Enzo Maresca to solve worrying Chelsea problem by starting 27-year-old dressing leader at Liverpool

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca will need to address several issues when his team travels to Anfield, one of which is their lack of height in defence. There are concerns that Malo Gusto at right-back and Marc Cucurella, often at left-back, are not particularly tall, making Chelsea vulnerable to set-pieces—especially in the absence of Wesley Fofana. However, suspensions may present an opportunity for a solution.

The Chelsea manager has been forced to make changes, but he acknowledged that one of his options is a leader within the squad—Tosin Adarabioyo, who arrived in the summer on a free transfer from Fulham. Adarabioyo is set to start only his second league game, and Maresca noted that he has been monitoring him since his early days at Manchester City.

Maresca told reporters: "I’m very impressed with him, since I knew him at City, especially with the way he behaves on and off the pitch. He is one of the leaders in the dressing room, and we’re delighted."

Chelsea are currently unbeaten in their last six league games and are just four points behind Liverpool. Liverpool, under new manager Arne Slot—who replaced Jürgen Klopp—have won nine of their first ten games, adapting quickly to life in the Premier League.

Last season, Chelsea had an inconsistent start, which ultimately cost them a place in the Champions League. Despite finishing in a Europa League spot, Manchester United surpassed them, pushing Chelsea down to the Europa Conference League.

They will hope to maintain their good form under Maresca, which has lifted them to fourth place in the league table.