Pochettino singles out Chelsea quartet in Liverpool draw as Klopp’s cover blown

Pochettino offers update on Chelsea's pursuit of Caicedo

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino and his Liverpool counterpart, Jurgen Klopp, played out an entertaining 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon. Axel Disasi and Luis Diaz came up with the goals in the marquee game of the Premier League’s opening weekend, and as the dust settles, Express Sport takes you through four things we learned…

Pochettino singles out quartet

The Argentine was a bundle of energy on the touchline during his managerial debut at Stamford Bridge. During a break in play in the first half, he singled four of his players out for an intense consultation before play resumed.

Not coincidentally, two of his leaders – captain Reece James and experienced head Thiago Silva – were in the huddle. Pochettino also made sure that debutant Axel Disasi and promising teenager Carney Chukwuemeka were in earshot, with the former Tottenham boss’ man management set to be a key feature of his tenure in south-west London.

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Klopp’s cover blown

The lack of an established defensive midfielder on either side made for a white-knuckle contest at Stamford Bridge. While casual viewers will have rejoiced at the flow of the game, Klopp may not have, as it badly exposed his need for more muscle in the middle of the park.

Chelsea were similarly vulnerable, but Pochettino is reportedly on the verge of welcoming Moises Caicedo to his squad.

Liverpool, meanwhile, are still on the hunt. And although Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo offered up plenty of excitement, they would surely be opened up against better-quality opposition.

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James excels with the armband

It was deemed a look to the future when Pochettino overlooked 39-year-old Thiago Silva in favour of Reece James – 16 years his junior – when selecting Chelsea’s next captain. Needless to say, the flying right-back quickly justified the manager’s choice.

Running tirelessly up and down the flank to combine productively with Raheem Sterling, James was a thorn in Andrew Robertson’s side all afternoon. Blues fans can look forward to their academy product’s stint as skipper, if Sunday’s performance is anything to go by.

Caicedo bombshell not to be

There were murmurs before the first whistle that Chelsea were planning to unveil Moises Caicedo at half-time. The Blues are working on a £115million deal for the Ecuadorian, and look set to beat Liverpool – of all teams – to his signature.

But there was no sign of Caicedo at Stamford Bridge as the saga continues behind the scenes. Chelsea supporters will hope to have him in place by the time their side next take to the pitch, against West Ham next Sunday.

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