Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher expects Manchester City to retain the Premier League title this season.
His fellow Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville has picked Arsenal to finish top of the table but Carragher says he cannot look past the reigning champions:
“Pep Guardiola – no matter what league he’s at, more often than not he wins the title. It’s been tough on Arsenal considering how close they’ve come out the last couple of seasons but this Man City side are a very difficult one to crack.”
“Most neutrals would hope there’s a different winner and I’d probably say the same as you don’t want the same team winning year after year. But you have to tip your hat off to Man City, the job Guardiola has done and the team they’ve got. They are still the team to beat.”
Guardiola is the key factor
As Carragher mentions, the manager has been integral to the team’s success since he arrived at the Etihad eight years ago.
After such a long time in charge, you would think that things would begin to go stale but Guardiola’s desire to win is relentless. He demands the absolute best from his players year in and year out, and that has been the bedrock of the club’s success, having won 6 of the last 7 league championships.
City are favourites at the bookmakers
Carragher is not the only one who thinks that the Cityzens will come out on top again this campaign. Some bookies have them at 6/5 to finish top, while Arsenal remain second favourites, being priced at 13/8.
There is a general feeling that it will be a two-horse race for the title for a third successive year, with Liverpool having pretty long odds following the departure of Jurgen Klopp and the appointment of Arne Slot.