As he prepared for a difficult test for Liverpool on Sunday, Virgil van Dijk acknowledged that he has been impressed by Chelsea’s progress this season.
The Blues have had a fantastic start to the season, positioning themselves as strong contenders for a top-four finish and trailing league leaders Liverpool by just four points going into Sunday’s match.
Van Dijk warned his Liverpool colleagues not to undervalue Enzo Maresca’s youthful club during the game preview.
“I know that Anfield will be bouncing for the visit of Chelsea, and for sure we will look to draw on that noise and atmosphere as we go for all three points,” he wrote in the program for the game. “This will be a really difficult game, and each of us has a role to play.
“Chelsea’s development this season has impressed me. They have been somewhat overlooked by the media, but we won’t be underestimating them, I stated a few weeks ago following our victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Although there has been much discussion regarding the club’s numerous changes over the last few seasons, one thing is for sure: they have a roster full of talented football players who can pose a threat to any team.
“They also have a manager who has a clear idea of how he wants his team to play, and who looks like he is starting to get the best out of the talent at his disposal.”
Arne Slot, the manager of Liverpool, later acknowledged that Chelsea will probably be his team’s hardest test of the season. Slot had earlier advised supporters to hold off on making judgments about his team’s chances of winning the title until after they had faced some elite opponents.
“Going by the league table as things stand, Chelsea are the strongest opponents we have faced so far,” Slot said.
They had a strong start to the season and had picked up some pretty impressive results along the way, putting them in fourth position going into this weekend.
“Obviously, this should not be shocking. It makes sense that Chelsea will keep growing and improving because they have many talented players and had a strong season last year. This is undoubtedly the case at the moment.
“We have said repeatedly that there would be some big tests to come for us and this is definitely one of them.”
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