Liverpool fell to Chelsea 1-0 (2-1 on aggregate) in the second leg of the Capital One Cup semifinal in a match nearly as gripping as the first. In a high speed, physical affair the Reds battled the Blues at Stamford Bridge but could not find a finish, eventually yielding from a free kick in the fourth minute of extra time. A heated affair, this was indeed another strong performance but failed to deliver the result.
Here are four findings from yesterday’s match.
A need for nasty – Liverpool always looked like the more naive side in these two ties. Chelsea is stocked full of hard-nosed, street-fighting types, as well as clever, quick conmen, and it showed over the 210 minutes of match play. The Reds lack much physical presence, instead favoring technical, speed merchants. When they are not playing their pacey, pinpoint passing game they can look bullied. Against Mourinho’s men, they showed class and quality but couldn’t match the cunning and darker play of their opponents and ultimately got sand kicked in their faces.
Coutinho’s courage – During the summer manager Brendan Rodgers said Philippe Coutinho was the brains of his team. It is a comment that is proving more true now than at any time since he uttered those words. Since the change in the team’s shape, the Brazilian midfield magician has played into his best form of the year. No other Red is playing with the same degree of fearlessness. On the ball, he routinely dictates play and makes opposing defenders look foolish. If he could finish with the same skill, he would easily be a £50m+ pound player.
Sterling shouldering too much – Again, Raheem Sterling looked too isolated as the main striker. As the only Red on the field that possess both pace and any finishing, he was the primary and often only attacking outlet. The link between his advancing runs and the midfield continued to breakdown, finding him almost always trying to beat more than one opponent and struggling to breakdown Chelsea’s collapsing defence. He had chances but couldn’t take them, and even though he can finish he is not yet fully a finisher.
Set play shambles – Considering how many goals in the game are created from set plays, it is stunning how poorly Liverpool has been taking and defending dead ball situations. For the entire season, the Reds have failed to deliver much threat from free kicks and corners, often unable to even beat the first man. However, defensively they have looked even worse. While they seemed to be making progress defending them of late, it was a free kick from outside the right corner of the penalty box that saw the Reds surrender their trip to Wembley. A combination of poor marking and weak physical presence saw Branislav Ivanovic easily head home the winner for Chelsea.
Comments.
Loading comments…