Liverpool arrive at Stamford Bridge having lost two matches in a row and facing the real possibility of three straight defeats for the first time since Spring 2023. Performances this season have often lacked balance and confidence, and Arne Slot must make corrective choices to protect the club\u2019s position at the top of the table.<\/p>\n
First, the full-back selections require urgent attention. The summer recruitment that followed Trent Alexander-Arnold\u2019s departure produced Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez alongside Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas. Frimpong and Kerkez are both highly attacking operators, with Frimpong mainly used as a wing back at Bayer Leverkusen and Kerkez afforded licence on Bournemouth\u2019s left flank. That aggressiveness has left Liverpool exposed defensively in recent weeks. With Chelsea likely to deploy speedy wingers such as Alejandro Garnacho, Pedro Neto, Jamie Gittens and Est\u00eav\u00e3o, Slot should prioritise balance. Frimpong, who was actually used as a winger for much of the defeat to Galatasaray, should be replaced by the more defensively minded Conor Bradley, and Kerkez should make way for the robust Andy Robertson.<\/p>\n
Second, the midfield roles need re-setting. Flroian Wirtz, the \u00a3116 million ($156.2 million) attacking midfielder, has underwhelmed early and adopted the No.10 role without offering the same defensive work rate or stamina as Dominik Szoboszlai. Liverpool have struggled to maintain defensive stability and have shown gaping holes in transition. Returning Szoboszlai to the more advanced midfield role would restore a familiar structure and add defensive cover, while giving Wirtz time to adjust away from the most exposed position.<\/p>\n
Third, intensity must return. Liverpool appeared sluggish against Palace and Galatasaray, with opponents showing more intensity and determination. Slot\u2019s team should press high and in numbers from the first whistle. Chelsea enter the fixture missing Levi Colwill, Tosin Adarabioyo and the suspended Trevoh Chalobah, with a Jorrel Hato and Beno\u00eet Badiashile pairing likely. Enzo Maresca\u2019s side are asked to play through the thirds and build from defence, so pressurising their weakened backline could prove effective.<\/p>\n
These three adjustments \u2014 steadier full-backs, a midfield reversion that includes Szoboszlai and a sharper collective press \u2014 offer Liverpool a practical way to steady the ship at Stamford Bridge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Three changes Arne Slot must make to steady Liverpool as they travel to Stamford Bridge. Sat preview<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3528,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[190,175],"tags":[220,223,1110],"class_list":["post-3529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chelsea","category-liverpool","tag-andy-robertson","tag-dominik-szoboszlai","tag-flroian-wirtz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3529","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3529"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3529\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}