On Sunday, Anfield will bear witness to a possible humdinger between Chelsea and Liverpool, in yet another chapter in this engrossing rivalry that has emerged over the last five years. For years the Kop faithful have taunted their Blue counterparts for their lack of history, but at the moment it's the club from London that's creating history while Liverpool continue to be mired in their self-inflicted predicament. Both teams were involved in Europe in mid-week, as Chelsea comprehensively defeated Spartak Moscow 4-1 while Liverpool came from behind to beat Napoli 3-1 in the Europa League. The corresponding fixture last season decided the fate of title and this fixture could provide another twist in this year's close title race.Liverpool
pepe_reina_2The Reds have endured a torrid time over the past 12 months, falling deeper into the muck as things have fallen apart on and off the field. The appointment of Roy Hodgson as Rafa Benitez' replacement has failed to light up the club. His signings and tactics have come under sharp scrutiny due to their abysmal start to the season, which has seen them win only thrice in ten games. He has lost the support of the fans very early in his tenure, something that's unheard of on Merseyside. The takeover drama two weeks back, that eventually ended with John Henry buying the club and promising to restore the glory days by wiping out the debt of the previous regime. The appointment of Damien Comolli as the Director of Football indicates that the owners aren't looking for a quick fix and instead want to build a club that can sustain success over a period of time. Only time will tell if their implementation of Sabermetrics in the English game will come to fruition, but at this moment, it's down to the players to go onto the field and collect points ruthlessly to move up the table.
On the field, Hodgson continues to be plagued by the lack of width in attack and frailty in defence. Their shape tends to be very narrow due to his reluctance to use Ryan Babel compounded by the ineffectiveness of Maxi Rodriguez. They also lack runners from midfield; hence resolving to short aimless passes in non-threatening areas of the pitch. The axis of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres has never reached the heights of the 2008-09 season and with Torres looking completely out of sorts this year, it seems highly unlikely that the Anfield faithful will witness their dynamic duo in full flow anytime soon.
Last weekend, they left it very late against Bolton to earn their first away victory of the season. Maxi slotted home in the 86th minute to hand a relieved Roy Hodgson all three points. In the Europa League in midweek, they needed Captain fantastic to bail them out of a one goal deficit at half time. Gerrard came off the bench to score a sublime hat-trick to maintain their position at the top of the Group table. With a vociferous Anfield behind them though Liverpool will be desperate to at least get a draw on Sunday.
Chelsea
The Champions have been imperious this season, racing into a five point lead at the top with eight wins in ten games. The have recovered strongly from the downturn in September when they failed to win against Newcastle United, Manchester City and Aston Villa. They had to dig in deep against Blackburn Rovers the previous weekend and when it seemed like they were destined to dropping further points away from home, Branislav Ivanovic (pic) pulled the rabbit out of the hat to save their day. In midweek, a full-strength Chelsea were clinical in front of goal as they brushed aside Spartak Moscow with a 2nd half blitz. The win secured their qualification into the next round of the Champions League and the team's focus will be solely on the Premier League up until March.Carlo Ancelotti has comprehensively silenced his critics with his managerial artistry over the past 15 months. The Italian has unified the dressing room and given the club a new sense of purpose in these austere times. Ancelotti has always been anti-Italian if you will, in his management style. He considers flexibility and versatility a virtue of importance unlike most Italian managers and this suppleness has enabled him to adapt to the harsh world of English football quickly. The rigidity of the Italians, as evident by his compatriot, Roberto Mancini's situation at Manchester City, can be a regressive effect on the team. Ancelotti seamlessly shifts from a 4-3-3 formation to a 4-5-1 or a 4-4-2, as demanded by the situation, but more importantly he has top quality players who can play in different positions.
Another major talking point this season has been Chelsea's performance in the absence of their conductor supreme, a certain Frank Lampard. Even as early as last season, it seemed unimaginable that Chelsea could go on a good run without their talismanic midfielder, but this season the likes of Ramires and Yuri Zhirkov have been able replacements. His absence was felt in the games against City and Villa though, where they found it hard to break down organized defences. There's still a long way to go this season and Lampard could still play a defining role in their title bid.
Probable Line-Ups
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Reina (Gk), Johnson, Carragher, Skrtel, Konchesky, Lucas, Meireles, Maxi, Jovanovic, Gerrard, Torres
Hodgson rested all his stars in midweek against Napoli but they should return to the starting line up against Chelsea. The defence picks itself, with the amazing Pepe Reina in goal. Jamie Carragher and Martin Skrtel should start in central defence while Glen Johnson and Paul Konchesky slot into the full back positions. Raul Meireles and Lucas will be expected to patrol the middle of the park and prevent Chelsea from getting through their midfield. The loss of Joe Cole through a hamstring injury will be a blow for the Reds and with Kuyt also missing out through an injury, the wide positions are up for grabs. In all likelihood, Milan Jovanovic and Maxi will slot into the wide positions while Gerrard and Torres play down the centre.
Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech (Gk), Ivanovic, Terry, Alex, Cole, Mikel, Essien, Zhirkov, Anelka, Drogba, Kalou
Ancelotti has an almost fully fit squad at his disposal, with Florent Malouda, Yossi Benayoun and Frank Lampard the only players out injured. They have been extremely strong in defence, letting in a meagre three goals in 10 games. With the reliable trio of Petr Cech, Alex and John Terry marshalling the defence and Branislav Ivanovic and Ashley Cole providing able assistance down the wide positions, they have forged an impenetrable fortress at the back. If Frank Lampard returns to action, he should slot in alongside Michael Essien and Jon Obi Mikel in central midfield, else, it's a toss up between Zhirkov and Ramires for the spot. Ancelotti might favour Zhirkov, considering his good run of form and Liverpool's weakness down the right wing in the absence of Dirk Kuyt. Malouda is down with an illness; hence, Salomon Kalou is expected to start alongside Didier Drogba and Nicholas Anelka as part of a front three.
Prediction: Liverpool are a hard nut to crack at home and after notching up three successive victories, they'll be mildly confident of giving Chelsea a game. The Blues on the other hand have the ability to eke out results, so we have an intriguing game on our hands.
Predicted Scoreline: Liverpool 1-1 Chelsea
Betting tip: Chelsea on the march; an embarrassing 3-0 away victory is 18-1.
Head-to-Head:
4th Oct, 2009: Chelsea 2- Liverpool
1st May, 2010: Liverpool 0-2 Chelsea
Form Guide:
Liverpool:
4th Nov, 2010: Liverpool 3-1 Napoli (Europa League)
21st Oct, 2010: Bolton 0-1 Liverpool
24th Oct, 2010: Liverpool 2-1 Blackburn
21st Oct, 2010: Napoli 0-0 Liverpool (Europa League)
17th Oct, 2010: Everton 2-0 Liverpool
Chelsea:
3rd Nov, 2010: Chelsea 4-1 Spartak Moscow (Champions League)
30th Oct, 2010: Blackburn 1-2 Chelsea
23rd Oct, 2010: Chelsea 2-0 Wolves
19th Oct, 2010: Spartak Moscow 0-2 Chelsea (Champions League)
16th Oct, 2010: Aston Villa 0-0 Chelsea