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Metro
23 minutes ago
- Metro
Paul Merson fears Liverpool have a 'major problem' ahead of title defence
Paul Merson fears that one piece of Liverpool's summer transfer business could leave them with a 'major problem' this season. Arne Slot's side stormed to the Premier League title last season, but have not rested on their laurels and instead launched an ambitious spending spree this summer. Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez have arrived to strengthen Liverpool's full-back options, while Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike have been brought in for big money to bolster their attacking ranks. Given their dominance last season, Liverpool will go off as favourites to defend their title, but not everybody is convinced just yet. The Reds were not at their best when they lost the Community Shield to Crystal Palace last weekend, with the under-par performance of Mohamed Salah of particular note. In The Mixer: Exclusive analysis, FPL tips and transfer talk sent straight to your inbox every week – sign up, it's an open goal. And former Arsenal midfielder Merson believes that the Egyptian's display, and his relationship with new signing Frimpong, should be cause for concern ahead of the new season. 'It was a bit of a worrying performance from Salah at Wembley,' Merson told Sky Sports. 'I don't think I've seen a player play that badly before in a football match. 'But that can be Salah. He can go missing for a few weeks before going on a run of scoring in 10 matches on the trot or smashing in a hat-trick. 'One thing that might be difficult for him this season is playing in front of Jeremie Frimpong. Compared to Trent Alexander-Arnold, he's more like an attacking winger.' Merson continued: 'With Trent, Salah could make any run and he'd be picked out. Trent would also attract defenders, leaving Salah more space. Trent could destroy you himself. 'Frimpong's a good player but he's not a destroyer. He plays so far forward that he's not a natural defender. Trent wasn't either but the same thing applies really, I think Ibrahima Konate could be too exposed. 'There's a major problem down that side of the pitch, even more so than last season.' Speaking after Liverpool's defeat to Crystal Palace, though, Slot was keen not to draw sweeping conclusions from his side's display. More Trending 'We've indeed replaced four players and sometimes you need some time either to adapt offensively or adapt defensively,' the Dutchman said. 'I don't feel we conceded that much today but again we conceded two goals because the first big chance they got resulted in the penalty. Maybe I forget a few chances but it felt to me that in the 78th minute, that was their second big chance of the game. 'But in general there were not many chances because they went to a low block [and] we had a lot of ball possession. 'But after the 2-2 they had [chances], so it needs maybe a little bit of adjustment defensively at the moment because we don't concede a lot of chances but we do concede goals at the moment.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Ally McCoist praises Chelsea for completing 'bargain' transfer signing MORE: Barcelona planned transfer move for Manchester United summer signing MORE: Tottenham icon makes Mikel Arteta sack prediction if Arsenal finish second again
Metro
23 minutes ago
- Metro
Ally McCoist praises Chelsea for completing 'bargain' transfer signing
Ally McCoist has predicted where Chelsea will finish in the Premier League after a productive summer transfer window and the 'bargain' signing of Joao Pedro. Hopes have been raised that Chelsea can mount a title challenge after the Blues spent another £250m on new signings this summer. Brazil international Pedro is Chelsea's most expensive signing of the summer at £60m but McCoist believes even that represents a 'bargain'. Pedro spent two promising seasons at Brighton before moving to Stamford Bridge last month and hit the ground running for Chelsea, starring in the latter stages of their Club World Cup win. The 23-year-old continued to impress in pre-season, scoring two goals in the friendlies against Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan. In The Mixer: Exclusive analysis, FPL tips and transfer talk sent straight to your inbox every week – sign up, it's an open goal. Pedro will need to be at his best this season, however, given the competition he is likely to face from the likes of Liam Delap, who joined Chelsea for £30m at the start of the summer. Nicolas Jackson is also still on Chelsea's books for the time being but there is a sense the Senegal international will be sold before the transfer window shuts. 'Joao Pedro will be a fantastic signing for Chelsea,' McCoist told talkSPORT Bet. 'They have got a bit of a bargain there. 'I'll be honest with you, I thought Pedro would be a good signing but having seen the start he has had, he could be a great signing for Chelsea, he really could.' As well as signing Pedro and Delap this summer, Chelsea have welcomed Jamie Gittens, Jorrel Hato and Estevao Willian to Stamford Bridge. Jamie Gittens – £48m from Borussia Dortmund Joao Pedro – £55m from Brighton Liam Delap – £30m from Ipswich Town Mamadou Sarr – £12m from Lyon Dario Essugo – £18m from Sporting CP Estevao Willian – £29m from Palmeiras Kendry Paez – £17m from Independiente del Valle Jorrol Hato – £37m from Ajax The Blues are currently working on a deal for RB Leipzig playmaker Xavi Simons and are also lining up a bid for Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho. Another productive summer in the transfer market has raised hopes that Chelsea can challenge for the title this season after finishing fourth last term. As well as qualifying for the Champions League, Chelsea won the Conference League under Enzo Maresca before causing an upset and becoming Club World Cup champions. But McCoist believes there is still a gap between Chelsea and the top-two from last season, Liverpool and Arsenal. 'I think Liverpool will win the league again this year and Arsenal will finish second again,' the former Scotland striker added. 'I went the other way last year and had Arsenal winning it, but I just think Liverpool have done some great business this summer. 'Arsenal I am looking forward to seeing. The Club World Cup will have an effect on Chelsea and Man City at some stage. I know they have big squads, but that was a long season. More Trending 'I think Chelsea will finish third and Man City will be fourth, which is a bizarre thing to say as that could come back and slap me in the face as they could easily go and win it. 'But [Kevin] De Bruyne has gone, probably at the right time to be fair, and there is a bit of a worry about them defensively. The fear factor is gone so that's why I have got them finishing fourth. 'I've got Aston Villa to finish fifth. They haven't had much activity this summer but Unai Emery is a top-class coach and I fully expect them to continue their improvement.' Chelsea's first Premier League match of the season is a London derby against FA Cup and Community Shield holders Crystal Palace on Sunday. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Barcelona planned transfer move for Manchester United summer signing MORE: Tottenham icon makes Mikel Arteta sack prediction if Arsenal finish second again MORE: Mikel Merino reveals what has 'surprised' him about Arsenal signing Viktor Gyokeres
The Independent
23 minutes ago
- The Independent
The Marshall Islands gearing up for historic international football match
Marshall Islands assistant manager Justin Walley admits the actuality of kicking off the country's first ever international football match still feels like a dream. The Marshall Islands have long claimed to be 'the last nation on earth without a football team', and did not even have a federation until 2020, let alone the national set-up which has only existed for the last two and a half years. For some members of the squad, Thursday's meeting with the US Virgin Islands at the Outrigger Challenge Cup in Arkansas will be their first competitive game of 11 v 11 football – ever. 'There's a sort of unrealness to it that we can't believe it's actually happening,' Leicestershire-born Walley, who now lives in Bosnia and Herzegovina, told the PA news agency. 'But we've been working very hard and we're really focused on what's ahead of us. We've already had several days of hard work and planning. Hopefully we will be as ready as we can be.' Springdale, Arkansas might seem like an odd choice of location for the Marshall Islands-hosted four-team tournament, but it is an area which, as of 2019, boasted the highest concentration of Marshallese in continental United States. Some members of the squad have been recruited from Majuro, the Kwajalein Atoll, and other parts of the Marshall Islands itself, with its population of around 37,500 – and no club football. Several team members have moved to the United States, where some play for US colleges, while others have Marshallese heritage. Their technical director and head coach, Lloyd Owers, who joined in 2022, is based in Oxfordshire. As far as they are aware, the Marshall Islands is the only recognised UN member state not to have played an 11 v 11 international fixture. Some local to Majuro participated in an initial team meeting 18 months ago, but, revealed Walley: 'In terms of an actual national team training camp, this is the first one we have ever done. 'The guys flew in on Friday and Saturday, the first training session ever was on Saturday. We're trying to cram in five days of camp to be ready. 'We try to train like we would with any normal club side. We just try to develop what we've got. Some of the guys do play club football, some have never played 11-a-side. They've played futsal. 'We've been developing that all week, we've played a few sort of mini-games, so it's not as if they (will have) never played 11-a-side before, they will be ready.' Walley hopes what started out as a group of men with a vision – but no infrastructure – will lead to FIFA recognition by 2030 at the latest, though the first step is acceptance into a confederation. Funding for their big international debut has come from sponsorship, a £21,573 crowdfunding campaign, and about 2000 shirts sold over the last couple of years. 'I think people weren't taking us seriously,' admits Walley, who says the side want to give 'the best account of themselves possible' in their historic match. He added: 'They weren't thinking that we could possibly pull this off, playing national teams. We've come a long, long way in a short time.'
