CARLO ANCELOTTI was refreshingly open on the detail that corrected Chelsea’s league campaign on Sunday. The pearl from a double Champions League winning coach paid €3.3 million a year to replicate that success at Stamford Bridge? Stop Steven Gerrard; stop Liverpool.
Many adopt this tactic but few succeed, and they are usually the managers blessed with the calibre of players at Ancelotti’s disposal. Most end up ruing the realisation Liverpool are not a one- or two-man team, but that will not console Rafael Benitez, having witnessed his captain cast adrift again and his team in danger of following suit in the Premier League.
Managers are often reluctant to divulge tactical secrets, particularly when taken from another’s manual. Not so Ancelotti, who effectively followed Guus Hiddink’s plan of shackling Gerrard with Michael Essien in last season’s Champions League semi-final at Anfield and was content for every rival to know.
“We did what we prepared before the game and, for this, I’m happy,” said the Chelsea manager. “We wanted to avoid free passes for Gerrard because he’s a very dangerous player, and we had to stop him playing. [Michael] Ballack, Essien and [Frank] Lampard did that job fantastically well.”
Ancelotti refused to dismiss Liverpool’s title credentials after their third defeat in eight league matches. Given the 2005 Champions League final will haunt him to the grave, the former Milan coach is unlikely to write them off ever again. When he spoke of Liverpool’s dangerous players, however, the Italian appeared to have in mind only Gerrard and Fernando Torres.
Gerrard’s form has fluctuated uncharacteristically but so have the demands upon him and those around him. Xabi Alonso’s departure to Real Madrid has contributed to Gerrard’s isolation in key games, as neither Javier Mascherano nor Lucas Leiva can match the quality of his distribution, but it is remiss to lament the Spaniard as the sole cause of Liverpool’s problems. Mascherano has been a pale imitation of his previous self and although Lucas is a more diligent performer than many give him credit for he lacks experience at the highest level.
The Liverpool captain has been shifted between central midfield and behind Torres this season and not always through necessity. Liverpool’s midfield, unlike a defence that has struggled to adapt to Glen Johnson’s welcome adventure from right-back, was always liable to be exposed in these early months. Not simply because of Alonso leaving but due to his replacement, Alberto Aquilani, arriving injured.
When seeking assurances over his €22 million investment from contacts in Italy this summer, Benitez was told repeatedly a pairing between Aquilani and Gerrard would be worth the wait. Aquilani could make his long-awaited debut when Liverpool reconvene after the international break for a potentially defining week – Sunderland away, Lyon at home, Manchester United at home.
GuardianService
