Chelsea travel to Anfield today as the Premier League returns following the international break with an away tie against the leaders Liverpool.

Speaking to the media ahead of the game, Enzo Maresca was discussing one of the Blues’ star performers during the opening stages of 2024/25, September’s Premier League Player of the Month Cole Palmer.

Given some of the incredible performances the England international has put in since coming to Stamford Bridge at the start of last season, our head coach was asked what Palmer can still do to continue improving, leading him to highlight the progress of team-mate Noni Madueke.

‘This is not only for Cole, but for many players. I’ve said many times we have many quality players,’ said Maresca. ‘Unfortunately for forwards I don’t think talent is enough, you need more. It’s not only about Cole, it’s about all the attacking players we have.

‘You see how Noni in this moment is pressing. He’s pressing forward, he’s running back and he’s doing very good with us and not only because he’s scoring goals. It’s something we need from all the rest, players like Joao [Felix], Christo [Nkunku], Misha [Mudryk], Jadon [Sancho], these kind of players.

‘Today for a forward it is not enough to be good on the ball. You have to be good on the ball and off the ball.’

That belief that attacking players need to be able to lead the press and contribute to the team when out of possession seems rooted deep in Maresca’s footballing philosophy and he revealed it was an idea formed early on in his time as a coach.

It was also heavily influenced by today’s opponents Liverpool. The period when he hung up his boots following a spell with Hellas Verona and turned his attention to a career in coaching coincided with the most successful spell in the Reds’ recent history, when Jurgen Klopp’s side reached successive Champions League finals – winning the second – before claiming the Premier League title.

That Liverpool team’s relentless high pressing off the ball, especially by their forwards, made a big impression on Maresca during those early years as a coach.

‘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 manager in terms of their pressing and those kinds of things,’ the Italian recalled.

‘It was Christmas time, I still remember. I was starting to watch different kinds of football, to understand and to see how the best teams were doing things. So I really know the Liverpool players because I watched them many, many times.

‘That team, in the first few years with Klopp, the way they were pressing was special because of [Mohamed] Salah, [Roberto] Firmino and [Sadio] Mane. So it’s not only on the ball, it’s also off the ball. The way they were aggressive was something unbelievable.

‘So I really like Salah not only because he’s good on the ball, but because he’s a fantastic player also off the ball. They use Salah in all the moments, going from the keeper to Salah, from [Virgil] Van Dijk to Salah, from [Alexis] Mac Allister to Salah, so probably he’s the main player for them.’

That discussion of what Salah brings to Liverpool, with the forward one of the remaining members of Klopp’s champions still playing for the Anfield side under current boss Arne Slot, led to comparisons being drawn between Salah and Palmer by the gathered media.

It was pointed out the two players have produced very similar figures over the last year, being their respective teams’ top scorers with 25 goals apiece last season, and it is the same story this term with six goals each so far in all competitions.

‘The only thing I can say is that you cannot just judge one year or two years,’ responded Enzo. ‘In Salah’s case you have to judge him over the last seven or eight years with Liverpool.

‘For me he has been one of the best Liverpool players in the last five, six, seven years. Cole is doing that for us last year and now, and hopefully it can continue for the next five or 10 years with us.’

It remains to be seen if Palmer or Salah can get on the score sheet again when the two sides go head to head at Anfield this afternoon, but it is clear that the man in the Chelsea dugout will be just as focused on the forwards’ contribution off the ball.