Tony Cascarino claimed that Liverpool and Chelsea both ran out of gas during their Premier League clashes this weekend due to their busy fixture-schedule.
The pundit stated that he thought Liverpool were chasing shadows and conceding chance after chance against Southampton on Saturday, just like Chelsea did against Leicester City on Sunday.
Cascarino then added that when you consider Liverpool’s pre-season schedule, their Community Shield clash with Manchester City followed by their match with Norwich City, and that they travelled to Turkey to compete for 120 minutes, plus penalties, against Chelsea on Wednesday then it was clear their poor performance was due to running out of gas.
“Watching Chelsea against Leicester City and Liverpool against Southampton, it was clear that the Super Cup in midweek had taken a huge amount of energy out of their legs,” wrote Cascarino for the Times.
“Chelsea were chasing shadows in the second half and conceding chance after chance, as were Liverpool.
“I am always a bit miffed when managers and players complain about energy levels but these two teams struggled to match the opposition physically as the games wore on.
“It was pretty comfortable for Chelsea in the first half but after the break Leicester looked the most likely winners.
“These teams have gone from pre-season, to the Community Shield for Liverpool, then a Premier League match, plus travel to Turkey for 120 minutes and penalties. Is it a coincidence both teams were poor? They just ran out of gas.”
Cascarino despite being disappointed by Liverpool’s display in their 2-1 win over the Saints, then proceeded to name Sadio Mane in his Team of the Week.
OPINION
Cascarino may have a point about Liverpool’s busy fixture schedule catching up with them, as they weren’t at the best against the Saints. Jurgen Klopp’s side may have gotten all the points, thanks to a Sadio Mane masterclass, but they nearly had to settle for a draw on Saturday. After all, while Danny Ings did make the most of Adrian’s error to score against the Reds, he should have scored another before the final whistle as he was gifted a chance to score from close range. However, the Reds got away without being a 100% and now it’s up to them to get in enough recovery time before they host Arsenal at Anfield on Saturday. While there needs to be a few improvements from the win over the Saints come the clash with Arsenal, one player who just needs to keep doing what they’re doing is Mane. The 27-year-old averaged a rating of 8.56, as per WhoScored, against the Saints and not only scored a beautiful goal but turned creator by carving out the chance which Roberto Firmino scored from.
