Sky Sports Jamie Carragher shares Liverpool’s title verdict and explains the problem Man City may face
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Jamie Carragher believes the Premier League title may have come “too soon” for Liverpool as they look to challenge Arsenal and Manchester City for top spot this season.
Jurgen Klopp’s side were not far off the pace last campaign and finished 22 points clear of eventual champions City, who held off Mikel Arteta’s men to claim a third straight Premier League crown.
A midfield overhaul has seen the Reds bounce back from fifth place in style, picking up 16 points from a possible 21 this season, although it remains to be seen whether this impressive start can be maintained over the coming months. .
City, led by Norwegian goalscorer Erling Haaland, remain favorites to return to the top and Carragher admitted the Sky Blues will be tough to beat despite last weekend’s shock defeat to Wolves.
“It might be a year too soon,” the Liverpool legend told the ECHO of the Reds’ title hopes. “I still just think City have the edge defensively. I don’t think there’s any real weakness in their squad. The question is whether De Bruyne is out for a while. They lost Gundogan who was a massive player for them and they” re going forward. miss it sometime. Of course they do.”
The 2005 Champions League winner explained one way the Reds could have an advantage over City: “Whether a club goes to the World Cup will affect extra trips and games. Europa League games are less stressful for Liverpool than Champions League games. If Man City go far in Europe and Liverpool do the same in Europe, could Jurgen Klopp use his squad more instead of playing his best team all the time? This could be in Liverpool’s favour. Liverpool have to get to January and see where they are, you never know.”
Most pundits have tipped Liverpool to challenge for a Champions League spot this season, with few predicting Klopp’s men will fight for another Premier League crown. However, the Reds are firmly in contention with the best in the division and could once again prove people wrong. Asked if his former club had been underestimated, Carragher said: “Yes, and I think I did too. It was a brand new midfield and you didn’t know how it was going to start. So there was a bit of scepticism. But it looks like we can challenge. We will have to see how we are when you go after the November international break, because Liverpool will have played 12 games and will have a clear idea of where they are and what they are going to do. “We promised really well at the beginning, the only game we lost is the game we don’t lose, it’s 11 to 11 against Tottenham. It’s exciting to see a new team under Jurgen Klopp. It would be nice to have a top four, a trophy and aim for this [title] next year.
“We still need a holding midfielder because Mac Allister is not like that. He is a good player but he is not. Hopefully this can be changed in January, there is a lot of talk about Fluminense Andre. If they want, it would be good if they could confirm in January.
