FA Cup 2019/20: Chelsea vs Liverpool – tactical analysis

Chelsea knocked out Liverpool of the FA Cup with a 2-0 win at Samford Bridge. That happened to be the second consecutive defeat for Jurgen Klopp’s team, which killed their dream of winning a treble. Chelsea’s balanced performance resulted in keeping a clean sheet, despite Liverpool’s 13 efforts. It was a good night for the Londoners but yet one player’s performance is what drew all the attention. The youngster Billy Gilmour impressed with his mature performance and confidence, being praised by all the fans.

Chelsea’s efforts to dismiss Fabinho from the centre worked out for the most part, although Lampard was forced to make changes and the team couldn’t adjust properly afterwards. As expected, Klopp gave a rest to some of his players, but yet decided to look for a balance between the experienced players and the youngsters, opting for a quite different scheme.

This tactical analysis will look into both teams’ tactics and how Chelsea managed to stop the spirited Liverpool.

Lineups

Frank Lampard opted for his regular 4-3-3. Kepa Arrizabalaga covered the goal with the help of Marcos Alonso, Kurt Zouma, Antonio Rüdiger and César Azpilicueta. The midfield was formed by Mateo Kovačić, Billy Gilmour and Ross Barkley, with the youngster having a role in the defensive midfield. Olivier Giroud was positioned at the tip of the attack, supported by Pedro and Willian on the wings.

Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool played in their 4-3-3 on paper, although they adapted to interesting shapes while attacking. Adrián was at the goal with Andrew Robertson, Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Neco Williams in the four-man backline. Curtis Jones, Fabinho and Adam Lallana played as a midfield three distributing the ball to Divock Origi, Takumi Minamino and Sadio Mané.

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