Chelsea – Liverpool: Drab Draw Highlights Chelsea and Liverpool’s Woes (0-0)

Chelsea and Liverpool battled hard for ninety minutes but the result seemed inevitable. Chelsea, with the return of N'Golo Kanté, dominated the middle of the park but failed to capitalize on Liverpool’s mishaps. Liverpool, on the other hand, struggled to get going and eventually looked content with a stalemate. 
Tactical analysis and match report by Rahul Madhavan.

The storied rivalry between Chelsea and Liverpool has seen quality encounters in the past, but the narrative has been flipped around as both sides have struggled to make their mark this season. 

The managerial hot seat at Chelsea has become something of a poisoned chalice, with Graham Potter the recent manager to face the axe after a disappointing defeat to Aston Villa. Seven months after his appointment and with just ten wins to their name, Chelsea are placed in the bottom half of the table above Crystal Palace. 

Potter’s assistant Bruno Saltor was named the interim manager until the end of the season. Against Liverpool, he picked a 3-5-2 formation, with Kepa Arrizabalaga starting in goal. Wesley Fofana, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Marc Cucurella formed the back three, while Reece James and Ben Chilwell were named as the wing-backs. 

In midfield, N'Golo Kanté returned to action after a lengthy spell on the sidelines, with Enzo Fernández and Mateo Kovačić alongside him. Meanwhile, Kai Havertz and João Félix stared upfront. 

Following a remarkable season, Liverpool have failed to hit the same strides that saw them compete at the highest level. Jurgen Klopp’s misery further continued when his side were thoroughly beaten by rivals Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium last time around. As . . .