Alright so I got sucked into this Liverpool vs Chelsea thing again after the Carabao Cup final. Felt like digging into how individual players actually stack up against each other. You know, who owns who head-to-head?
First up: Finding the damn player stats
Started simple. Just pulled up the Premier League stats page for both teams. Needed goals, assists, tackles, the usual stuff. Easy enough, right? Wrong. Head-to-head specific stats? Total nightmare.
I spent ages scrolling through different websites. Some gave me only the last two seasons. Others mixed in all competitions. Trying to find clean data? Like pulling teeth. Ended up using this one site I trust, mostly because it broke things down pretty well… even if I had to filter matches myself. Still a pain.
Matching them up: Attackers
Figured start with the fun stuff: the guys scoring goals. Mohamed Salah against Reece James. That’s the real big one everyone talks about.
Looked at how many times Salah played when James was on the pitch:
- Salah usually gets at least one shot on target, almost every game they both play.
- But James is FAST. Doesn’t get beat as easily as you’d think looking at Salah.
- Stats? Messy. Sometimes Salah scores, sometimes James shuts him down tight. No clear pattern.
Then I threw in Darwin Nunez vs Thiago Silva and Levi Colwill:
- Nunez is pure chaos. His speed against Silva? Scary for Chelsea.
- But Silva’s brain? Reads the game like a book.
- Colwill? Strong, but Nunez pushes him hard physically.
Messed around with Diogo Jota against Ben Chilwell too. Jota just finds space. Chilwell struggles to stay glued to him.
Midfield Mud Fight
This felt messy. Alexis Mac Allister versus Moises Caicedo? That’s power versus power.
Numbers told a story:
- Both tackle a lot.
- Both get stuck in hard.
- Who wins the ball more? Depended entirely on the match day. Flip a coin.
Then I looked at Dom Szoboszlai taking on Enzo Fernandez. Enzo likes to control things, pass from deep. Szoboszlai runs and runs, pressuring like crazy. Saw a bunch of matches where Szoboszlai’s energy messed up Enzo’s rhythm. Was really clear sometimes.
Even checked old battles: Fabinho vs Kante from a couple seasons back. Those were proper wars.
Stubborn Defenders!
Virgil van Dijk against Nicolas Jackson? Oh man.
- Jackson uses his pace and tries to run in behind.
- Big Virg just uses his body. Blocks him. Outsmarts him.
- Jackson looked frustrated every single time in the stats I saw.
Ibrahima Konate versus Sterling?
- Sterling loves cutting inside.
- But Konate is rapid and powerful? Just keeps Sterling pinned to the wing.
- Sterling’s touches dry up. Happened pretty consistently.
Almost forgot the keepers! Alisson versus whoever Chelsea puts in net (Petrovic lately). Ali just feels more solid in these matches, you know? Especially on high balls. Stats backed that feeling up too.
Putting the Picture Together
This wasn’t an exact science. Numbers lie sometimes, or they don’t show the whole fight. Had to read between the lines.
Clear winners popped up:
- Konate owns Sterling. Just locks him down.
- Van Dijk handles Jackson easily. No contest most of the time.
- Szoboszlai annoys Enzo. Makes him uncomfortable.
Some were dead even:
- Salah vs James? Back and forth like a rollercoaster. No clear boss.
- Mac Allister vs Caicedo? Too close to call. Both warriors.
Ended up scribbling notes everywhere. Seriously, my desk was covered. Took way longer than I thought. Kept finding little battles within the battle – like Liverpool’s full-backs getting involved. Didn’t even get into those!
Bottom line? Some players definitely have the number of their opponent. Others? Just leave it on the pitch, both giving everything. Makes you realize why these games are always tight.
