Chelsea showed far better signs on the pitch with the performance against Liverpool, and even a tweak in system that will surely appeal to managerial candidate Xabi Alonso.
After a slow start, Chelsea responded well with an equalising goal, with the goalscorer still unconfirmed between Wesley Fofana and Enzo Fernandez.
The Blues had a plethora of other chances, and thought they had taken the lead through Cole Palmer, however Marc Cucurella was slightly offside in the build-up.
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Liverpool v Chelsea - Premier League
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Chelsea impress vs Liverpool in Xabi Alonso’s favoured formation
It was the Spaniard whose position was changed the most in the new-look Chelsea system, often cropping up as the most advanced player ahead of Joao Pedro.
Cucurella was in a left wing-back role, with Malo Gusto looking to get forward down the opposite side, with a back three including the impressive Levi Colwill behind them.
The formation is close to what Xabi Alonso had a lot of joy with at Bayer Leverkusen, as the Blues continue internal talks about hiring a new permanent manager.
Liverpool v Chelsea - Premier League
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Alonso is yet to walk away from talks with the club, and will have seen plenty of pieces he could work with if he did take over at Stamford Bridge.
Cucurella’s high-energy attacking performance echoed those of Jeremie Frimpong at Leverkusen, ironically at the expense of the exact same player at Anfield.
Palmer was also finding himself in a lot of decent areas in the opposition half, with more than a few comparisons of how Florian Wirtz previously played under Alonso.
The 3-4-2-1 also saw Fernandez playing close to Pedro up front, with this being the exact system Alonso found so much success with.
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Levi Colwill's Chelsea performance vs Liverpool
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Xabi Alonso is clear best option for Chelsea manager
Of all the managerial candidates left on the list, the former Real Madrid boss has the experience winning trophies which Chelsea fans are craving for.
Despite the likes of Andoni Iraola and Marco Silva impressing in the Premier League already, there are fears amongst the fanbase over whether they can make the step up.
As Chelsea still look to convince Alonso, it will certainly be an interesting factor that the Blues have shown they can compete in his favoured system.
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