Chelsea Over Liverpool? Sky Sports Pundits Deliver Their Premier League Verdicts to LiveScore
Mark Strijbosch
Sky Sports pundits Jamie Redknapp, Paul Merson, Izzy Christiansen and Emma Paton faced a Premier League quickfire for LiveScore, making their calls on some of the biggest questions heading into the season.
And there was plenty they agreed on.
The first choice was between who would succeed more, Xabi Alonso at Chelsea or Andoni Iraola at Liverpool.
Christiansen went for Chelsea, as did Paton, while Merson backed Alonso. Redknapp was the lone voice on the other side, choosing Iraola and Liverpool.
That left Chelsea with a convincing 3-1 verdict.
Brentford and Leeds catch the eye
Asked for a team to look out for this season, Redknapp picked Brentford, saying he could see them getting into the mix.
Merson agreed, also selecting Brentford, while Christiansen highlighted Leeds United as another side she expects to have a good campaign.
Paton also went for Leeds, giving the promoted side plenty of backing to make an impression.
The confidence was even stronger when the subject turned to Tottenham.
Asked whether Spurs can escape their slump, Merson's response was an immediate “100 per cent”, before suggesting they could even return to the Champions League.
Christiansen was equally emphatic, while Redknapp predicted Tottenham would finish in the top five. Paton also backed Spurs to improve, pointing to the level of money invested in the squad.
Coventry backed to beat the drop
There was a clear favourite when the four were asked which promoted club has the best chance of staying up.
Christiansen chose Coventry City, with Redknapp and Merson making the same call.
Paton broke ranks by selecting Ipswich Town, leaving Coventry with another 3-1 majority.
Manchester United also received encouraging predictions.
Redknapp believes Michael Carrick is the man to take United back towards the top, while both Paton and Christiansen backed the former midfielder to succeed.
Merson was considerably more cautious, answering simply: “Time will tell.”
Finally came Enzo Maresca and the challenge of succeeding Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
Paton and Christiansen both backed Maresca, while Merson said he hoped the Italian would succeed.
Redknapp was more guarded, questioning how long Maresca would be given and stressing the difficulty of being the man who follows Guardiola.
From a Chelsea advantage over Liverpool to Coventry surviving and Spurs returning towards the top, the Sky Sports team have made their calls. In their first two matches, Spurs have scored none and conceded five goals, while Liverpool are also without a win… so this video might come back to haunt them!
