OPINION
Liverpool defender Alberto Moreno managed to stand out as the weak link for his side during the first-half of the Reds’ clash with Chelsea on Wednesday.
The left-back, who earns £40,000-a-week (Source: Spotrac) at Anfield, was getting a rare opportunity to stake a claim for why he should be a first-team regular at the Reds but made more of a case for why he should be told to pack his bags in the first 45 minutes.
Moreno was making his first appearance of the 2018/19 campaign against the Blues in the League Cup and was completely outclassed by Victor Moses.
The Chelsea winger consistently glided past the Spanish left-back using his pace and bag of tricks, though he didn’t have to go all out to beat his marker as Moreno seemed clueless to what Moses was going to do every time.
Aside from being defensively weak, Moreno’s passing was also lacklustre at times during the first-half with one pass being so bad in the 17th minute that it inadvertently started a Chelsea counter-attack instead.
Given that the 26-year-old is a first-choice cover for Andy Robertson, it’s a worry that the defender could play for the first-team this season if the Scotland international gets injured.
If that happens the Reds’ opponents will expose Moreno as a weakness and target him when deciding how best to create enough space to have a shot on goal.
After witnessing his first-half display it’s clear that Moreno is not good enough for the first-team, even as cover, and the Reds must sell him in January in order to bring in a better option to cover Robertson.
