Player ratings: Chelsea 0-2 Liverpool
That’s more like it. I said on the thread yesterday that I expected to see a more invigorated display by the team on the back of the new arrivals and after the chaos of last week’s game against Leeds, make no mistake, this was a statement performance away from home against Chelsea. Let’s see how the lads got on…
Alisson (9) – He’s had busier games but you can only score him on what he’s asked to do and at the critical moments, he was decisive. Became the first Premier league goalkeeper to save a Jorginho penalty, pulled off another smart save and unlike his opposite number, reads the game perfectly in terms of when to come out and play the sweeper role. Class act and no doubt Thiago’s new favourite teammate.
TAA (6) – Another fairly quiet game by Trent’s high standard. Some nice cross field passes to Robbo and some decent interplay with Salah but Trent hasn’t come close to hitting top form yet. He did miss preseason through injury so maybe just a little behind the rest of the team in match sharpness.
Fabinho (9) – Near faultless display from Fabinho at CB as he had Werner in his pocket for the majority of the match. Chelsea’s tactics played right into his hands though. If you’re playing against a DM covering at CB, you want to get lots of bodies around him and try and make his game a lot more about positional awareness, in a position he’s unfamiliar with. The way Chelsea played however, most of the defending Fabinho had to do, was one on one with Werner. Fabinho is a master one v one tackler as he showed today. I think the tactics Leeds deployed last week however, or the way City load up the box, would provide a much sterner test at CB for him. To that end, I still think we need a fourth CB but take nothing away from Fabinho’s performance today. A fine display.
Van Dijk (8) – I lost count of how many interceptions Virgil made to win possession back, especially first half. You could also see Havertz wanting nothing to do with the big man and shrinking into his shell. Played as a midfielder for a lot of the second half and dominant in the air. Normal service resumes.
Robbo (7.5) – Unbelievable energy from Robbo over the course of the entire 90 minutes, the kid never stops running and grafting, he must be horrible to play against. Looked dangerous throughout the first half as Mane created space for him by pulling James inside. Solid defensively as well, with one crucial last ditch tackle to deny Werner a one on one with Alisson. One lovely bit of skill even caused Jorginho to fall flat on his face. I bet there’s not too many Scots can say they’ve done that to a Brazilian 😉. Tsimikas will have a real job on his hands, trying to shift Robbo out his spot. The most complete fullback in world football.
Henderson (7.5) – For all Thiago’s brilliance, the pass of the match belonged to Hendo with an absolutely beautifully weighted ball to Mane in the build up to the sending off, made even more difficult by the fact the ball was right under his feet. Subbed at half time with a tight thigh muscle. Hopefully just precautionary.
Keita (6) – Another ‘meh’ display from Keita. Some nice play in tight spaces with Mane and Gini but struggled to really make an impact on the game and again, only managed an hour. This season is make or break for Keita in my opinion. If he doesn’t step up over the next 12 months, he’ll be used to raise funds for next summer I reckon.
Wijnaldum (7) – It’s funny that our midfielder who upped his game the most after the signing of Thiago, is also the midfielder in the final year of his contract. Much more lively game from Gini as he got in good attacking positions on a number of occasions and looked to be trying to take a lot more responsibility in the build up play than usual. Personally, I’m happy to keep him, even if it means losing him for nothing next season.
Salah (7) – No goals this week but looked lively and looked our most likely creator in the first half, prior to the sending off. Mo err seems to have started this season with renewed vigour. Long may it last.
Firmino (7) – Bobby’s best display in months in my opinion. Bagged himself an assist and was much more involved throughout than he has been in recent times. Again, I feel it’s no coincidence that the player has upped his game in a week where we’ve signed genuine competition for his place. Whether Jota is as good on the ball as Bobby, probably not but he has something that Bobby doesn’t – pace. You could see why it would be attractive to Klopp to have searing pace right across the front three and to that end, Bobby needs to showcase the undoubted quality we know he can bring to the position. Competition is healthy.
Mane (9.5) – There were a couple of different contenders for this week’s McMOTM. Hawthorn mentioned Fabinho on the match thread and he would be a worthy winner but when you look at the game changing moments that won us the match, it’s all about Mane. Wins the foul that leads to the sending off and what you saw in that incident was an attacker who operates on a higher level of footballing intelligence than the defender. The run Mane makes from outside to in, Christiansen had no idea where he was until he was already passed him. He panics, brings him down, definite red card and despite it being 0-0 at the time, that was effectively game over for Chelsea. He then scores a brilliant header and I loved the third goal. Visibly annoyed with himself for a loose pass to Firmino, he presses like a demon and forces the goalie into (another) mistake and gets his reward. Great example of the right attitude for the young players as well.
Subs:
Thiago (7.5) – This ladies and gentleman, is what world class looks like. He’s not had a single training session with the team, comes on at halftime, away from home at one of your biggest rivals and looks like he’s been playing with the lads for years. Everything immediately started going through him and we got a sneak peek at some of his passing range. He plays absolutely killer passes through the middle that take a teams entire midfield out the game, the low diagonal he played to Salah was the standout. A little clumsy and unlucky in equal measure to concede the penalty but within ten minutes of being on the pitch, you could see his class and what he’ll bring to this team. Snapped into a few tackles too and made a couple of nice interceptions. I don’t think I’ve been so excited by a signing since Torres.
Milner (6) – Brought added solidity and control to a game that just needed properly managed out.
Minamino (6) – Didn’t have loads of time to make a mark but looks much more confident this season than in his outings last campaign. Took up some good positions and looked to link up play. I still have high hopes that Minamino can be a top player for us.
Klopp-watch (9) – Displays like this and signings like Thiago make you appreciate just what Klopp has done to this club. He’s taken us from also rans, back to the absolute pinnacle of the game. If five years ago, someone had said we would go to Stamford Bridge and Chelsea would basically just set up not to get pumped, people would have laughed but that’s where we’re at. Best manager in the world, bar none.
Summary
A renewed sense of optimism sweeps through the Kop then, as the club has made some decisive moves in the transfer market and the boys delivered a brilliantly controlled, professional display to see off one of our most bitter rivals.
As mentioned in the article, I’d like to see a fourth choice CB come in but I’m pleased with the way the team is taking shape now. In Jota, we have genuine competition to our front three, a player that will make other players look over their shoulder. This isn’t a 7.5 million signing from Salzburg, this is a £40 million player. At that money, he’s going to play so it’s up to our current front three to make themselves undroppable.
The two signings we’ve made have, on their own, created competition for every midfield spot and every spot across our front three. Once again, Klopp. Edwards and FSG silencing the naysayers, (myself included) over the last couple of weeks.
We now have a really exciting looking squad, ready to attack our title, not defend it as Klopp says. More of the same next week lads. Walk on.
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