Five reasons Liverpool will tear apart Chelsea on Saturday
By David Gate
No.2 – Midfield Imbalance
Both Liverpool and Chelsea made serious investment into upgrading their respective midfields this summer. The Reds added Naby Keita and Fabinho for over £90 million of bolstering to the unit. Chelsea added Mateo Kovacic on a season-long loan from Real Madrid and shelled out £50 million plus £7 million add-ons for Jorginho.
Both Jorginho and Kovacic had been linked to Liverpool this summer. They are top quality players to add to N’golo Kante; by wide consensus one of the best players in the Premier League in recent years.
Surely that would create an unstoppable trio in the middle of the park? Not yet. Perhaps it still will but there is a strange imbalance to the unit at present. Kante has shifted further forward to be more engaged as box-to-box style midfielder rather than the deep-lying defensive shield. That has given the Blues more pressing up front but made them more vulnerable in the middle.
Jorginho is now playing in the deeper role. He is a pass-heavy player; racking up more passes than anyone else in the Premier League by far this season. While he is no slouch defensively he cannot offer the same protection as Kante.
Kovacic has yet to find his rhythm in the side. He is in the process of adapting to Sarri’s system and demands. He reminds me a little of Gini Wijnaldum when he was first shifted into central midfield; a little lost.
I expect that Klopp will go for his most trusted midfield trio on Satuday with Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Wijnaldum. This will be that the balance between that three will outmatch their opponents who are still unfamiliar with each other.