Manchester United and Manchester City are both obviously eager for the season to conclude

By Damerex -
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"Simply avoid making any foolish choices." Clearly, that was the main worry for the players who stepped onto the pitch at Old Trafford for the Manchester derby. Mission complete, we suppose, but there truly isn't much else to express for either party apart from that.  The first half came to life only occasionally – mainly through Manchester United counter-attacks that they failed to convert. Similar to the previous encounter between these teams, it highlighted how distant both have been from the Premier League summit this season.  The latter part of the match presented a slightly increased tempo, a touch more rhythm, and a hint more readiness to attempt actions not strictly dictated in the pre-match video briefings of both teams, which has become a troubling trend for elite clubs this season. And these two sides as well.  Both City and 4 performed better than they did in that dreadfully dull match until very late in December, yet there was a clear feeling that the occasio...
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Carragher identifies Liverpool's main competitor for the upcoming season, suggesting a 'real team' may decline.

By Damerex -

Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher has clarified why he believes Manchester City will pose a greater challenge to the Reds than Arsenal in the upcoming season. 

Arne Slot’s team has performed excellently this season, as Liverpool holds an 11-point lead at the Premier League summit over second-placed Arsenal, who have one match in hand. 

The Premier League title is theirs to forfeit following the Reds’ 2-0 victory over Man City on Sunday, after Arsenal lost 1-0 at home to West Ham, their London rivals, on Saturday. 

Man City had secured the previous four Premier League titles consecutively and now need a rebuild during the summer, with the club's management already investing in fresh talent in the January transfer window. 

Arsenal is currently confronting a third consecutive season of finishing as the Premier League runner-up with Mikel Arteta, and Liverpool icon Carragher believes that a Man City revival is more probable than the Gunners bouncing back to claim the title next year. 

Carragher mentioned on The Overlap: “I was reflecting on Arsenal and I genuinely feel they’ve had a bit of bad luck. 

"I believe it’s often about timing, and if last season’s Arsenal were playing this season, it would truly be a close contest between Liverpool and Arsenal right to the end." 

"Last season, you performed at your peak, but Man City remains Man City." City has experienced a decline this season, and my concern for Arsenal ties back to my time at Liverpool. Under Mikel Arteta, he’s been at the club for five years, and each year you improve until you hit a point, similar to our experiences with [Gerard] Houllier and [Rafael] Benitez, where you fail to finalize the progress, and we fell off significantly. 

"Now, when you mention that you’re not the team from the past two years, do you have any concerns that we may have already witnessed peak Arsenal and Arteta?" 

“I believe that the second half of last season was truly the best; Arsenal was exceptional, comparable to the top teams in Europe, and I found myself watching them weekly, thinking they are a solid team.” 

"We discussed after the match yesterday that I still believe, if Liverpool wins the league, you can always ask, who will contend with the champions next season?" 

“I believe I would still support Manchester City over Arsenal at this moment.” 


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