Another 0-0 red-blue match, but behind the draw, it was a one-sided Chelsea advantage. When the Blues' sharp offensive and defensive transitions returned, and Liverpool, whose defensive line was leaking everywhere, the biggest problem was that the midfield could not keep up with the rhythm.
Had it not been for Kai Havertz bringing peace, the final score might even have been a bit striking. I don't know if Real Madrid's encounter with Chelsea after N'Golo N'Golo Kante's return in the last eight of the Champions League will have good luck for Liverpool.
01. Liverpool lack a point of propulsion: Núñez's speed is again limited
Without Alexander-Arnold and Salah: Liverpool want to find Núñez to get to speed
Without Alexander-Arnold and Salah's right-wing propulsion, the impact on Liverpool is still great. At one point, the team could only focus on Núñez's counter-attacking speed, but they encountered Fofana, who had a fast frequency of feet and turning speed.
In contrast, Chelsea's pressing, pressing and first-time passing and counter-attacking advances in midfield are unmatched by Liverpool and bring a one-sided situational advantage.
Núñez is not a bridgehead up front after all, and it would be a bit embarrassing for him to retreat too deep to get the ball.
Fufana's heel defense was very strong, and he directly pushed up. Liverpool have a long pass at the back, and without Nunez in the front, there is no speed and cannot seize the follow-up opportunities.
The key problem is that Núñez really can't get rid of Fofana, this time the long pass is looking for him, and he can start speed when he turns around, but Faufana is actually entangled under his feet.
Núñez tried his best, but was eventually destroyed by Fofana's accurate foot.
As can be seen from the figure below, in the open situation, both sides have the opportunity to fight back. After Liverpool got up the speed, they actually only had to face Chelsea's three central defenders.
If the wing can be accelerated, then Chelsea's backfield will also be very uncomfortable. The problem is that without Salah and Dias, Nunez was chosen as the point of propulsion, and he was always at a disadvantage when he fought Fufana.
This wave is actually completely one-on-one on the wing, Nunez has plenty of room to sprint, but he can't shake off Fofana after a few attempts.
In the last stroke, the opponent tackles the ground to complete the destruction.
b. Chelsea expected to score 6.2 times more goals than Liverpool
As you can see from the statistics, Chelsea are expected to score 2.17 to 0.35, 6.2 times more than Liverpool.
If it weren't for the fact that the Chelsea striker's shooting table was so poor, the score would definitely not have been 0-0. After all, in terms of the opportunities created, the gap is not ordinarily large.
Liverpool's biggest problem is who will pass the ball in attack? Núñez has a strong ability to penetrate deep into the defensive line without the ball, but this time the pass was of mediocre quality and was intercepted by Fofana.
Liverpool had two real chances in the first half, one from a corner kick Fabinho's shot.
The other time was centre-back Kornet directed, and Núñez sprinted to make Kepa attack and not far away. Unfortunately, Henderson's shot quality is average, and Koulibaly's clearance is not very difficult.
02. The scary thing about Chelsea: Counter-attacking too quickly after breaking the ball
a. All midfielders! Chelsea's centre-circle choke was strong
Under Chelsea's three-centre-back system, the midfield is not just three central midfielders, Kai Havertz and Felix can also be midfielders.
Therefore, when they convert attack and defense, they not only have a strong middle circle confrontation efficiency, but also have a very fast offensive and defensive conversion speed.
Fofana's defensive stats are very eye-catching, Chelsea's three central defenders can both grab and clear, and even Kai Havertz retreats from time to time to steal and tackle (although he also cleared in the Liverpool penalty area, but the statistical two were completed in the Chelsea defense).
This time when Liverpool sent the touchline ball, Chelsea's midfield defensive intensity was really terrifying. Felix and Kai Havertz also returned to midfield to form one-on-one defence in every position.
What's even more frightening is that after breaking the ball, Kai Havertz and Felix are both types who can both pass the ball and move without the ball. Combine with midfield or wing-back forward to play more variety.
N'Golo Kante broke the ball Zymikas as the beginning of the offensive and defensive conversion, counter-attacking Havertz to pull the side, and then trying to cross to find Felix, the routine is extremely clear.
Even if the first shot was intercepted by Cornet, it was the Chelsea players who followed up. Unfortunately, Kovacic's shot was blocked by Kornet.
A similar situation was seen in this attacking wave, with Kai Havertz breaking the ball ahead of Kornet (Chelsea's midfield was moving significantly faster than Liverpool).
On the subsequent counter-attack, Felix headed into the box, but the shot was blocked by Matip. Havertz, who followed up, wanted to make up the shot, but played more like a solution.
b. Passing in the Chelsea midfield: much better than Liverpool
In this match, Kante started with Enzo Fernandez and Kovacic in the middle of the three. What impressed them the most was their speed of movement, the tension of their forward thrust when counter-attacking, and their passing performance.
Although Enzo Fernandes made some mistakes in long passes and straight throughs, the transition ball in the offensive and defensive transitions was bright and sharp, allowing N'Golo Kante to carry the ball forward to unleash.
Compared to the Chelsea midfielder's bright and precise passing and sharp forward with the ball, Liverpool's Fabiano, Henderson and Jones are too bulky and sluggish.
The key is that when Liverpool have difficulty dominating in the middle circle and want to go directly to a striker, Chelsea's three central defenders are extremely efficient in grabbing and scavenging.
Once caught in a midfield fight, the Liverpool midfielder is like an elephant turning, vulnerable to Chelsea's bright passes and starts. Fortunately, this time he caught up with Kai Havertz's left foot and once again sent a clearance-style shot.
Looking at this wave of attack, when Felix went straight to Kai Havertz, who was unsuccessful in stopping the ball, Kante stole a kick with a wonderful pass, giving midfielder Kovacic a one-handed chance to face the goalkeeper.
Fortunately, Chelsea's shooting performance in this game was extremely poor, and Liverpool once again escaped.
03. Chelsea's three centre-backs are very capable: will Real Madrid be afraid if they see it?
A. Chelsea's three-centre-back is strong & Kai Havertz 'peace-loving'
Not only is the midfield passing bright, but Chelsea's three centre-backs are also very capable of shooting the ball. This makes Liverpool's high pressure ineffective, and once the space is released to pass the ball, it is very problematic.
Fortunately, Havertz was "peace-loving" and Klapp gave him a hug as a token of gratitude.
Chelsea's relatively thin position on the flanks is but Liverpool have no pressure from the wingers, allowing the Blues' wing-backs to play with ease.
Chilwell received a long pass from Koulibaly this time and directly hit the depth of Liverpool's defense, playing a big threat.
In the middle was Kai Havertz, who snatched a shot in front of goal and bounced off Alisson, allowing Liverpool to escape the doom of conceding the goal once again.
In the second half, this time Kovacic broke the ball and N'Golo Kante gave Kai Kai Kai a solo chance. It is a pity that the German attacker once again missed the opportunity to slash.
Although the ball bounced off the net and went into the net, VAR determined that the shot was on the arm and the goal was invalid.
b. Liverpool's defensive quality is too poor: amplified the effect of Chelsea's central defenders
As you can see from the statistics, Liverpool's defensive performance this season is much worse than last season.
This problem is caused by Van Dijk's regression on the one hand, and too slow and inefficient in the midfield.
This time Matip headed it away and the outside was full of Chelsea players. The slow movement of the Liverpool midfielder can be clearly seen from this shot.
The Chelsea defender can attack directly from the ball, and Liverpool's ability to compete for the second point is weak, which is a bit similar to the scene where Real Madrid made a five-goal comeback at Anfield.
Fortunately, the efficiency of the Chelsea player's shot was still too low, this time Kai Havertz headed a little, Felix followed up with a shot that once again soared into the sky.
Conclusion:
Compared with Liverpool, who "fished early", and Chelsea, who can fight for the Champions League knockout stage, it is obviously more like a strong team.
The problem is that they need Kai Havertz to provide confrontation and power up front, but no one can bring shooting efficiency and goals. If this problem is not solved, I am afraid that Real Madrid will be able to complete the qualification without danger when they face the Blues again in the Champions League knockout stage.