Today’s game at Stamford Bridge between newly crowned Premier League champions Chelsea and Liverpool was barely five minutes old when John Terry opened the scoring to become the top flight’s highest ever goalscoring defender with 39…
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But while the legendary skipper should be congratulated for his bravery and movement, the goal perfectly represents Liverpool’s defensive frailties from set-pieces this season.
The Reds would have been completely aware that Terry would be a key target for the corner… Didier Drogba wasn’t on the field, and nor was Nemanja Matic – two other tall, powerful headers of a football.
But bizarrely, Liverpool got striker Rickie Lambert to mark the 34-year-old, instead of one of their rangier, stockier centre-halves.
Terry left Lambert, who gets caught under the ball, easily, and headed in to give Chelsea the lead with minimal fuss.
Why was Martin Skrtel not marking Terry, or at least Dejan Lovren? Why was Lambert not used to mark a zone, instead of Chelsea’s most dangerous set-piece header?
Liverpool have dealt with set-pieces dreadfully for the most of the season, and this latest blunder goes to show not only that the side needs defensive improvement in the summer transfer window, but that manager Brendan Rodgers has still not managed to suitably organise a defence at set-pieces…
Will it be his ultimate undoing, if the Reds fail to qualify for the Champions League…?
Check out the defensive guff below…
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