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Key occasions
1 min Peep peep! Liverpool kick off from left to proper as we watch.
“The issue with ‘however he’s a pleasant man’ (Wirtz) is that he’s additionally a really costly footballer and has to supply on the sphere,” writes David Hindle. “Luis Suarez, splutter, cough, splutter, was not most individuals’s definition of a charmer. However he produced a heck of quite a lot of targets, and took to the sport in England like a duck to water. In the event you gave followers the selection proper now….nicely, you already know which means it could go.”
He’s been there two months although. Keep in mind Thierry Henry’s first two months at Arsenal? We’ve all gone mad.
Arsenal beat West Ham 2-0 on the Emirates to maneuver above Liverpool, at the least for a few hours. That is how the desk seems proper right here, proper now.
And Enzo Maresca’s
It’s good [to play Liverpool]. It’s an opportunity to study and we’ve ready as greatest we are able to.
[On Chelsea’s injuries] 9 gamers are sadly out, plus we’ve two or three gamers [who are carrying injuries*] We’ll attempt to discover options and hopefully we are able to have day – for us and for the followers.
* Together with Moises Caicedo and Joao Pedro.
Arne Slot’s pre-match ideas
[On Giorgi Mamardashvili’s Premier League debut] Within the final two video games, Ali [Alisson] was concerned greater than I would really like. Giorgi did very nicely towards Southampton so it’s not his first begin for us – he’s an skilled goalkeeper and he’s in place.
[On the inclusion of Cody Gakpo ahead of Florian Wirtz] Now we have quite a lot of video games, and also you see world wide that groups have to vary one or two gamers. Then earlier than the sport begins you attempt to determine what’s the greatest match for that exact participant. You’ll be able to’t evaluate the enjoying fashion of Chelsea with the enjoying fashion of Crystal Palace.
“With reference to Florian Wirtz, for anybody who hasn’t seen, Sky has simply posted a beautiful assortment of interviews with a few of his former associates and coaches,” writes Maximilian Sanderson. “Right here in Germany he’s liked and memed in nearly equal measure (the latter affectionately so, and principally due to his viral potato rating video through the Euros), so I didn’t absolutely know what to anticipate, however he looks like a genuinely respectable man with assist community round him. He won’t be beginning tonight however I reckon it received’t be lengthy earlier than the targets begin to move…”
If he’s so good, why didn’t he rating 44 targets in his first 5 video games? Eh?
A Liverpool fan writes
“Having spent almost f-o-u-r hours making the one-hour journey to my mother-in-law’s, I’m not in one of the best of moods,” chirps Matt Dony. “Thanks, M4 closures. Huge assist. Nothing fairly like crawling by way of Port Talbot at under strolling tempo.
“Anyway. If this was final yr, I’d have been pretty assured. Effectively, not assured precisely. I don’t assume I’ve ever been genuinely assured earlier than a soccer match. However I’d have been much more relaxed than I’m now. The late targets have been large enjoyable, however wildly unsustainable. The performances have had their moments, however we’re nonetheless within the waiting-to-click section.
“You by no means want ailing on gamers, however I’m relieved to be dealing with Chelsea minus Cole Palmer. Even so, I’m not relying on nonetheless being high of the league in just a few hours time. And on Wirtz being benched; It’s the earliest of early days. He’s an astonishingly gifted footballer, and I favored all the pieces I noticed of him final season. Nonetheless, I can’t assist however keep in mind watching Naby Keita tear it up for Leipzig…”
On Wirtz, the Pires Precept dictates that any judgement on artistic gamers who’re new to English soccer ought to be deferred till their second season.
Emphasis on ‘ought to’, as a result of there may be overwhelming proof to recommend we’ve all gone utterly mad.
Has Arne Slot taken Liverpool so far as he can?
Learn Barney Ronay on Florian Wirtz
Trigger and impact newest
Staff information: Wirtz on the bench
{The teenager} Josh Acheampong replaces the suspended Trevoh Chalobah within the Chelsea defence. That’s certainly one of 4 adjustments from the aspect that began final weekend’s 3-1 defeat at house to Brighton. Benoit Badiashile, Malo Gusto and Alejandro Garnacho are available for Jarrel Hato, Andrey Santos (who’s injured) and Estevao. Meaning Reece James is prone to begin in midfield.
Giorgi Mamardashvili, who was in all probability one of the best goalkeeper at Euro 2024, deputises for the injured Alisson. Arene Slot makes one different change, with Cody Gakpo most well-liked to Florian Wirtz in assault. Wirtz is a part of a formidable Liverpool subs bench.
Chelsea (4-2-3-1) Sanchez; Gusto, Acheampong, Badiashile, Cucurella; James, Caicedo; Neto, Enzo, Garnacho; Joao Pedro.
Substitutes: Jorgensen, Slonina, Hato, Lavia, Emenalo, Buonanotte, Estevao, Gittens, Guiu.
Liverpool (4-3-3) Mamardashvili; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Isak, Gakpo.
Substitutes: Woodman, Gomez, Endo, Wirtz, Chiesa, Jones, Ekitike, Robertson, Frimpong.
Referee Anthony Taylor.
Preamble
The world champions meet the English champions at Stamford Bridge tonight, however no one might be speaking concerning the glories of the current previous. Chelsea and Liverpool are each in rivalry for the Premier League Disaster Baton™ – handed every week to the workforce {that a} hysterical media deems to be in disaster – after struggling a dip in kind in the direction of the tip of September.
Chelsea have taken just one level from their final three Premier League video games. Liverpool have misplaced their final two in all competitions and didn’t even play that nicely within the seven straight wins earlier than that.
In instances of bother, powerful video games are a combined blessing. Enzo Maresca and Arne Slot know that, in the event that they win tonight, the detrimental chatter will cease identical to that. But when they lose, the exterior noise might be amplified.
Kick off 5.30pm.