Jamie Carragher

Liverpool legend-turned-pundit Jamie Carragher believes Raheem Sterling was right to leave the Reds to make the step up with Manchester City. The England international did not enjoy the best of starts to his Citizens career but he has upped his game to another level since Pep Guardiola took charge of the Mancunian giants.

In a report covered by The Telegraph, Carragher admitted that the move left a sour taste among the Reds supporters but one cannot deny that the attacker has transformed into one of England’s best players, he quipped: “No matter how it came about - or how unpalatable to Liverpool supporters to lose such an important player - there is no-one who can look at how his career has progressed and say he made the wrong decision. He left for footballing reasons given where Liverpool stood at the time and the direction City were heading. Raheem was guaranteed to compete for the Premier League and Champions League every season, and work under one of the best managers of all-time.”

SkySports TV pundit Jamie Carragher has admitted that his relationship with Gary Neville (which now looks very good on TV) wasn’t very good when both of them were plying their trade in professional football a few years back.

Carragher was a part of Liverpool side that was an arch rival to Manchester United, the team Neville used to play for. There were a lot of on-field altercations between the two back during the day, but now they seem to gel with each other nicely.

Liverpool legend-turned-pundit Jamie Carragher believes his former club have a chance of lifting the Premier League crown, should Manchester City be distracted by their Champions League duties in the second half of the season. The Reds have made a strong start to the current campaign with 30 points already on the board but they are still a couple of points behind the Citizens, who are leading the standings.

Speaking on Sky Sports News, Carragher suggested that the Citizens are still favourites for the Premier League crown and the Reds have only a slender chance in a straight dogfight. However, the former England international suggests that the momentum could shift the Reds’ favour, should the Citizens progress into the final stages of the Champions League and get distracted by the same.

Jamie Carragher has revealed that he is extremely sceptical about Liverpool’s chances of winning the league title under the regime of Jurgen Klopp this season. The Reds made an excellent start of the campaign by winning the first six matches before encountering a draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. This was followed by a disappointing result in Europe and they have now drawn against Manchester City at home. As a result, the momentum from the excellent start has certainly disappeared to be replaced by a disappointing outcome where the Reds are winless in four games across all competitions.

After having been part of a Liverpool player that went 15 years without a league trophy, Carragher was all about the factors that prevent club from winning the league title. The former defender believes that Liverpool are unlucky to have come up against a brilliant Manchester City team who also have similar ambitions. Carragher expects Manchester City to dominate the Premier league at least for the next four or five years under the regime of Guardiola. During this period, he thinks that it will be extremely difficult for Liverpool to find a way through and win the league title for the first time in Premier League history.

Liverpool legend-turned-pundit Jamie Carragher has stressed that the comparisons of Joe Gomez with England legends Rio Ferdinand and Bobby Moore are ‘stupidly premature’. Gomez has enjoyed a strong start to the Premier League season with Jurgen Klopp’s side where he has been paired alongside Virgil van Dijk in central defence.

In a report covered by The Telegraph, Carragher was pleased to witness the progress of the former Charlton Athletic graduate but believes the defender has much sterner tests ahead. He added that the youngster’s comparisons with Ferdinand and World Cup-winning captain Moore are stupidly premature as he has yet to prove himself on the long-term basis.

Liverpool legend-turned-pundit Jamie Carragher believes David Silva is close to achieving legendary status with Manchester City after transforming into one of the club’s most efficient performers. The Spaniard has been with the Citizens since the summer of 2010 and during this period, he has helped the club secure three Premier League titles.

In a report covered by Sky Sports News, Carragher compared Silva to former Liverpool favourite John Barnes, who was likewise comfortable playing at the heart of the midfield. He added to praise the Spaniard for the quality of service on the playing field and feels the midfielder would undoubtedly one of the Premier League greats before retiring from the game.
He said: “I used to play with John Barnes, who, towards the end of his career, was not dissimilar to Silva when he played as a central midfielder. When I talk about him being Player of the Year, I am thinking of it in terms of his service to Manchester City and the Premier League. It would be brilliant if he could pick something up like that, not just for him but for football, because he has been a special player. I think when he is finished we will be talking about one of the all-time great Premier League players.”

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher believes Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho should be excited by the performance of Victor Lindelof during the World Cup. The Sweden international formed a great partnership with skipper Andreas Granqvist at the heart of the country’s defence and this played a huge role in their progress to the quarter-final stage.
Speaking to Swedish outlet Expressen, Carragher praised the centre-back after his excellent display for Sweden at the World Cup and believes Mourinho would relish the prospect of playing Lindelof at Old Trafford next season, he said: “I am sure Jose Mourinho is excited about the chance of getting the right Victor Lindelof next season.He has been amazing.”

Lindelof joined the Red Devils from Benfica last summer with plenty of promise but he struggled to earn a regular Premier League role with Mourinho citing that the centre-back had concerns adapting to the pace of the game. As such, he was restricted to just 17 appearances across all competitions with five of those coming during United’s run to the round of 16 stage of the Champions League.

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has said that the departure of Antonio Conte from Chelsea is a big blow to the Premier League. The Italian manager guided the Blues to Premier League and FA Cup success during his two seasons at Stamford Bridge but he was nevertheless sacked amid his shrewd relationship with the club’s hierarchy.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Carragher admitted that Conte’s dismissal is a huge loss for the top-flight after the Italian’s three-at-the-back formation became popular with most clubs associated with the country, he said: “Losing Antonio Conte is a big blow for the Premier League. I think he's been brilliant. He changed to three at the back at Chelsea and it seemed like the whole country changed to it - even England did. He's had a major impact in English football. To come in and win the league then the FA Cup in your first two years is some achievement.”

Liverpool great Jamie Carragher believes his former side were outplayed in midfield during the Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid on Saturday. The match will be most remembered for Loris Karius’ wretched showing between the sticks but Carragher feels there remains a weakness in the centre of the park.

Speaking shortly after the game, Carragher admitted that the midfield needs to be sorted during the summer transfer window, although the arrival of Naby Keita should bring more quality in the position, he said: “Going forward I certainly think the midfield needs looking at. That will change, with Keita coming in.I think we lacked something in midfield [against Real Madrid] I’d say.

Liverpool great Jamie Carragher believes his former club can challenge for the Premier League title on a regular basis, if they can improve the options in the final third of the pitch. Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, and Roberto Firmino have been excellent for Jurgen Klopp over the course of the campaign but Carragher feels the club require another wide player to reduce the burden on the attacking trident.

Speaking exclusively to Goal.com, he said: “You have to be concerned. I thought the squad was very good at the start of the season, but I think what it lacks is cover for the front three. When one of them misses out, the quality coming in is not enough. [Naby] Keita will add quality to the midfield, but I think we do still lack a little bit since [Philippe] Coutinho went in terms of that final pass. Defensively we’re fine in terms of numbers, but I think we need something more in the final third.”