Chelsea beating Liverpool is great but left a lot of questions

Chelsea dug deep and brought out the fight of old to defeat Liverpool in the FA Cup. It was great, but a lot of questions are looming afterwards.

Frank Lampard’s Chelsea has had its ups and downs but they have generally turned up for the big opponents (Bayern Munich aside). It was likely before the match that the Blues could do so again, especially with Liverpool facing defeat on the weekend. They were a wounded animal there for the taking.

After a rough start where Liverpool could have done far more damage than they did, Chelsea leveled off and got to work. It was a performance much like Chelsea of old and it was beautiful in the Chelsea way as opposed to the cookie cutter “beautiful football” everyone wants but no one wants to deal with all the baggage attached.

The game did raise many questions however. These questions do not detract from the win by any means, but they are still worth considering as Chelsea enter the closing stages of the season.

First of all has to be Kepa Arrizabalaga and his future. If he knew that the last few weeks had all but signed him away, then he stood and made sure he was counted first. It was arguably one of his best, if not the best, performances in a Chelsea shirt. Lampard is sure to start him against Everton now, but the real question is can he sustain the bounce back?

Next up is where in the world has Billy Gilmour been all this time? Every single time he has started this season he has looked absolutely incredible. It is understandable that the Blues’ midfield is stacked and many players are struggling for minutes as it is. But Gilmour is a gem the club is just sitting on and he showed it as he pulled the strings against Liverpool.

On that same note, given Jorginho is suspended for the next three matches, it was shocking not to see him start. That in of itself was a bold statement by Lampard, though the exact meaning may take some time to become clear. Maybe he was just that impressed by Gilmour in training. Maybe it was a punishment for the suspension. Maybe he is just over Jorginho on principle. Regardless, something is up there.

Pulling out to a more bird’s eye view, the injuries are really wearing Chelsea down. It is entirely possible that by the Everton match, Chelsea will be down six players (plus the suspended Jorginho for seventh). The team that the Blues will be able to field will at best be half the regular starters and half of the fringe players/academy players. With big, important matches coming up, that is basically the last place Chelsea wants to be.

Finally there is the formation. The Blues has done better overall in the 3-4-3, but against Liverpool the 4-3-3 got the job done perfectly. For whatever reason, Chelsea does seem to be better at defending and countering in the latter and better at possessing and attacking in the former (the opposite of most clubs in those same shapes). Obviously injuries will play a part, but which shape works best is once again an open question.

These questions are minor compared to the euphoria of beating arguably the best team in Europe right now. But that does not mean they can be ignored. Lampard will want to know the answer as he leads Chelsea into the final stages of the Premier League, the next round of the FA Cup, and mission impossible against Bayern.