Jamie Carragher has backed Liverpool to fight with Manchester City and Manchester United for the Premier League title next season.
The Reds have been well off the pace this season, looking likely to end the campaign in fifth place, and with Europa League football. United meanwhile are set to finish a position and a handful of points above them.
City on the other hand have just comfortably wrapped up a third title in a row – a fifth in six seasons. In the end, Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal were not worthy opponents. And speaking to Sky Sports via Football Daily last night about who could challenge Pep Gurdiola’s City in 2023/24, Carragher backed his old club, as well as United.
“I’m going to go Liverpool and Manchester United, I think Liverpool will come back,” said the pundit. “I agree with Gary [Neville] I think the jump in terms of really challenging City may be too big and may be a little too big for Manchester United. But I do see those two teams.
“I think Manchester United look really solid and if they can get a couple of attacking players, score more goals, that’s what they need to do. Liverpool will invest again in midfield and they have players who have won the biggest trophies in terms of the goalkeeper, Salah, Van Dijk, Trent [Alexander-Arnold]. They’ve all won the biggest trophies. So, I’d say Liverpool and Manchester United.”
Liverpool looking to bounce back
Right now, a title challenge looks a million miles away for Liverpool. They’ve hit some good form at the end of the season but they’re still going to come up short for even a Champions League place. Given the heights they’ve scaled over the last four or five years, that’s a real comedown.
But digging a little deeper, you can see why Carragher has backed them to roar back to life next season.
As the former centre-back mentions, the Reds do still have plenty of players in the squad who have been there and done it before. A few of them may have been off form this season, but they’ve also all shown signs that they can get back to their best at some stage.
Crucially, they also still have Jurgen Klopp. The boss is the only manager to have lived with, matched and beaten City in a title race since 2017.
The players may have changed slightly since those epic tussles of 2019, 2020 and 2022, but Liverpool arguably now have the basis for another great side.
Alongside the stalwarts Carragher mentions, they can add players like Ibrahima Konate, Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo. With a host of exciting midfield additions set to be on the way this summer, you can easily see Liverpool returning to their old ways in 2023/24.
If they don’t, we can’t see anything but a City procession again. Despite Carragher’s assertions, United don’t look capable of a title challenge and we get the feeling Arsenal have now missed their shot. Someone else may come and surprise us, but it feels like if it isn’t Liverpool, it’ll be a fourth in four for Pep.
There’s a big summer ahead first, though.
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