Chelsea visit Anfield on Wednesday evening in what will be a very personal encounter for two men in the away dressing room. Jordan Henderson and Xabi Alonso will both be returning to the ground where they made their names.
Henderson is far more emotionally attached, having spent 12 years at the club since joining from Sunderland in 2011. The midfielder captained the side during the final eight years of his stay and won the Champions League in 2019. The following season, he helped win the league title, ending a 30-year wait for the club. He also won the FA Cup, two EFL Cups, the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup.
He then moved to the Blues on a free transfer in August 2026 after leaving Brentford. He signed a two-year contract at the age of 36, and there was some backlash from sections of the Liverpool fanbase. Social media reactions to him tapping the Chelsea badge in celebration earlier in the season suggest that he may receive a mixed response.
But he has justified his move. He has started four Premier League games so far this season and scored two goals and provided an assist, all of them in the 5-1 win over Bournemouth. He has also played the full 90 minutes in the last three games. Alonso has pointed to his fitness, saying he “has a lot of energy, but that hasn’t changed” and that he is “playing well, not for the goals he has, but for the impact that he’s having in the team.”
The signing of Henderson and Danny Welbeck has been a clear shift in mindset at Stamford Bridge. Before this summer, BlueCo had not signed a player anywhere near that age since taking over in 2022.
Xabi Alonso’s Third Anfield Return As A Manager
This will be a familiar but slightly awkward situation for the manager. Alonso made 210 appearances for Liverpool between 2004 and 2009. His equaliser in the 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul is one of the most iconic moments in Liverpool’s European history.
This will be the third time he has returned to Anfield as a manager in three seasons. He previously lost there with Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid. He will be looking to change his luck on the third attempt.
Alonso was heavily linked with the Liverpool role in 2024 after Jurgen Klopp left the club. However, he decided to stay in Germany. He eventually took up the role at Chelsea in July.