We are finally coming to the end of the international break, with Chelsea set to face off against Liverpool this Sunday. The two Premier League meetings between the sides last season ended in a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge, and then a 4-1 loss at Anfield.
Chelsea have not beaten Liverpool in any competition since 2021, when they won 1-0 at Anfield under Thomas Tuchel. However, both sides have undergone change this summer, with new managers taking the reins, and new styles being implemented.
Liverpool currently sit first in the league after seven games played, having won six times, and lost once. They have averaged 60.3% possession, the third highest in the division, have scored 13 goals, and have only conceded twice.
Meanwhile, Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea sit fourth in the Premier League, having won four, drawn two, and lost one. They have averaged 55.7% possession, the sixth highest in the division, have scored 16 goals, and have shipped eight.
The Blues will need their star man in the mood to break down Liverpool’s strong defensive unit this weekend, as their main source for goals is, of course, Cole Palmer, who has made nine appearances so far this season, scoring six goals and providing five assists.
Cole Palmer's meteoric rise
The 22-year-old came through Manchester City’s academy, playing 64 times for various age groups (U18 & U21), scoring 42 goals and providing 19 assists at that level. He then went on to make 41 appearances for the senior side, scoring six goals and providing two assists.
But at the start of the 2023/24 campaign, is where it got interesting as Palmer revealed in an interview that he never intended to leave City. Palmer stated he “wanted to go on loan” but they didn’t allow it, which led to his eventual sale to Chelsea that summer for a fee of around £40m plus £2.5m add-ons.
“My thing was to never leave City. That was not my intention. I wanted to go on loan for a year, come back and be ready for the first team. But they said I couldn’t go on loan, either stay or you get sold.”
In his first season at the Bridge, Palmer produced an outstanding campaign, making 45 appearances, scoring 25 goals, and providing 15 assists. His excellent form then led to him winning the Premier League’s Young Player of the Season, Chelsea’s Player of the Season, and England Men’s Player of the Year.
The England international has started this season in the same rich vein of form, taking his Chelsea total now to 54 games played, 31 goals scored, and 20 assists.
Many were worried Maresca’s more tactically rigid system would limit Palmer’s creativity, but instead, it has further enhanced it, and the challenge now will be to continue to impose himself in the same way on games and lead Chelsea to major honours, with that first step being qualification to the Champions League.
But Chelsea may have gotten rid of a perfect player to help Palmer, someone who could have helped take him to the next level, and that man was sold in 2023 by the club.
Kai Havertz's numbers after leaving Chelsea
In the same summer Chelsea signed Palmer, they also sold Kai Havertz to Arsenal for a fee of around £65m. In his time for the Blues, the German made 139 appearances, scoring 32 times and supplying 12 assists.
Much of the issue surrounding Havertz’s time at Chelsea was the inability to find him a consistent role in the team. Under different managers, the German was used in different ways, playing as an attacking midfielder, as a striker, and as a winger at times.
Of course, there was still plenty of success for Havertz at the club, scoring the only goal in the Champions League final to win the game 1-0 and secure Chelsea’s second major European title, which will always remain a huge part of their history.
The 25-year-old has rediscovered himself at Arsenal under Mikel Arteta, making 61 appearances, scoring 21 goals and providing eight assists.
Arteta seems to have moulded him into the perfect number nine, with the ability to aid the press, hold up the ball, link play, and attack the box.
Goals
0.28
0.62
Assists
0.03
0.09
xG
0.40
0.52
xAG
0.16
0.12
Progressive Carries
2.15
2.00
Progressive Passes
3.28
3.11
Shot Total
2.61
3.45
Goals/Shot
0.09
0.15
Key Passes
1.41
0.67
Shot-Creating Actions
2.49
2.67
Aerials Won
2.71
3.78
Tuchel once compared Havertz to Dennis Bergkamp, stating he can play in the “half positions” dropping into link play, and playing “free” from the number nine position in order to create overloads on one side, to then arrive in the box.
And you can see from the metrics above how Arsenal began to maximise these assets of Havertz, not tasking him with progressing play, where his numbers were better at Chelsea, but instead allowing him to drift as a number nine, create for himself and others, get more shots off, and attack balls into the box with his hefty 6 foot 4 frame that aids his cause in winning 3.78 aerials per 90.
Palmer would benefit from having a selfless runner like Havertz up front who can drag defenders away with his runs, create little pockets of space for Palmer to receive, and also attack balls into the box, particularly from those crosses that the England star can play so perfectly, with left-footed inswingers from the right side.
Chelsea have looked to add height to their attacking line with links to Victor Osimhen and Samu Omorodion in the previous summer transfer window, as that would have allowed the Blues’ star man to fully utilise his creative toolset, with inswinging crosses, alongside his intricate through balls, and, of course, his devastating left-foot shots.
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