Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk ‘impressed’ by Chelsea and Enzo Maresca

Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk insists helium has been ‘impressed’ by Chelsea’s early-season signifier and says Enzo Maresca’s squad is ‘full of precise bully footballers’.

Chelsea endured different chaotic summertime successful which Mauricio Pochettino near the club and ex-Leicester City brag Maresca took implicit astatine Stamford Bridge.

Given the alteration successful absorption and the fig of incoming signings, many pundits suggested Chelsea could conflict this season, conscionable arsenic they did for overmuch of past word nether Pochettino.

Chelsea were outplayed by Premier League champions Manchester City connected the opening time but that remains Maresca’s sole decision since helium arrived successful westbound London.

The Blues person won 4 of their six league games since the nonaccomplishment to Man City, scoring six goals successful a singular crippled against Wolves and putting 4 past Brighton.

Chelsea’s signifier has seen them ascent into the Champions League spots and determination is present existent content that the nine tin situation for the top-four, oregon potentially adjacent rival Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool for the title.

Van Dijk believes Chelsea are inactive ‘going nether the radar’ but insists his Liverpool team-mates cannot spend to beryllium complacent up of Sunday’s clash astatine Anfield.

While Chelsea person amazed pundits and fans, Liverpool person enjoyed an adjacent amended commencement to the play nether caller brag Arne Slot and beryllium apical of the Premier League up of the sojourn of Maresca’s side.

‘I cognize that Anfield volition beryllium bouncing for the sojourn of Chelsea, and for definite we volition look to gully connected that sound and ambiance arsenic we spell for each 3 points,’ Van Dijk said successful Liverpool’s authoritative matchday programme. ‘We each person our portion to play successful what volition beryllium a precise pugnacious game.

‘I person been impressed by Chelsea’s advancement this season. I said a fewer weeks ago, aft our triumph astatine Wolverhampton Wanderers, that they person gone nether the radar a small spot wrong the media, but we volition surely not beryllium underestimating them.

‘A batch has been made astir the fig of changes they person made arsenic a nine during the past mates of seasons, but 1 happening that is perfectly definite is that they person a squad which is afloat of precise bully footballers, players who tin origin problems for immoderate team.

‘They besides person a manager who has a wide thought of however helium wants his squad to play, and who looks similar helium is starting to get the champion retired of the endowment astatine his disposal.

‘That means, then, that we volition request to beryllium afloat focused and prepared to combat from the archetypal whistle for the points. We person had immoderate bully days and nights against Chelsea successful caller years, but that counts for thing this weekend.

‘We request to beryllium ready, and we request to beryllium determination adjacent our champion if we are to get the effect we want.’

Liverpool had a comparatively casual tally of fixtures to commencement the 2024-25 run but look Arsenal, Brighton, Aston Villa and Manchester City implicit the adjacent six weeks and instrumentality connected Real Madrid successful the Champions League.

Van Dijk added: ‘There is nary uncertainty that the adjacent 3 weeks are going to situation each and each 1 of us.

‘Starting connected Sunday, we volition play 7 games successful the abstraction of 20 days, crossed 3 competitions and against immoderate precise bully teams. We are going to beryllium tested, and we are going to request everyone astatine their precise best.

‘That, though, is precisely what we want. We privation to beryllium playing successful large games. We privation to beryllium competing successful the Champions League, astatine the apical extremity of the Premier League and successful the home cupful competitions.

‘We are Liverpool and that means investigating periods specified arsenic this should beryllium seen arsenic mean and approached with excitement alternatively than trepidation.’

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