Chelsea's Players to Watch vs. Liverpool

Chelsea gets another chance to win at Anfield for the first time since the 2020/21 season.

Enzo Fernandez had one of his best games for Chelsea against Liverpool in the opening match of the 2023/24 Premier League season. / IMAGO/Sportimage

The return of the Premier League is highlighted by a massive clash as Chelsea goes to Anfield to take on Liverpool on Sunday, Oct. 20.

It will be Chelsea's biggest game in the early days of the Enzo Marsesca era. The Blues will look to solidify its position in the top four whilst Liverpool aims to remain as the top team in the league through eight games.

Chelsea is off to its best start of an EPL season since the new ownership group took over. Maresca has shown early signs that the system he's seeking to implement can function and this group of players is slowly coming into their own.

Liverpool away presents the biggest challenge so far. If Chelsea is to come out with a positive result it will have to play its best game of the young season and specific players must step up to the challenge.

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GK: Robert Sánchez

Through seven games, the Robert Sánchez experience has been on full display. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Sánchez has kept two clean sheets thus far with one of those coming in the 1–0 win against Bournemouth in which he saved a penalty of his making. He was at fault for both Brighton goals in the 4–2 Chelsea win but was responsible for salvaging a point in the 1–1 draw against Nottingham Forest with a massive save in stoppage time.

Liverpool will test the Spanish goalkeeper with different attacking options. He'll have to be at the level he was in the last game before the international break and add to his already impressive 33 saves in seven games.

Another crucial part of Chelsea's game is that it likes to build up from the back and that's usually where Sánchez can be exposed. The Blues can't give Liverpool free scoring opportunities and that starts with the goalkeeper being secure when the ball is at his feet.

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CM: Enzo Fernández

Fernández is tasked with helping the attack in possession and with unloading some of the defensive burden whenever the opposition has the ball. Liverpool plays a classic 4-3-3 with the three midfielders moving cohesively all over the pitch. Chelsea has been playing a 4-2-3-1 with inverting fullbacks offering support to the two central midfielders. However, Fernandez hasn't been great defensively and that in turn can leave Chelsea outnumbered in midfield against one of the best trios in England.

Moisés Caicedo has been fantastic to start the season, but if Fernández's defensive weaknesses get exploited, there's little the Ecuadorian will be able to do to contain Liverpool by himself especially in transition.

On the other hand, Liverpool can be countered whenever its attacking minded fullbacks go forward. Fernández is very good at sending passes into the channels for the wingers to run into space. His ability as a deeper laying playmaker should be relied upon as it was in last season's opener against Liverpool.

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LW: Jadon Sancho

The former Borussia Dortmund and Manchester United player has been great since arriving at Chelsea. He has three assists in four EPL matches and has become a regular starter on the left-wing.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is one of the best attacking fullbacks on the planet but it's no secret he can struggle defensively. Especially in transition, Alexander-Arnold can be careless in his positioning and allow a lot of free space in Liverpool's defense to be taken advantage of. He's not the greatest marker, so an avenue to create chances is for wingers to run in behind him as he is prone to leave the man he's marking free.

Sancho must capitalize on these deficiencies. He's not the fastest winger, but he's one of the better dribblers in the league. In a game where it could be difficult for Chelsea to create chances through the middle given Liverpool's defensive quality in that area, the wings are areas it must exploit to generate danger.

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