Won for Sure!

A Substitution?

This Was Certain!

Hiddink had no doubt that he needed to make a substitution now.

Because there was not much time left for him!

The aggregate score was 5–4, and Liverpool had scored four away goals. Chelsea had to score two unanswered goals in a row. If they did not hurry, they would truly be finished.

But the question was, how should he make the substitution? Who should he take off?

The front line definitely could not be touched. Malouda, Drogba, and Anelka were currently Chelsea's strongest attacking combination. No matter who came off, it would seriously damage the team's confidence and fighting spirit.

That was how football worked. A substitution often represented a signal from the Head Coach. If Hiddink took off an attacking player now, the players, fans, and media would surely interpret it as a conservative move. The players on the field would then lose their confidence and fighting spirit.

Therefore, the attacking players could not be changed, and neither could the defenders.

That left the three midfielders. Lampard definitely could not come off, so it had to be Ballack or Essien.

The former had height and had played well in this match. He could pass, organize, and make late runs into the box. Chelsea's most threatening attack of the match had come from a counterattack in which Drogba passed to Ballack, but Reina had made an outstanding save and held onto the ball.

Drogba's goal had been accidental. Ballack's counterattack had been Chelsea's most threatening offensive move.

More importantly, Ballack possessed an absolute height advantage. Against Liverpool, who had a weakness when defending high balls, the German had more of an advantage. As for Essien, his greatest strength was his defense.

This purely defensive player had kept a low profile in this match, but