John Barnes believes Chelsea's signings of Edouard Mendy and Thiago Silva are similar to what Liverpool did when they brought in Alisson and Virgil van Dijk.
The Blues shipped 54 goals in the Premier League last season, which ultimately cost them a higher place finish. However, Frank Lampard's side have only conceded 10 goals so far this term in the top-flight, which is actually four less than they let in after eight games last season.
As well as this, the form of Ben Chilwell will be very pleasing for Lampard and Chelsea supporters, with the England left-back settling in at Stamford Bridge seamlessly.
The Blues went on a five-match streak of keeping clean sheets in all competitions, against Sevilla (0-0), Manchester United (0-1), Krasnodar (0-4), Burnley (0-3) and Rennes (3-0). Mendy and Silva have both been integral in that, with the former providing some solidity after the concerning form of Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Silva, meanwhile, scored his first Chelsea goal at the weekend - netting the fourth against Sheffield United in a resounding victory at Stamford Bridge. But it's his calmness and composure at the back that Blues' supporters will be delighted to see, as well as his newly-formed partnership with Kurt Zouma.
Liverpool, like Chelsea of the 2019/20 season, were conceding too many goals before they spent huge money on Alisson and Van Dijk from Roma and Southampton respectively.
This is something that former Liverpool winger Barnes has likened the Blues' recent business to. Speaking to BonusCodeBets, Barnes said: "Both Thiago Silva and Mendy have given the Chelsea team confidence. Regardless of their ability, they have come in and settled everyone’s nerves.
"Like when Virgil van Dijk and Alisson came to Liverpool a few seasons ago. They are great players, but everyone became more confident because of their presence and given the whole squad a sense of security and they are showing what they can do.
"Thiago (Silva) has that same presence at the back for Chelsea and you can see what it has done for the other defenders alongside him.
"Saying that they have still given opportunities for teams to score, the likes of Burnley, so they haven’t necessarily turned a corner and won’t be winning every game. They are certainly moving in the right direction and made a lot of improvements."
Silva is currently on international duty for Brazil, where they face Venezuela and Uruguay in back-to-back games. As for Mendy, he's with the Senegal squad, and even made a penalty save in the side's 2-0 win over Guinea-Bissau on Wednesday.
