Carragher: Liverpool and United Not Title Contenders Next Season
Jamie Carragher has drawn a hard line through both Liverpool and Manchester United’s title hopes for next season – and circled the same two names everyone in England is growing used to.
Arsenal. Manchester City. Again.
Carragher: Liverpool still ahead of United – but neither close to title
The backdrop was brutal for Liverpool. A 3-2 defeat at Old Trafford, another damaging twist in a season that has drifted far from the standards of recent years. Arne Slot’s side clawed their way back from 2-0 down through Dominik Szoboszlai and Cody Gakpo, only for Kobbie Mainoo to steal it on 77 minutes and tilt the stadium into full roar.
The result did more than sting Liverpool pride. It locked Manchester United into next season’s Champions League and all but nailed down third place, six points clear of the Reds with three games to go.
In the aftermath, Gary Neville looked at United’s surge and saw a window opening. On his podcast, he argued that the Premier League title would be “up for grabs over the next one or two years” and suggested United might not be far off that conversation.
Carragher wasn’t buying it.
Asked whether Liverpool or United are better placed to mount a title push next season, he backed his old club in relative terms – but immediately cut both from the list of genuine contenders.
“I still think Liverpool are better-placed and the reason I say that is we’ve seen Man United’s best team out there today,” he said on The Gary Neville Podcast. Liverpool, he argued, are “three or four short” and, crucially, still have players “who have won before in terms of the biggest trophies.”
Then came the blunt verdict.
“I don’t think either of them will be there in terms of the title next season. I still think it will be Arsenal or Manchester City.”
‘False economy’ at Old Trafford
Carragher went further, warning that United’s resurgence under the absence of extra fixtures could distort the picture.
“There’s a false economy with Manchester United when they haven’t played any European football and they went out in the first round of both cup competitions,” he said.
United’s likely third-place finish looks impressive on paper. Carragher’s view is that the table flatters them.
“Now that can fool you. Man United will finish third this season but I don’t think for a minute believe they’re the third-best team in the Premier League.”
His stance on Liverpool was more forgiving, but still realistic. He sees a stronger squad base, especially once injuries clear and the experienced winners return, yet not one ready to go toe-to-toe with City and Arsenal over 38 games.
“I still think Liverpool are in a better position in terms of the squad when the injured players get back and having those players that have won trophies before,” he said. Better than United. Not yet good enough for the crown.
Neville’s counter: a title “up for grabs”
Neville looked at the same landscape and saw opportunity.
“There’s a couple of real unknowns,” he said. “The managers and which club is going to recruit the best this summer. Both are going to sign three or four. But how much money do the clubs have to spend money on recruitment?”
For Neville, the door opens when the Guardiola era closes.
“I do think the league could be up for grabs over the next couple of years and I think Manchester United could be in a position to exploit that,” he argued. “At some point, Pep [Guardiola] has to leave. And I don’t think the other big clubs aren’t quite right. There is a league title up to grabs over the next one to two years.”
Carragher’s view is simpler: until someone proves otherwise, the Premier League belongs to two clubs.
Arsenal and City set the bar
The numbers explain his conviction. Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Fulham pushed them six points clear at the top, even if Manchester City hold two games in hand, starting with Everton on Monday night.
Arsenal are chasing their first league title since 2004. City are hunting a seventh in nine seasons, a level of dominance English football has rarely seen.
That is the standard Carragher is judging Liverpool and United against. Not a good month. Not a promising run-in. A relentless, 90-point, title-chasing machine.
United head back into league action next weekend against Sunderland, buoyed by Champions League qualification and a statement win over their fiercest rivals. Liverpool host Chelsea at Anfield, trying to salvage momentum and pride from a season that has slipped away.
The argument between Carragher and Neville cuts to the heart of the league’s next chapter. Is this era still defined by Arsenal and City, or is the ground finally shifting beneath them?
Next season will reveal who is dreaming – and who is actually built to break that duopoly.
