Paul
Merson assesses Enzo Maresca and Arne Slot's first games in charge of
Chelsea and Liverpool respectively, why Raheem Sterling holds all the cards
in his standoff at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea did not lay a glove on Man City
To be honest, I don't feel Chelsea laid a glove on Man City. Home advantage,
no Rodri, Phil Foden, or Kyle Walker - there are times to play Man City and
I thought that was one of the times. They were very nervy, playing out from
the back in preseason.
I know it's only the start of the season, but there are times to play Man
City and that would be a good time. You can't judge them just on that game,
but at the same time as I said, it was the right time to play them.
But they can't be judged yet - I'm a great believer in waiting for 10 games,
they tell you where you're going to be in the league.
For Many City, you look at yesterday, that's a difficult game, Chelsea away
and they've gone and won that game. I thought Arsenal might get a head start
on Man City this season with them maybe drawing at Chelsea.
I was shocked X-factor Raheem Sterling
didn't play against City, but he now holds all the cards
I've got nothing wrong with that [releasing a statement] - he wants to know
if he's playing. It is coming towards the end of his career, he's played a
lot of football, he wants to play football and does not want to be stuck
there.
I just think this didn't need to happen now. With the club, the manager has
a rough idea when Pedro Neto comes in that he's not really going to be
involved two weeks before the season starts.
Sterling is on a lot of money and they'll need to get rid immediately and I
dread to think what they're going to have to pay him to go.
I don't know what will happen, but I would buy him. I was shocked that he
wasn't involved yesterday. He's got a lot to give, he's one of those people
who has an X-factor on his day.
'Just get on with it': Pundits criticise
Raheem Sterling over statement
For me, I was quite shocked, but, you know, the manager makes decisions. But
I just thought this could have been nipped in the bud two, three weeks ago.
Raheem holds all the cards now, but I think he just wants to play football.
It's not great the way he's at Chelsea in that sort of situation. Nathaniel
Chalobah played a lot of football last season, now training with the kids
and not training with the first team.
Conor Gallagher is in no man's land with Atletico Madrid, which doesn't look
good. It's like, we're the boss, but it's moved on from there. I thought
those days when you didn't do something and you were in the reserves had
long gone.
Someone could still go if they're not training with you and if their
attitude's bad, then you go, you know what, you're off to the reserves, you
train with the kids. I don't like that sort of vibe at the moment, a lot of
people training, probably because there are a million players there at the
moment.
Maresca must find out his best team and
quickly
I've said it from the start and I'll say it again with Chelsea as a manager
- he [Enzo Maresca] will have to find his best team very quickly. We saw it
last year with Mauricio Pochettino - he never knew what his best team was
and every weekend we'd go: "what's the Chelsea team going to be?" And you
could be five out.
I can tell you now what Arsenal's team is next week. A hundred percent, I
know it. And I can tell you what Arsenal's team will be in five weeks' time.
And that's where he needs to sort it out very quickly. Yesterday, he brought
on three forwards, there's got to be a balance in a way.
The two most important things to win anything are a goalie and a striker -
no one ever wins anything without a top, top goalkeeper and you need a
centre forward.
Yes, Arsenal haven't got a forward, but they've got a very good goalie and
you saw that the other day when he [David Raya] made the worldie save to
deny Jorgen Strand Larsen - it's a game-changer as if he scores that, Wolves
get air in their lungs and it's a different game.
You look yesterday and Chelsea always had a chance at 1-0 as they will get a
chance before the end of the game and then the goalie lets in the second and
that's the end of the game. It's like putting a pin in a balloon, that was
it, end of football match - he's got to save that.
So that's the worry with Chelsea as well as those are two of the most
important things you need. You look at Erling Haaland yesterday - people
make me laugh saying he only touched the ball three times. I'd rather him
score a goal than touch the ball 1,600 times and not score a goal!
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