with the territory of being a Chelsea manager.
Do you think he should be sacked? But more importantly, will the famously impatient Chelsea ownership give him more time?
At the moment, considering he has improved his team selection and is choosing players like Hudson-Odoi, Loftus-Cheek and Emerson much more, no, I don’t think he should be sacked.
I think as long as he doesn’t revert in his team selection/rotating, even if he just takes baby steps, he’s done enough to deserve another year.
But will he be sacked? That’s always a tough question to answer when it comes to Chelsea and it does feel like much of that could come down to if Chelsea get Champions League football for next season.
Their potential transfer ban could also play a role in that decision as they will need to decide if he is the best man to manage a team that can only use players they already own.
Another man at Chelsea with an uncertain future is Eden Hazard. Having been linked with Real Madrid in the past few transfer windows do you think he’ll finally be off in the summer?
Quite simply, yes, I am near certain Eden Hazard will be a Real Madrid player by the start of next season.
I was fairly sure it would happen regardless of who their manager is, but once Zinedine Zidane was reappointed it became a foregone conclusion for me that Hazard would be done at Chelsea after this season.
Despite everything surrounding the club right now, the side is enjoying a 3 game winning streak in the league. What has caused this slight upturn in form after a rough month or so before that?
The first win in that three game Premier League win streak, against Cardiff City, was a bit of a fluke. Chelsea were on the lucky end of an egregious offside call.
It really should’ve been just a draw. But the last two wins have simply been down to Sarri playing his best players… and of course some Eden Hazard magic.
The team has played with much more spirit in these games, partially because Hudson-Odoi, Loftus-Cheek and Emerson have been starters.
Chelsea currently find themselves in a serious battle for top four. 5 points separate 3rd place Chelsea from 6th place Manchester United but the Blues have a game in hand on United Tottenham and Arsenal. Do you think Chelsea will make the top four?
It’s tough for me to make this prediction before Chelsea play Liverpool as that is Chelsea‘s biggest remaining hurdle left, along with the game against Manchester United at the end of April.
But if I have to predict right now, yes, I think Chelsea will finish fourth. But I do think it will go right down to the wire and might even be decided on the last day of the season.
What is the mood amongst the fans heading into the match?
I actually think the mood amongst fans is rather positive, especially considering how fans would’ve felt about this game a couple of weeks ago before they saw these continuous starts from Hudson-Odoi & Loftus-Cheek.
Many fans feel like there is newfound hope for this team. It might sound silly that the mood has changed just because of the inclusion of two players, but these are fan favourites and more importantly, undeniable, game-changing talents.
But the mood is also somewhat positive because Eden Hazard has been playing some incredible football as of late.
All things considered, how would you rate the season so far?
Considering Chelsea are still very much in the hunt to achieve Champions League football through two different competitions, I would say this season has been fairly successful and I would give it a letter grade of a B.
Now focusing on the pitch, what is Chelsea’s biggest strength and weakness?
If we are talking about this very current Chelsea team, I would say their biggest strength is the ability to create. With Hazard, Hudson-Odoi and Loftus-Cheek they have some of the most impressive dribblers in the Premier league in one starting XI.
Conversely, maybe their biggest weakness is finishing. They have created plenty of opportunities this season, but have been very disappointing with their final product. Their strikers in the Premier League have been a big letdown this season.
Who has been the sides best player so far this season?
And who has been the worst or most disappointing? No question Chelsea‘s best player this season has been Eden Hazard.
He has set new statistical highs for himself in a Chelsea shirt, so far tallying 16 goals & 12 assists in the league.
That is extra impressive because one could argue he has a lot less attacking talent to play with compared to the other top premier league teams.
The most disappointing Chelsea player, despite his winning goal in the last Europa League game, has been Marcos Alonso.
He has really been exposed this year in his attempt to be a real left back, as in previous seasons he was a left wing back for Antonio Conte.
But this season he has proved to be defensively inadequate and very clumsy in the attacking phase.
It seems, though, that this poor season has finally led to him losing the guarantee of his starting spot now with Emerson in the mix.
Where do you see this match won or lost?
Chelsea‘s biggest weakness might be finishing but a close second is their vulnerability to be hit on a counterattack. And obviously, Liverpool are very dangerous in that department.
No matter what happens when Chelsea are attacking they will need to get immediately defensively organized once Liverpool retain possession.
On the flip, Liverpool have great full backs who like to get forward, but they will need to not get caught out of position because Hazard and Hudson-Odoi will then take advantage.
What is your biggest worry heading into the match?
I worry that if Chelsea fall behind early, it could get ugly because they can have a very defeatist attitude away from home. It will be imperative that they find a sense of belonging early on in the game.
How do you rate this Liverpool side?
I rate this Liverpool very highly as from front to back they are very strong. They are absolutely good enough to win the Premier League and arguably good enough to win the Champions League as well.
Which Liverpool player has impressed you the most this season?
Of Liverpool‘s players, Virgil van Dijk has been most impressive to me and I would totally understand if he won Player of the Year in the Premier League.
But two other players I want to mention are Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold. I think Liverpool‘s full backs are a major strength of their team.
How do you see Sarri lining up his side?
GK: Kepa RB: Azpi CB: Rüdiger CB: Luiz LB: Emerson RCM: Kanté CM: Jorginho LCM: Loftus-Cheek RW: Hudson-Odoi ST: Higuaín LW: Hazard
How do you see the match playing out?
I personally think this game will be rather close and I also think it’ll be quite entertaining.
Although Chelsea’s form away from home has been rather suspect, I think their newfound spirit and Eden Hazard’s current form will be enough to get a point from the game. I predict a 2-2 final score.
