Stamford Bridge is finally feeling like a serious place again. After years of what felt like a chaotic soap opera, Enzo Maresca has somehow found a rhythm, but the next game for Chelsea is the one that actually tells us if this resurgence is real or just another false dawn.
They’re heading to Anfield.
Liverpool away. It's the ultimate litmus test in English football. You can beat the Wolves and the West Hams of the world by simply having better individual players—which Chelsea definitely has—but you don't win at Anfield without a soul and a very specific tactical plan. Honestly, most fans are just happy to see a starting XI they can actually memorize for once.
What the Next Game for Chelsea Means for the Top Four Race
The table looks decent right now. Chelsea has hovered around that third and fourth spot, trading blows with Arsenal and Aston Villa. But let’s be real for a second. The schedule has been somewhat kind. Aside from that opening day defeat to Manchester City—where they actually looked okay in flashes—they haven't faced a "Big Six" gauntlet yet.
Anfield changes everything.
If Chelsea wins, the conversation shifts from "they might get Champions League" to "wait, are they actually in a title race?" If they get battered, the "Project" skeptics will come crawling back out of the woodwork. It’s a binary outcome that carries way too much weight, but that’s just how the Premier League works in 2026.
Maresca’s system relies on total control. He wants his players to suffocate the opposition, using Robert Sánchez as a glorified quarterback and pushing those inverted full-backs into midfield. It's risky. Liverpool under Arne Slot has become this weirdly efficient hybrid of Klopp’s "heavy metal" football and a more controlled, Dutch style of possession. If Chelsea’s midfield loses the ball in the transition phase, Mohamed Salah and Luis Díaz will be through on goal before Moisés Caicedo can even turn around.
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The Cole Palmer Factor
We have to talk about him. Every time you think Cole Palmer has hit his ceiling, he just moves the roof higher. He is the sun that the entire Chelsea solar system orbits around.
In the next game for Chelsea, the matchup between Palmer and Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister or Ryan Gravenberch is going to be the entire game. If Liverpool can man-mark Palmer out of the half-spaces, Chelsea’s attack tends to get a bit static. But Palmer doesn’t really stay in one place, does he? He wanders. He drifts into areas where defenders don't want to follow.
People forget how young this squad is. The average age is still absurdly low. At Anfield, that can go one of two ways. Either they play with the "no-fear" arrogance of youth and play Liverpool off the park, or the "Anfield Roar" gets in their heads and they crumble under the first sign of a high press. Nicolas Jackson has been much more clinical lately—statistically, his non-penalty xG is among the best in the league—but he needs to prove he can do it against a center-back pairing like Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté. Those guys don't give you "second chances."
Tactical Tweaks and Selection Headaches
Maresca has a "good" problem, which is basically a polite way of saying he has too many expensive players.
Jadon Sancho has looked revitalized on the left. He's taking players on again. He looks like the guy we saw at Dortmund rather than the ghost we saw at Old Trafford. But does he start in a game where defensive work rate is priority number one? Noni Madueke has been electric on the right, but Pedro Neto is always lurking, offering that raw pace that could catch Liverpool out on the counter-break.
- The Midfield Pivot: Romeo Lavia and Enzo Fernández are fighting for that spot next to Caicedo. Lavia offers more defensive bite, while Enzo provides the vertical passing. Against a Liverpool midfield that runs for 90 minutes straight, you probably need the legs.
- The Full-back Conundrum: Reece James is "back" (always a fragile statement), but Malo Gusto has been so consistent that it’s hard to bench him.
- The High Line: This is the scary part. Chelsea plays a high defensive line. If the press isn't perfect, Darwin Núñez will have 40 yards of green grass to run into.
Chelsea’s defensive record has improved, but they still look vulnerable on set pieces. Liverpool is arguably the best in the world at dead-ball situations. Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana have developed a nice partnership, but they’ll be tested physically in a way they haven't been all season.
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Looking at the History Books
Stats don't win games, but they do tell a story. The last few meetings between these two have been tight. We went through a bizarre streak of about four or five consecutive draws, including those two domestic cup finals that ended 0-0 and went to penalties.
The next game for Chelsea is unlikely to be a stalemate. Both managers are too aggressive for that. Slot wants to dominate; Maresca refuses to sit back. It’s going to be a chess match played at 100 miles per hour.
You also have to consider the refereeing. It’s anfield. The crowd influences decisions. Chelsea players need to keep their heads. We’ve seen Marc Cucurella get baited into cheap yellow cards before. In a game this big, a red card in the 30th minute is basically a death sentence.
Why the "Chaos Era" is Finally Over
The reason there’s so much hype around this specific fixture is that Chelsea finally feels like a football club again, not a venture capital experiment.
There’s a clear hierarchy. The recruitment has shifted from "buy everyone" to "buy what fits." Christopher Nkunku coming off the bench is a luxury most managers would kill for. The fact that a player of his caliber isn't a guaranteed starter shows the depth Maresca has built.
But depth doesn't matter if the tactical identity fails under pressure.
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Liverpool’s press is a monster. They trigger it the moment the ball goes into the "6" position. If Chelsea can play through that first wave, they’ll find huge gaps behind Liverpool’s flying full-backs. It’s high-risk, high-reward. If Robert Sánchez clips a ball over the top to a galloping Madueke, Chelsea could be 1-0 up in ten seconds. If he miscues it into the path of Dominik Szoboszlai? It's 1-0 the other way.
Watching Brief: What to Look For
Keep an eye on the first 15 minutes.
Chelsea usually tries to settle the game by keeping 70% possession early on. If they can quiet the crowd and make Liverpool chase shadows, they’ll grow in confidence. If they turn the ball over early in their own half, it could get ugly fast.
Also, watch the substitutions. Maresca has been proactive. He doesn't wait until the 75th minute to change things. If the plan isn't working by half-time, he’ll hook someone. That ruthlessness is why they are where they are in the table.
Honestly, a draw wouldn't be a disaster for Chelsea. It would prove they can go to the hardest ground in the country and hold their own. But a win? A win sends a message to the rest of Europe that the Blues are officially back in the big time.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts
If you're following the next game for Chelsea, here is how to approach it with a bit more depth:
- Watch the Inverted Full-back: Pay attention to Malo Gusto’s positioning. When Chelsea has the ball, he’ll drift into central midfield. If he gets caught there during a turnover, watch how Levi Colwill has to slide over to cover the wing. This is Chelsea’s "Achilles' heel."
- The Zone 14 Battle: This is the area just outside the penalty box. This is Cole Palmer’s playground. Liverpool will try to "box him in" with four players. If Palmer can find a teammate in that split-second before the box closes, Chelsea scores.
- Set Piece Defense: Watch how Chelsea lines up for corners. They’ve struggled with a hybrid marking system. If Virgil van Dijk gets a free run at the back post, it's game over.
- The Bench Impact: If the game is tied at 60 minutes, Chelsea actually has the advantage. Bringing on Nkunku, João Félix, or Pedro Neto against tired Liverpool legs is a terrifying prospect for any defender.
Check the official lineups exactly one hour before kickoff. If Maresca starts a more defensive midfield (Lavia-Caicedo), he’s looking for a draw or a narrow win. If he starts Enzo and Palmer together with three attackers, he’s going for the throat. Either way, it’s going to be the most watched game of the weekend for a reason.
The "New Chelsea" is about to find out exactly who they are. Anfield won't lie to them.