Latest Liverpool news and gossip as the Reds will face Chelsea in the Premier League in their first match after the international break
Liverpool currently sit top of the Premier League table heading into the latest of international fixtures. Arne Slot’s side claimed a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace at the weekend.
The victory at Selhurst Park came via Diogo Jota’s first-half strike. A little over 24 hours later, Chelsea were also in Premier League action, where they were held to a 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge.
The game saw Chelsea receive a total of six yellow cards, which will result in the London club being handed a fine by the FA. Two players issued bookings were Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella, which was each of the duo’s fifth yellow card for the season in the Premier League.
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As a result, Cucurella and Fofana will now serve one-match suspensions, which will see them miss the clash against Liverpool at Anfield on October 20. In Cucurella’s case, the Chelsea defender was given a booking for dissent, and Maresca was asked if he had any concerns about the disciplinary record going into the match against the Reds after the international break.
“The team is fighting all together and I don’t think some of them ‘lost their head’. I think all of them were in the game and I was happy with that,” Maresca told reporters on Sunday.
“Probably there are things we can improve but overall I like the team and the way they are fighting. I like the team, the way they are becoming a team in these kinds of things and I don’t see any problems with that.
“If you ask me about the team spirit, the way they are fighting together and the way they are doing things together, I am very happy with that.”
However, the views on Chelsea’s disciplinary record were not shared by goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. He issued a message to his teammates about their behaviour on the pitch.
“Massive players but it was unlucky,” Sanchez told the BBC. “They need to stop talking to the officials. We have some very good players to come in.”
