Liverpool vs. Chelsea: Tactical Review of Capital One Cup Game

Liverpool dominated Chelsea in the first leg of the Capital One Cup semi-final on Tuesday evening, but they could only come away with a 1-1 draw. Eden Hazard opened the scoring from the penalty spot, and Raheem Sterling equalised midway though the second half.

Formations and XIs

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Liverpool lined up in their usual 3-4-2-1 formation with Sterling up front, Steven Gerrard restored as a No. 10 and the same defensive set that was used against Aston Villa.

Chelsea rotated Oscar out, placed Cesc Fabregas in the No. 10 slot and partnered Nemanja Matic with John Obi Mikel. Filipe Luis continued in place of the ailed Cesar Azpilicueta.

1. Chelsea Pack Four in the DM Zone

Liverpool dominated possession in the first half (61.3 percent to 38.7 percent, per WhoScored.com) and took seven shots to Chelsea's one. It was outright dominance in terms of territory and passes, but very few high-quality or clear-cut chances were made.

We're used to seeing an expansive, open Blues machine now with fancy new parts in Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa, but they reverted to the Jose Mourinho default—banks of four, defend solidly—after the Reds' exceptionally fast start.

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With full-backs Branislav Ivanovic and Filipe Luis matched up against possible late runs of the wing-backs, it freed up Chelsea to pour all their resources into the central areas and fill the defensive midfield zones. At times, they produced a temporary diamond to suffocate any and all play.

Lucas Leiva and Jordan Henderson did their best to feed passes in to Philippe Coutinho between the lines, but little space was there. Raheem Sterling was completely crowded out, as a hardworking away side did their due diligence in defending.

With a penalty goal under their belt after attacking once in 20 minutes, Chelsea battened down the hatches and suffocated every gap they could see.

2. Fierce Liverpool Counter Plays

The ferocity of Liverpool's counter-attacks played a big part in Chelsea's lack of inclination to venture out of their own half in the first 45 minutes. If the Blues pushed more than three or four up at a time, the Reds would sting them with long-range passes into space.

Gerrard adopted his Hollywood cap and tried a little too much, too often but usually found Sterling and Lazar Markovic steaming into gaps on the counter-attack with the chance to take on Mourinho's back line directly.

Alberto Moreno's runs throughout the game were superb—he had Ivanovic on toast at least five times—but more often than not, though, the ball wasn't there. Coutinho, as ever, was an absolute menace-jinking forward, and his quick feet went some way to eventually breaking down Chelsea's wall.

3. Sterling's Movement

In the first half, Sterling played as a No. 9, pushing up against the centre-backs, threatening channel runs and driving John Terry and Co. back. In the second half, he started dropping in and drifting wide, approaching false-nine territory for the first time in his career.

(Just because a midfielder plays up front doesn't make him a false nine—it's the tendencies and the movements of the No. 9 that determine whether he's playing that "role.")

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This was the key to unlocking the defence—perhaps not directly, but it set the tone for an even more free-flowing performance—and as Sterling began dropping in and filtering wide, his two No. 10s filled the gaps he had vacated. The result was Liverpool pulling the Matic-Mikel combination all over the place, and the goal was symptomatic of the issues the home side were now causing.

Coutinho's presence on the left between the lines forced Mikel over to cover, and Sterling slipped into the vacated space. He turned, ran and slotted home in emphatic style. Terry was too worried about Gerrard to confront Sterling, and Gary Cahill backed off to a criminal extent. The end result was a 1-1 draw.

4. Lallana's Promise

This Liverpool formation truly came alive when Adam Lallana replaced Gerrard for the final salvo, with the former Southampton man looking fresh and eager to prove his worth post-injury.

With Sterling now dropping in and filtering left to trouble Ivanovic, who had a torrid evening, Lallana preyed on his movement and popped up in spots here, there and everywhere. Cahill and Terry had serious trouble keeping track of him, and his immense skill in tight spaces on the turn makes him the ideal player for this dual-No. 10 system.

He produced one brilliant long-range strike after popping up in a pocket, forcing another wonder-save from Thibaut Courtois. 

Chelsea had to switch to a 3-5-2 formation (Azpilicueta and Luis at wing-back, Ivanovic inside as a third centre-back) for the final five minutes to cope with the mountains of pressure exerted on them. A 1-1 draw to take back to Stamford Bridge is great for the Blues, but not so good for the Reds.

Bits & Bobs

• Lucas Leiva was excellent mopping up and starting attacks, bar a few worrisome moments. He looks suited to this system.
• Ivanovic had a rough night, and if more of Moreno's runs had been successfully picked out by team-mates, it would have been obvious to the world.
• Chelsea failed to release Hazard on Markovic—the clear weak match-up on paper—often enough. Credit to Liverpool's pressing and energy there.
• Matic had one of his worst games in a Chelsea shirt, fooling for dummy runs and being dragged out. Mikel walked a tightrope all game long.
• This Reds system, with Daniel Sturridge in it and Sterling as one of the No. 10s, will be fierce. It's going to absolutely batter one poor unsuspecting Premier League team before the season is up.

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