Liverpool might have handed Chelsea a blueprint for victory at Anfield on Sunday as head coach Enzo Maresca said he once gave up Christmas to watch 38 Reds matches in a single week.
The Italian’s intense study of the pressing style pioneered by then manager Jurgen Klopp came as he was making the transition from his playing days to the dugout in 2017.
He has since worked his way from assistant coach at Italian Serie B side Ascoli to the top job at Stamford Bridge, where he has enjoyed a strong start.
But Chelsea’s Champions League credentials face a stern test against Arne Slot’s Premier League leaders, who under their new coach have picked up where they left off after nine years and eight trophies under Klopp.
Maresca said the way Liverpool players past and present put pressure on the ball out of possession is something he hopes to see from his team.
“When I finished playing and started as a manager, I watched 38 games of Liverpool in one week, to study and to analyse how good they were with the previous manger in terms of pressing and this kind of thing,” he said.
“I really know Liverpool players because I watched them many times. That team, the first one, two, three years with Klopp, the way they were pressing was especially because (Mohamed) Salah, (Roberto) Firmino and (Sadio) Mane.
“It’s not only on the ball it’s also off the ball. The way they are aggressive was something unbelievable. I really like Salah not only because he is good on the ball but because he is a fantastic player off the ball.
“It was Christmas time, I still remember. I was starting to watch different kinds of football to understand and see how the best teams were doing things.”
Sunday’s meeting boasts two of the league’s in-form players with Mohamed Salah and Cole Palmer having continued in the same form that saw them finish as top scorers for their respective teams last season.
Maresca was asked whether he could see England international Palmer building on the start he has made at Chelsea, scoring 31 goals in 54 games, to replicate the success Salah has enjoyed during his seven years at Anfield.
“In football, I don’t think talent is enough,” Maresca said. “You need more. It’s not only about Cole, it’s about all the attacking players that we have. You see how Noni (Madueke) in this moment is pressing forward, running back. He’s doing very good not just because he is scoring.
“It’s something we need from all the rest; Pedro (Neto), Joao (Felix), Christo (Christopher Nkunku), Misha (Mykhailo Mudryk), Jadon (Sancho). Today in football it is not enough to be good on the ball, you have to be good on the ball and off.”
