Liverpool star Cody Gakpo has admitted that he came up against his toughest ever opponent when playing Chelsea. However, he won’t have the same obstacle for this weekend’s visit to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea and Liverpool clash on Saturday evening in the Premier League, which is a fixture between eighth and first.
Alan Shearer insists Enzo Maresca can’t afford to lose what would be a third straight league match for the Blues.
Liverpool attacker Cody Gakpo, 26, has a tough record against Chelsea in his career. In fact, he’s failed to score or assist in his seven appearances against the Blues, so let’s wait and see if he can break his duck this weekend.
- READ MORE: Chelsea can break unwanted 11-year record against Liverpool with victory at Stamford Bridge
Cody Gakpo names Thiago Silva as toughest opponent
Liverpool’s Gakpo has admitted that former Chelsea defender Thiago Silva is the toughest opponent he’s come up against in football.
When asked to name his toughest opponent, Gakpo said via VERSUS on TikTok: “So I’d say Thiago Silva.”
Yet again, Silva has received high praise from someone inside football. We’re sure that so many forwards over the years have had their toughest games against the Brazilian centre-back, who always defends with so much intelligence and composure.
Even at the age of 41, he’s still impressing in Brazil with Fluminense.
He had an incredible four seasons with Chelsea between 2020 and 2024, winning the Champions League as part of the journey. The defensive monster established himself as an important part of the Blues history with a superb spell in England.
Blues defender Jorrel Hato has named Silva as his footballing idol, and he’s the perfect role model for young defenders with ambitions of reaching the top.
Chelsea haven’t found their Thiago Silva replacement
Blues supporters will understand that they haven’t found a centre-half with the same quality as Silva to replace him because he’s one of the greatest defenders of the 21st century.
However, Chelsea’s recruitment staff should have identified a profile with great experience and leadership to fill the void in central defence.
Even though there are a crop of talented centre-backs in the squad, none of them have consistently performed on the elite stage. Maresca is adamant that Chelsea need to sign another defender. Ideally, we would love to see a new signing who’s got a track record at the highest level because that would be a valuable addition to the current backline.
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