Jamie Carragher says Man City can ‘do the treble’ but explains why Arsenal are still title favourites
Jamie Carragher has suggested Arsenal are still Premier League title favourites, even after they dropped two big points against Liverpool on Sunday.
The ex-Reds defender believes Manchester City, who are currently six points behind the Gunners with a game in hand, will take their eye off the ball towards the end of the campaign.
Indeed, Pep Guardiola’s side have more games to contend with in the coming weeks, with the Cityzens pushing to win their first Champions League in their history.
Arsenal will have been disappointed to squander a 2-0 lead at Anfield after Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus both netted before the 30-minute mark.
Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino continued their excellent scoring form against the London club, however, to clinch a point for Liverpool.
This still leaves Arsenal six points clear at the top, but Manchester City have played one game less and will face the Gunners in late April – a game that could prove to be one of the biggest in the Gunners’ history.
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Carragher: ‘City can do the treble’
Both teams, effectively, have the title in their own hands, as if they win all their remaining league matches, they will come out on top. However, City have a much busier fixture schedule to contend with.
Guardiola’s side are set to face Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday. They will also play Brighton in the FA Cup semi-final later this month, with a famous treble still on the cards.
However, Carragher thinks that the City manager will be forced to rotate his team as we head into the final stages of the season, which could give Arsenal a boost.
Speaking on Sky Sports, he said: “We keep talking about the title, City can do the treble.
“There’s a great chance they’ll be in the FA Cup final, and they’re favourites for the Champions League.
“I think on the run-in, if they keep going, there will be one or two games that Pep Guardiola has got to think about winning the treble and he’ll have to take a chance in a couple of league games with the team he picks.
“It might not be his best team but he’s got to think he’s just got to go with it because he’s got a game midweek and the bigger picture is always too important than just a one-off league game.”
Richards: City are ‘going for everything’
Since heading to the Etihad back in 2016, Guardiola has led his team to four Premier League titles, one FA Cup victory and five League Cup triumphs, but despite getting to the final in 2021, City have still never won a Champions League.
The ex-Barcelona boss will no doubt be desperate to add the trophy to his long list of accolades with the Cityzens.
Carragher’s Sky Sports colleague, Micah Richards, was asked whether the Champions League will be a distraction for his former club Man City.
“Maybe, but just from being in the city and knowing how they think, they always talk about the league being the most important. You can say I’m lying, I’m not lying,” he said.
“The Champions League’s a bonus. I think I don’t like the way everyone talks about it, saying Man City haven’t won the Champions League so of course, they’ve tried to win it every single time – they’ve been to a final and lost.
“I think they’re just going for everything. With the squad that they have, the manager that they have, they are going for absolutely every competition and they won’t get distracted because they’ve got top-quality players.”
