Honors were even when Liverpool met Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the opening game, but the Blues managed to beat the Reds to the transfer of Moisés Caicedo.
Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson believes Chelsea’s acquisition of Moisés Caicedo will give it the edge over Liverpool in securing a top-four spot in the Premier League this season.
The transfer saga was an added layer to the first match of the new campaign for both sides as Liverpool faced Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. The Reds went into the match with plenty of positives and negatives alike from their pre-season preparations.
On the other hand, Chelsea faced injury concerns and the uncertainty of how its young squad would perform under new manager Mauricio Pochettino. The Reds took an early lead in the 18th minute through Luis Díaz before having a goal disallowed for offside.
But they were pegged back by the hosts before half-time as Axel Disasi scored an equaliser. Despite having better opportunities to secure a victory, Liverpool’s defensive vulnerabilities and Chelsea’s dominance on the ball raised concerns.
To make matters worse for the Reds, Chelsea announced on Monday that they had successfully secured the signing of Caicedo from Brighton for a staggering $147m (£115m/€134m), fighting off competition from Liverpool. This prompted Merson to make a blunt prediction about the new season.
Chelsea already look a hundred times better than last season, and with Moisés Caicedo joining them, they will finish in the top four instead of Liverpool,” stated Merson during his analysis on Sky Sports (via the Liverpool ECHO ).
“You could see in Sunday’s game that both clubs need Caicedo and that’s why he’s going for £115m. Is he worth that? Not for me, but Chelsea supporters won’t care how much they pay.”
Merson also expressed his concerns about Liverpool’s ability to regain possession in midfield, adding: “Liverpool were so open. I just don’t see who is going to win the ball back for them.
“Conor Gallagher did a good job for Chelsea to break things up after a slow start, but Liverpool didn’t have that.
If Liverpool had played one of the top sides, like Arsenal or Man City, on Sunday then they’d have been in trouble, it could have been four or five. They got ripped open a lot of times and were never punished.”
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