After exiting two cup tournaments and losing to bottom-dwelling Swansea City in the course of a week, Liverpool welcome Chelsea to Anfield on Tuesday. Antonio Conte is preparing for an encounter with a desperate, dangerous side.
Liverpool gave Antonio Conte his first taste of Premier League defeat in mid-September. Liverpool lived up to all the expectations of a Jurgen Klopp side. Meanwhile, Chelsea reinforced all the misgivings the fans carried over from the previous season.
On that Friday in September, neither side would have predicted the momentum both clubs bring to the return fixture. Chelsea have won 15 of their last 16, and are easily into the FA Cup fifth round. Liverpool, on the other hand, have not won in 2017. Draws with Plymouth Argyle and Sunderland were exceeded only by the loss to Swansea City.
Antonio Conte is taking no comfort from each team’s recent form. He appreciates that a Klopp side with their backs against the wall is an extremely dangerous opponent.
"Liverpool is a very tough game for us because their focus will be very high… After three defeats you are very angry, and we must know this. – The Telegraph"
One sign of Liverpool’s desperation is the urgency with which they retrieved Sadio Mane from the Africa Cup of Nations tournament. Mane had barely staggered off the pitch after Senegal’s exit from the AFCON before Liverpool dispatched a private jet to bring him back to Merseyside.
Jurgen Klopp knows how despondent Mane is after the loss, but also knows how much the Reds need Mane. Liverpool have only won one game since Mane left for international duty. Mane may not start, given his mental condition and time away from training with Liverpool. But Klopp clearly believes he needs him as a substitute or even just a confidence boost for the squad.
Klopp’s trademark high-intensity, high-stress style accurately captures what he must be feeling right now. He knows that this fixture may be his last opportunity to have a shot at the Premier League. Klopp is the one manager who could turn despondency and panic into a footballing weapon.
"It’s difficult to look at a team like Liverpool in that rabid, crazy style that Klopp has them play and then inject it with desperation. If they knock out Chelsea and then Chelsea has to play Arsenal at the weekend, Liverpool has a situation where they can say “the gods can bleed, and we can get back in this.” – Andre Carlisle, The Blue Lions"
Chelsea’s only losses this season have come to the teams currently second, third and fourth in the Premier League. Clubs can win championships without winning the head to head battles with their closest challengers. Chelsea’s consistency against the other 16 teams in the league has given them a wide buffer at the top of the table.
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Antonio Conte will never settle for eking out a victory, either in a single match or an entire season. Chelsea’s lead can expand or evaporate in the next week. A win over Liverpool will say as much about both teams’ championship mettle as their tactics.