Chelsea has a secret weapon to defeat Liverpool, and it is not Moisés Caicedo

When Liverpool and Chelsea square off in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, football.london examines how Chelsea can take advantage of Liverpool’s defensive weaknesses.

The opening Premier League match between Chelsea and Liverpool, which was already quite intriguing, has become absolutely mouthwatering as a result of recent developments.

On Wednesday night, it was revealed that Chelsea had made a £48 million offer for Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia, who has already been the target of three offers from Liverpool. The significance of Chelsea’s proposal was being questioned by many. Was it done to force Brighton to sell Moises Caicedo, a top midfield target, or was there real interest in Lavia?

The competition to sign Caicedo has reportedly become even more heated as of Thursday morning, according to reports. This may help to explain Chelsea’s acquisition of Lavia. It can be very exhausting to try to keep up with the mind games that are going on before the Premier League opener.

Such behind-the-scenes activity has all but diminished Sunday’s important match between the two clubs. But this is how things are in the world of football today. Transfers are now frequently in the spotlight.

In his first competitive game as Chelsea’s head coach, Mauricio Pochettino will, however, devote all of his focus to finding a way to defeat Liverpool. The Argentine has faced Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp 11 times across all competitions, but he has only ever come out on top once.

The other four games, played under Klopp, resulted in draws.

Klopp has won six of those contests. Pochettino, who will be seeking just his second victory this weekend, is well aware of Liverpool’s defensive weaknesses, which remain from their underwhelming 2022–23 season.

Liverpool’s defensive problem.

The German manager has survived by employing a high defensive line ever since being named Liverpool manager back in October 2015. The Reds boss has stood by it even in the worst of times, though it has frequently proven to be successful.

It enables the team as a whole to move up the field and use Klopp’s infamous “Gegenpress” system, in which his team attempts to suffocate the opposition with an intense and relentless press. Liverpool’s defense can frequently become exposed if that press is broken, though.

This (shown in the image below) is just one instance of how the Reds’ defense has been abused. The German team actually broke the initial press, played it out to the right wing, and looked over the top during their final preseason match against Darmstadt on Monday night.

The deepest defenders for Liverpool were Ibrahima Konate and Andy Robertson after Virgil van Dijk went tight to an attacker on the halfway line. Attacker Mathias Honsak of Darmstadt then discovered space between Konate and Robertson, stayed in his own half, and ran through before putting the ball past Alisson.

How Chelsea can profit from Liverpool’s weaknesses.

In the January transfer window, Chelsea acquired Mykhailo Mudryk for nearly £90 million and Noni Madueke for about £35 million. Due to a minor hamstring issue, Madueke hasn’t had much preseason practice, but Mudryk has been preparing well for what will be a big season for the international from Ukraine.

With all the space the Liverpool back line will inevitably leave behind them, Mudryk could have a lot of fun playing against them. Mudryk, who wants to succeed at the Bridge, would be the ideal candidate to launch a counterattack, which could be extremely important.

Similarly, Nicolas Jackson, who cost about £30 million to sign with the team earlier this summer, has already made it abundantly clear to his teammates that he wants the ball passed over the top to him so he can enter the play from behind. Jackson had a fantastic preseason and displayed his all-around talent, but he has a knack for playing on the last defender’s shoulder and snatching up errant passes.

On Sunday, either of these attackers could pose serious difficulties for Liverpool. The rest of the team must attempt to withstand what is anticipated to be a ferocious press from the opponents at Stamford Bridge.