The Super Sunday in Premier League is set to offer one of the most intriguing contests of the current era. Despite their midweek Champions League defeats, both Chelsea and Liverpool are gearing up for the Stamford Bridge clash to go back to winning ways.
While the Reds are flying high in the title race, the Blues, under Frank Lampard, have already produced a resilient display against the Merseysiders in the UEFA Super Cup fixture. Although they were beaten in the tie-breaker, the fans were delighted to witness some of their youngsters making significant strides under the new boss.
There’s no particular blueprint for defeating Liverpool who are superior in every department irrespective of a few major injury absences. Yet a team like Chelsea would uplift their game for this high-profile battle, and the gaffer must make a few bold decisions that might prove to be decisive in causing an upset.
Shifting To ‘Back Four’
Chelsea had a catastrophic start to their campaign suffering a 4-0 defeat to Manchester United last month. Their defence, in particular, was shambolic and a disastrous display from Kurt Zouma made the scoreline look so one-sided. Lampard, meanwhile, will be without Antonio Rudiger who underwent a setback on his return. However, the emergence of Fikayo Tomori must be encouraging.
A ‘back three’ was tried out against Wolves as well as Valencia, but the Blues boss must shift it to a ‘back four’ keeping Andreas Christensen and Tomori as the central defensive pairing. They are forming a steady partnership in deep defence, and a four-man backline would allow Lampard to strengthen his midfield to break down the Reds’ moves in the centre of the pitch before being fed to the lethal front trio of Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.
Kante Can’t Be Rested
Kante, though struggling to regain his fitness, must be deployed from the start considering the impact he had in Istanbul. The Frenchman was majestic in the middle of the park and troubled Jurgen Klopp’s men time and again with his runs, dribbles and the ability to carry the ball forward.
Kante was risked from the start on that occasion and almost made it happen for the Londoners. It’s a long season ahead for Chelsea, yet the significance of this game is pretty high, and a result might help them shape up their campaign going forward.
The necessity of Experience
The young guns in Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham and Christian Pulisic are firing week in week out. But the Blues would require the experience of Willian, Pedro and Olivier Giroud to take charge and dominate in their own backyard. Abraham is in blistering form and should lead the line. However, Lampard must not rush Mount into action who was forced to leave the pitch early against Valencia and rely on the likes of Pedro and Willian who have been menacing down the flanks for years.
