Andreas Christensen reveals how Chelsea are going to defend against Liverpool
According to Chelsea’s official site, Danish international Andreas Christensen has suggested that the Blues can keep the Liverpool attack at bay if they manage to work together and look after each other.
The Blues will face Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley today. There would be an abundance of attacking talents on the Reds side and neutralising that threat will be a major concern for Thomas Tuchel.
Christensen has played 26 matches across all competitions for the west London team in this campaign; one was against Liverpool in the Premier League. The Blues’ defended well in that game to secure a tight 1-1 draw against the Reds at Anfield. Even though he didn’t participate in the second clash against Jurgen Klopp’s team, the 25-year-old has a clear idea of how they can stop the opponent’s attacks.
Christensen revealed that Liverpool like to show aggression with fluid movement to boot when attacking. The Danish defender believes the Merseysiders can be stopped by outnumbering Klopp’s forwards in the final third.
“Liverpool come at you with energy, with their runs, and there’s never-ending movement. I think we’ve found a good balance to do it as a back five, so you’re not in it alone – not one-against-ones all the time.”
The 25-year-old defender also revealed that the five-man backline has worked wonders for Chelsea as it allows them to support each other when defending in crucial positions. Strength in numbers could make the difference on the night at Wembley.
‘You’ve always got someone backing up, and that’s important because Liverpool have a phenomenal front three who are dangerous all the time and never seem to get tired. For us, it’s just about backing each other up and being there for each other.”
As we are already aware of Mohamed Salah’s dribbling capabilities, one man might not be enough to stop him. That’s why defensive partnerships could play a significant role in neutralising their attack. How Chelsea go about it tonight remains to be seen.
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Thomas Tuchel favours using the full-backs in advanced positions to create more chances. But as Christensen suggested, the five defenders need to be in place whenever the Reds attack; that’s why the full-backs should take as little time as possible to track back.
The fluidity should have been better with the services of Reece James and Ben Chilwell, but Marcos Alonso and César Azpilicueta have shown lately that they can still provide solid defensive cover when needed.
