With Chelsea having wrapped up the title already, perhaps there is no better time to play Jose Mourinho’s men. Undeniably, they still have bags of quality that can cause most – if not all – teams a number of problems that can make 90 minutes seem an eternity.
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However, with nothing to play for, having spent so much of the season fighting for the crown, their performance may become slightly laboured, and opportunities may arise for some of the stalwarts of the side to be rested.
We, on the other hand, are still fighting a battle, that for us to win, will have to go down to the final day. The deficit to the top four will be insurmountable should we lose at Stamford Bridge, and so, begins a massive trio of games which may provide some respite to a difficult campaign.
Here are five things that may need to be done, if we are to leave the capital with all three points:
Resist the urge to call upon Mario Balotelli
The Italian is obviously able to produce moments of match-winning quality, but he has struggled to pull them out of the hat as a lone striker this season. This game is not the time for another gamble on the 24-year-old, hoping that he produces a crucial goal, or lays an opportunity on a plate for a teammate.
Unfortunately, Chelsea will feel much more confident about their chances should they see that Balotelli is starting up front alone. Should they manage to isolate him, frustration may creep in, and that is a situation that no Liverpool fan wants.
Keep Eden Hazard quiet
If Diego Costa is missing through injury, then Chelsea’s threat is depleted. However, in Eden Hazard, they have one of the best players in the world currently. If we can keep the Belgian quiet, then Jose Mourinho’s men will have lost their main outlet, the one man in their side that can makes things happen out of less than nothing, in a similar way that Philippe Coutinho does for us.
Sticking Emre Can at right-back, and leaving him to deal with Hazard alone, may be a risk that comes back to punish us. However, the German has enough ability to halt his creativity. Perhaps, it would make sense to give one of the defenders the freedom to monitor the pair, and offer help if required.
Use pace to our advantage
The possible front three of Lallana, Coutinho, and Sterling have a lot of things going for them, however, winning a header – or any aerial duel for that matter – against the likes of Terry, Cahill, Ivanovic, or Zouma is unlikely. Our best hope of creating openings will come from exploiting the defence’s biggest weakness, their lack of pace. Rewind to the Capital One Cup semi-final earlier in the campaign, and one of the abiding memories from the game was the fun that Sterling seemed to have running straight through the Blues’ usually watertight back line.
Bring Alberto Moreno back into the team
The Spaniard has not played since the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, but returned to the substitutes’ bench in the victory against Queens Park Rangers last time out. Glen Johnson played on the left in that game, but it makes more sense to utilise a left-sided player if he’s available. Moreno has been consistent this season, and will also be able to put some question-posing crosses into the box.
Don’t be sentimental with Steven Gerrard
After the goal against QPR, many were yearning for the captain to abandon his plans to relocate to America, and stick around until we had got every last drop of inspiration out of the talisman. However, not so long before, it appeared that the 34-year-old was bowing out on a low point when he missed a penalty. He is a legend, one that teams discount at their peril, but no-one – perhaps including the player himself – wants him to bow out having been unable to produce his best, and prolonging that shall only makes things worse. If it isn’t going his way against Chelsea, Rodgers shall have to seriously question whether he would keep him on if he wasn’t Steven Gerrard.