Chelsea put in a heartfelt performance against Liverpool and managed a 1-0 against their toughest adversary yet. Even if they are still to face Real Madrid, the tension and determination shown on the pitch made this clash a special one which was never going to go down as a simple friendly match. Despite finishing the game without Fabregas who was sent off for a harsh tackle, The Blues made only 3 changes and gave fans a good taste of how the team will look like in two weeks when the Premier League begins. Conte kept both center-backs on the pitch until the end of the whole 90 minutes but most say it was more of a sign of lot limitation rather than a test for Cahill and Terry. Miazga was on the bench but did not make an appearance, pointing to what might happen this season.

Chelsea still have to play against Real Madrid, AC Milan and Werder Bremen before their first Premier League game against Villa and it is very likely to see Terry and Cahill playing together up until then. The thing is that someone new also needs to be signed in order to fill in the gap left by Zouma. There’s no chance the current couple could hold up even through what Chelsea could call a short season given their lack of European games.

According to Metro, the main target for Chelsea is Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly who looks like the perfect fit for the Blues. Valued at about £35million, the 25-year-old Senegal international will be hard to convince. Still, if Higuain moved to Napoli’s direct title competitors Juventus, why not believe Koulibaly can get a pass and move to London? It`s going to be tricky though as Napoli with Higuain and Koulibaly were not able to truly get close to the title or to the Champions League trophy so it`s a matter of going a different way or pushing through. If they decide to push through, the Italians will probably only give up the Argentine international and keep the rest of the lot. If they decide to undergo a reform, it is very likely to see even more players leave Naples. If none of the main targets become certainties, there is still the option to sign a free agent to at least have some experienced backups for Terry and Cahill. There are only two defenders who fit the profile: Douglas who left Dnipro due to the tensions in the Ukraine and is more than capable to become a Chelsea substitute and Caceres who is unattached but also out until October due to injury. Honestly Douglas would be a decent solution right now.