Jamie Carragher has bitten back at accusations that Liverpool are ‘bottling it’ in the run-in to the season by comparing the Reds’ overall performance for the campaign to two clubs in particular.

It was just over a month ago that Jurgen Klopp’s side were still in contention for four trophies this term, but subsequent exits from the FA Cup and Europa League, in addition to slipping behind Manchester City in the Premier League title race, threaten to see the German’s reign peter out to an anti-climax.

However, in his latest column for The Telegraph, the 46-year-old insisted that his former club and Arsenal deserve praise for how they’ve competed with Pep Guardiola’s side, pointing to how that duo have performed in comparison to Manchester United and Chelsea, who sit seventh and ninth respectively.

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Carragher wrote: “If Arsenal and Liverpool are ‘bottling it’ in April and May, what does that tell us about Manchester United and Chelsea for the rest of the season? 

“They are clubs which have made so many poor decisions they are nowhere near the required level, albeit Pochettino is in the process of trying to fix previous mistakes.

“Arteta and Klopp are being judged to the ultimate standard in taking on Guardiola. City are so freakishly good with resources beyond Arsenal and Liverpool, the fairest reference point is with United and Chelsea, especially, who have spent mega millions for a watching brief in the race for the top four at this point in the season.”

READ MORE: ‘Put him in Liverpool’s team’ – Ex-Arsenal striker says Premier League ace would be an upgrade on Reds 24y/o

READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp admits 90-touch Liverpool wizard ran ‘out of gas’ during second half v Atalanta

Liverpool fans know better than anyone that there’s no shame in coming up narrowly second best to Man City when their financial resources are vastly superior (and when they can rack up 115 Financial Fair Play charges without a care in the world!).

Rival supporters will inevitably indulge in tribal nonsense on social media whereby they try to label the teams who fall slightly short of winning the Premier League as ‘bottlers’, when in the cases of United and Chelsea they may be best advised to get their own houses in order first.

It’s not wholly implausible that those two clubs could miss out on European football altogether for next season, even with the Red Devils accruing a net transfer spend of more than £1bn since 2014 but having not so much as a title challenge to show for it, and the Blues posting just over £650m for the same metric in two chaotic years of Todd Boehly’s ownership thus far.

Annoyingly, Liverpool won only one of their four league games against that pair this term despite being a far superior team, but even if we miss out on domestic glory again, at least we can be thankful that our club is much more competently run than the Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge basket cases of recent years.

EOTK Insider with Neil Jones: Niko Kovac rumours, what if Amorim stays at Sporting? Summer contract calls, Crystal Palace review and much more!

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It was a dream weekend for Manchester City as both Liverpool and Arsenal lost in the Premier League and now Bernardo Silva has commented on the dropped points.

Speaking with the media, the Portuguese international said: “It was obviously a very good weekend for us; I’m not going to deny that because personally, I wasn’t expecting both teams to drop points.

“Before, we didn’t depend only on ourselves, so we had to do our job and wait for them to drop points.

READ MORE: Werder Bremen release damning Naby Keita statement after ‘he let his team down’

“Now the situation has changed a bit because we just depend on ourselves because if we do our job properly, we win the Premier League so happy with the results and not going to deny that. But there is a long way to go.”

It’s fair to say that the creative midfielder is not the most liked man at Anfield and these comments won’t help his case.

Let’s just hope Jurgen Klopp’s side can bounce back with a European miracle that can restart the winning momentum that is needed to achieve a successful end to the campaign.

You can watch Silva’s comments (from 1:59) via HaytersTV on YouTube:

EOTK Insider with Jan Age Fjortoft: Why Alonso said no to LFC, who will replace Klopp now? The PL winners will be…

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Liverpool and Arsenal allowed Manchester City to remain top of the league with a shock double defeat this weekend and it was enough for Paul Merson to make a bold title prediction.

Speaking on Sky Sports, the 56-year-old said: “City went to Crystal Palace last week in what was a must-win football match and got the job done – they did their business this weekend and all of a sudden they’ve blown the other two [Arsenal and Liverpool] away.

“They put pressure on them by playing first and they couldn’t handle it, either of them.

READ MORE: (Video) Neville comments on ‘flat’ Liverpool fans after Palace loss

“For me it’s gone. They’ve worked that hard for 32 games to go that extra yard to stop that cross and it’s lazy. It’s lazy and 100% it’s gone.”

To be ruling out Mikel Arteta’s side would surely suggest that Jurgen Klopp’s squad are also out of the running and the pendulum has swung firmly in Pep Guardiola’s favour.

If we can take any hope, it’s that one weekend can change everything but time is running out for the Reds to see momentum come back in our favour before the campaign ends.

You can watch Merson’s comments via Sky Sports Premier League on YouTube:

EOTK Insider with Jan Age Fjortoft: Why Alonso said no to LFC, who will replace Klopp now? The PL winners will be…

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Liverpool were the favourites to win the Premier League and Europa League last week but two bad results have seen us lose our control of the competitions and belief in our side is waning.

Speaking on ESPN, Kieran Gibbs was asked how worried he was that Arsenal could be caught by Jurgen Klopp’s side and said: “Not that worried.”

READ MORE: (Video) Bad news for Ulla; Klopp makes domestic admission that won’t please his wife

It’s a damning example of how our form has suffered in recent games but now it’s up to the players and supporters to show a reaction against Crystal Palace.

Every match is a must-win if we want a fairytale ending to the manager’s story on Merseyside, let’s hope we can achieve it.

You can watch Gibbs’ comments on Liverpool and Arsenal via ESPN UK on YouTube:

EOTK Insider with Jan Age Fjortoft: Why Alonso said no to LFC, who will replace Klopp now? The PL winners will be…

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Manchester City are, obviously, a very good footballing side.

How dependent they are on the services of world-class holding midfielder of Rodri, however, is at least open to debate.

The Spanish international has been ever-present for the Sky Blues this term, making his 41st appearance for the club against Real Madrid in the Champions League – a figure that is taking a toll on the footballer.

“I do need a rest,” the former Atletico Madrid midfielder was quoted as saying by BBC Sport.

“Let’s see how we speak, how we live the situation. Sometimes it is what it is.

“I need to adjust. It [rest] is something we are planning, yes.”

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READ MORE: What Sky Sports journalist is now saying about Amorim & Liverpool should put fans on red alert

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How well do Manchester City do without Rodri?

Let’s take a look at the four domestic games Rodri missed through suspension, shall we?

Newcastle (A – Carabao Cup): 1-0 defeat

Wolves (A – Premier League): 2-1 defeat

Arsenal (A – Premier League): 1-0 defeat

Aston Villa (A – Premier League): 1-0 defeat

Four games, four defeats for the incumbent English top-flight champions. Admittedly, two wins were secured against Luton Town and Huddersfield in the FA Cup – two fixtures the footballer sat on the bench for.

That’s looking like a pretty stark, not to mention concerning, correlation for Pep Guardiola’s men should Rodri need to take a brief hiatus from the first-team.

With only seven games to go in the league, it could be the death knell for Manchester City’s title hopes.

Where and when will the rest be taken?

Critically, also, for how long will the Cityzens be without their star man?

One might imagine the defensive midfielder will be allowed a rest in a game you’d expect the remaining squad to carry the club over the line.

Saturday’s home clash with Luton Town, you would imagine, represents a particularly ideal opportunity.

They couldn’t drop points at home to Rob Edwards’ men, even without Rodri, could they?

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Liverpool fans watched our lead at the top of the Premier League table be lost at Old Trafford but we are still very much in a race where one point separates three teams.

Arsenal’s superior goal difference, goals scored and head-to-head records means that they have the upper hand but things are a lot more even between ourselves and Manchester City.

READ MORE: (Video) Lyrics to the new Diaz chant that’s growing in momentum among Liverpool fans

If we tie on goal difference with Pep Guardiola’s side, we are also currently level on goals scored, head-to-head and away goals in head-to-head games which would set up a play-off match.

Given the volume of fixtures at the end of the campaign and possible involvement in Europa League, FA Cup and Champions League finals – it would be interesting to know when we could see such an unlikely event take place.

You can view the full breakdown on how a Premier League play-off could take place via @SkySportsPL on X:

Could the title race be decided by a play-off final!? pic.twitter.com/fe1xiMW9HM

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 8, 2024

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Liverpool fans will be feeling down-hearted after watching our side become the first to drop points in the title race and Jurgen Klopp had a message to other teams.

Speaking with the press after the match, the German said that Arsenal will defeat Manchester United if they play the same way they did against our team at Old Trafford.

READ MORE: (Video) Van Dijk on his ‘good friend’ in the Man City camp he’s sharing title race with

The 56-year-old then added: “I’m really sorry to say that, but this is matter of fact.”

It’s just a shame that we weren’t able to capitalise on a wide open defence for so much of a crucial game that saw us drop two points.

You can watch Klopp’s comments via @BBCSport on X:

"I'm really sorry to say that, but this is matter of fact."

Jurgen Klopp says if Man Utd play like they did today against Arsenal they'll lose. pic.twitter.com/DeMZjKAkF0

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) April 7, 2024

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Credit where credit is due to Arsenal, they deserve to be where they are in the title race following a series of impressive performances in 2024.

What can sour this achievement, of course, is petulant behaviour from their key stars. Let’s take a look at what Ben White got up to at the weekend, shall we?

Whilst Arsenal were already 1-0 up, the former Brighton & Hove Albion defender flopped to the turf, simulating a throat grab, after minor contact from Pervis Estupinan on the pitch.

For such an accomplished footballer, it’s truly pathetic behaviour and takes away from Mikel Arteta’s men’s latest victory.

You can catch the clip below, courtesy of Sky Sports (via @SportsPaulH):

If they actually wanted to do something useful with VAR they could look at blatant cheating like this from Ben White & at least give him a booking retrospectively – only aims to either get opponent booked or waste time, either way it's awfulpic.twitter.com/VSzh5bNW40

— Paul Higham (@SportsPaulH) April 6, 2024

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It felt like a huge day in the title race and whilst Manchester City and Arsenal failed to stake their claim to be champions, Liverpool took top spot in the league.

Speaking with Sky Sports after the game, Bernardo Silva was asked for his take on the battle for first place and said that his team are: “Not favourties anymore.”

READ MORE: (Video) Liverpool fans won’t believe Quansah’s pace as he puts on afterburners against Adingra

It was a simple statement but shows how both our competitors would have know that the chance was there for them to prove they’re the best in the league, but neither took it.

Now it’s up to Jurgen Klopp’s side to prove that we’re the best, in what is a crucial final nine matches for everyone.

You can watch Silva’s comments via @SkySportsPL on X:

"Not favourites anymore"

Bernardo Silva says City now has to depend on results from other teams to win the league pic.twitter.com/2j8JbqIfAq

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 31, 2024

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Liverpool fans experienced the perfect day after we recorded a hard-fought victory over Brighton before watching Manchester City and Arsenal draw, leading to Roy Keane making a title prediction.

Speaking on Sky Sports, the former midfielder said: “I’d go with… I’m going to go with Liverpool I think.”

Before adding:“I need a drink!”

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It was clearly something the Irishman wasn’t comfortable with predicting but it does show how the pendulum has swung Jurgen Klopp’s way, with nine games to go.

In simple terms, we need to win our games and the Premier League is ours but it feels like all teams are going to experience speed bumps before the end of the campaign.

You can watch Keane’s comments via @SkySportsPL on X:

"I need a drink"

Roy Keane's reaction to the title race debate pic.twitter.com/J1QHJx53LW

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 31, 2024

EOTK Insider with Jan Age Fjortoft: Why Alonso said no to LFC, who will replace Klopp now? The PL winners will be…

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Jurgen Klopp delivered a brilliant two-word response when asked for his desired result from Manchester City’s clash against Arsenal today.

Liverpool’s latest come-from-behind win has lifted them to the top of the Premier League prior to their two title rivals kicking off at the Etihad Stadium, and the Reds manager was beaming when he spoke to the media after his team’s victory over Brighton.

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After being asked what outcome he wants to see between City and Arsenal, the German quipped: “Both losing”, before breaking into a smile and sharing a laugh with the reporter who put that question to him.

It was clear from Klopp’s post-match demeanour that he was ecstatic at seeing his side taking care of their own business and having the luxury to watch on as their two rivals slugged it out, safe in the knowledge that LFC’s work is done for another few days.

You can view the manager’s two-word quip below, via @SkySportsPL on X:

Jurgen Klopp wants both City and Arsenal to lose today pic.twitter.com/6xn122Coas

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 31, 2024

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In Jurgen Klopp’s farewell season, Liverpool are right in the midst of one of the most compelling title races that the Premier League has seen in many years.

It would certainly be fitting to see the 56-year-old win the title this spring and close out what has been a glorious era for the Reds with a second top-flight crown. Given the narrative surrounding the club, optimism is high among LFC supporters heading into the final 10 fixtures of the campaign.

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Liverpool fans who are confident the Reds can win the Premier League title could consider placing a bet on it. With three bona fide contenders, the odds could be favorable. The key is giving consideration to multiple options and learning more about several betting sites to make sure you choose the right one.

Of course, in such a tight race, LFC aren’t exactly in control of their own destiny. We’ll likely need both Arsenal and Manchester City to drop points to win the Premier League title.

Therefore, the fixtures left on those teams’ schedules are just as important as Liverpool’s remaining matches. With that in mind, let’s take some time to explore how challenging the road to the title might be for the Reds’ two biggest rivals for domestic supremacy.

READ MORE: ‘No, they’re not…’ – Sky pundit shares firm Liverpool verdict for Premier League title race

Arsenal

Today’s match between Arsenal and Man City could be the best thing for Liverpool as one or both of those teams will drop points, giving the Reds an opening to seize first place. Of course, the Gunners have won all eight of their Premier League matches since the start of 2024, so we can’t count on them losing too many games late in the season.

That being said, Mikel Arteta’s side have some challenging fixtures left, especially away from home. In addition to today’s heavyweight showdown, Arsenal’s penultimate match is away at Manchester United. The Gunners will also play Brighton and Wolves away from home, as well as a crucial North London Derby at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 28. Spurs will surely be looking to play the role of spoiler at their neighbours’ expense, which could end up helping Liverpool.

Arsenal also have home matches late in the season against Aston Villa, Chelsea, and a tricky Bournemouth team. In an ironic twist, the Gunners finish their campaign at home to Liverpool’s Merseyside rivals Everton, who could play a role in potentially handing the Reds the title. That said, we shouldn’t be left reliant on Sean Dyche’s team taking points off Arteta and co.

Of Arsenal’s final 10 matches, six are against teams currently in the top 10 of the table. Five of those six matches are on their travels, too so the Gunners surely have a challenging list of away fixtures left to play. That’s in addition to a midweek London derby against Chelsea, another potential stumbling block for the current league leaders.

READ MORE: Table-topping manager set to rule himself out of the running for Liverpool – journalist

Manchester City

Since suffering a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in October, City have lost just one Premier League match. In fact, the Sky Blues have 10 wins and three draws in their last 13 league games, including the 1-1 draw at Liverpool shortly before the March international break. That should give Pep Guardiola’s squad plenty of confidence heading into today’s showdown against the Gunners.

Immediately after that match, the Cityzens play on Wednesday against an Aston Villa side fighting for a top four spot, before taking on Crystal Palace and Luton Town, both of which Guardiola’s side would fully expect to win. They then take a pause from Premier League action in mid-April for the FA Cup semi-finals.

Even after that clash against Chelsea, Man City’s schedule looks manageable. They are on the road against Brighton, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham and Fulham, along with home matches against Wolves and West Ham United. The fixture at Spurs still needs to be rescheduled and could end up being one of City’s final matches of the season against a team who’ve had their number in recent years.

Just like Arsenal, six of City’s last 10 matches are against teams in the top 10 of the table right now. They both still have to face Aston Villa, Brighton, Luton, Tottenham and Wolves, so their schedules are remarkably similar. The difference is that City will have some of their more challenging matches at home.

What About Liverpool?

Sticking with the theme, the Reds also have to play six of their final 10 matches against teams in the top 10. That includes their last four games of the season against West Ham, Tottenham, Aston Villa and Wolves. A trip to Old Trafford on April 7 to face Manchester United also promises to be a difficult fixture.

On the bright side, the Reds still have manageable games against Sheffield United, Crystal Palace, and Fulham, as well as a Merseyside derby at Goodison Park on April 24. Since they no longer have to worry about facing Man City or Arsenal again, one could argue that Liverpool have the most favorable remaining fixtures of the three title contenders.

That alone won’t guarantee a trophy for the Reds, but it does put them in a good position during the last 10 games of what should be a compelling title race.

EOTK Stats Pack: Liverpool v Brighton – Form guide, De Zerbi’s hex over Klopp and MORE

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Jamie Carragher has been discussing the result that he feels would be most beneficial for Liverpool from the Manchester City v Arsenal clash on Sunday.

The Premier League resumes this weekend with the Gunners top of the table on goal difference from Jurgen Klopp’s side, with the champions one point behind that duo as they welcome the north Londoners to the Etihad Stadium this weekend.

The 46-year-old was previewing the match on the Fan Debate for Sky when fellow pundit Gary Neville suggested that a City win on Sunday would send a psychological chill down the spines of the other title contenders.

Carragher replied: “I think even if City lost on Sunday they can still win the league. I think if Arsenal get beat, I don’t see how they can win the league. From a Liverpool perspective, surely you’d want City to lose, but I actually think City can win the league if they get beat. I don’t see Arsenal winning the league if they get beat.

“Then, from a Liverpool point of view, you’re actually fighting against one team. I know the points [difference] wouldn’t be that much, but I just think psychologically it would affect you if City jump above you. It’d be tough for you to come back from that.”

The ideal result for us at the Etihad on Sunday would obviously be a draw which’d see both of our title rivals drop two points.

If there is to be a winner, though, you’d suspect that Arsenal would be the preferred option, given City’s history with embarking on prolonged victorious sequences over the final 10 games of a season.

On the other hand, the Gunners have yet to drop a Premier League point in 2024, and the confidence they’d take from winning away to the champions could make them difficult to stop.

Whatever happens in Manchester, the best result from a Liverpool perspective on Sunday would be a home win against Brighton. It’s no good begging for rivals to drop points unless you take care of your own business.

You can view Carragher’s comments below (from 28:53), via The Overlap on YouTube:

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Shortly after Liverpool’s match against Brighton on Sunday, the attention of Reds supporters will turn towards the showdown between fellow Premier League title contenders Manchester City and Arsenal.

The Gunners currently sit top ahead of Jurgen Klopp’s side by virtue of goal difference, with the reigning champions just one point behind that pair going into the final 10 matches of the season.

The topic of which result at the Etihad Stadium would be most beneficial to the Reds was put forward on ESPN FC, and it divided opinion between the various pundits.

Shaka Hislop emphatically stated that Liverpool fans would want a draw between their two title rivals, and Craig Burley partly agreed, saying: “The obvious would be a draw, but it’s a good question. If I’m looking at who might falter, I wouldn’t want City to win the game.

“I think I would take an Arsenal win or a draw, even though Arsenal are slightly above them and playing really well, but not any City momentum.”

Mario Melchiot went the other way, arguing: “If you’re a Liverpool fan, I would go for Arsenal to lose and kill their momentum…where Arsenal are now, I’m worried for anyone who’s trying to compete with them.”

Logically, the most ideal outcome for us at the Etihad on Sunday would be a draw, as both City and Arsenal would drop two points.

However, you could make a case either way for not wanting Pep Guardiola’s side to embark on their familiar end-of-season winning streak, or for the Gunners to take a huge scalp and make it nine league wins in a row, thus taking serious momentum into April.

Whatever happens between those two, the one result we want more than any other at the weekend is for Liverpool to beat Brighton. Taking care of our own business will be the single most important factor in our bid to win a second Premier League title under Klopp before he bows out this summer.

You can check out the discussion in full below (from 3:15), via ESPN FC on YouTube:

The post (Video) ‘Good question’ – ESPN pundits split on best result for Liverpool from City v Arsenal clash appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Liverpool fans around the world will have eyes on Manchester City’s clash with Arsenal and one of Pep Guardiola’s key men could well be missing from the game.

Speaking after being subbed off for England and replaced with Joe Gomez, John Stones passed the gathered media and was asked about the injury that ended his game – to which he replied: “I’m not sure yet.”

READ MORE: (Video) Liverpool PL winner scores international scorcher with trademark free-kick finish

It seems that the champions will be possibly depleted for a game that it’s hard to know which scoreline suits Jurgen Klopp’s side best.

We possibly would prefer both sides dropping points but there’s still a long way to go in the season, regardless of what happens.

You can watch Stones’ comments via @ManuSanchezGom on X:

John Stones se marcha caminando con normalidad.

Se ha lesionado en la rodilla en el minuto 10.

“No estoy seguro aún”, al ser preguntado por la lesión. pic.twitter.com/x5oq5faysu

— Manuel Sánchez (@ManuSanchezGom) March 26, 2024

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