Maurizio Sarri's Chelsea evaluation is right but Guy City, not Liverpool, will be the target

DAILYSPORTS - Paul Merson offers echoed Maurizio Sarri's assessment that Chelsea certainly are a year from being full power, but believes Manchester City ought to be the target, not Liverpool.

Blues boss Sarri conceded it might take his side a year to complement the level of league leaders Liverpool after their winning start to the growing season ended in Sunday's goalless pull at West Ham.

Chelsea happen to be Anfield on Wednesday for a Carabao Glass third-round tie - go on Sky Sports Soccer - before hosting Liverpool at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Saturday.

Sky Sports pundit Merson understands Sarri's one-year evaluation of Chelsea but believes everyone ought to be concentrating on dethroning the champions.

"In that interview, I'd have already been saying Man Town," Merson told The Debate. "The team you need to aim for is City. They will be the ones everybody must catch.

"I can know very well what he's telling about them being truly a year away. When you consider the defence, you have David Luiz in a back again four you know he'll make a mistake sooner or later.

"And there's Alonso at left-back and he plays like a left-back number 10 if I'm getting honest. He simply goes and will what he really wants to perform - when you start to see the highlights and there's a straightforward ball out to the proper he's 25 yards additional up the pitch.

"That can't happen so when they play against a high team, like they did against Arsenal, who could possess scored six or seven. If they go and play against Man Liverpool and Town, I'd be shocked if indeed they got anything out of these games."

Five wins and a draw from their opening 6 matches have observed Chelsea emerge as third favourites to lift the Premier League trophy in-may.

Much has been manufactured from Eden Hazard's impressive begin to the campaign but Merson fears the Belgium international cannot shoulder the goalscoring burden alone.

Asked in the event that Morata and Giroud offer enough firepower to mount a sustained title challenge, he added: "Giroud's an effective team player and that is the problem.

"He reminds me a little of Emile Heskey. When the united group are winning, it really is all great and he brings people in to the game.

"I think that Hazard would prefer to play with Giroud. You could view it the entire week before when Hazard got his hat-trick, Giroud was involved with some of those goals.

"He is a big player for Chelsea but when you draw 0-0, the stats appear plus they are not very good.

"Giroud's an excellent finisher. He's not just one of those players it doesn't provide anything to the party bar getting back in the box and scoring goals, like Ruud van Nistelrooy i did so.

"Giroud's nothing like that - however when the group doesn't win, the stats start to appear and folks start digging."

On Wednesday on Sky Sports activities Football view Liverpool v Chelsea live from 7pm.

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