Pep Guardiola sends brutal Premier League message to Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher over Arsenal and Liverpool past

Pep Guardiola has hit back at Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher for their suggestions that Manchester City have become complacent.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Sky Sports pundits were quick to criticise Pep Guardiola’s side after they failed to beat Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium last weekend. It was the third successive match in which Manchester City dropped points against a ‘big-six’ rival.

To compound City’s misery, it was also the third consecutive Premier League game in which the Blues dropped points from a winning position, doing so against Liverpool, and Chelsea before Tottenham on Sunday.

But upon being asked if Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher were right in labeling his side as ‘complacent’, Guardiola hit back with his thoughts on their assessment.

“No I don’t have anything to say about the pundits, honestly,” Guardiola said. “It’s not about that. Honestly, maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think it’s about complacency.

“I have the feeling that if we maintain this level, we will win the Premier League. We will win it… again.

“He knows how difficult it is, otherwise Gary Neville would have won four Premier Leagues (in a row) in the best period of Man United, and he didn’t do it.”

“Maybe he knows complacency, but I see my team how is the back line, how we fight, how we press, how we continue at the end, how upset they are after conceding goals, how we react, everything – I don’t have that feeling.

“But maybe they have more experience, but not even him, not even Jamie Carragher, of course, because he didn’t win (the Premier League) once. No one won four Premier Leagues in a row.

“The is the target to the players to maintain that level that we are playing. Will we be able to sustain that all season? I don’t know. But that is the challenge.”

Despite the apparent drop in form from Manchester City, the Blues sit just six points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal with a game in hand on the Gunners heading into a clash with Aston Villa Wednesday evening.

Liverpool may have to wait if it wants to sign a potential heir to Mohamed Salah, but the timelines could line up perfectly, with Xabi Alonso giving a seal of approval.

As much as Liverpool won’t want to think about losing Mohamed Salah anytime soon, the club does need to be thinking about the future. The Egyptian turns 32 next year and will be entering the final year of his contract, and interest in his services isn’t going anywhere.

It is no secret that Saudi Arabian clubs are interested in Salah and made a big effort to sign him during the summer. Liverpool resisted the urge, but for how long the club can steer clear of the temptation remains to be seen.

It’s an idea that Jürgen Klopp doesn’t want to entertain. Speaking about Salah’s links to Saudi Arabia last month, Klopp told reporters: “He is really positive. He enjoys the company of the boys and sees there is a lot of potential with the boys and wants to maximize that by getting something out of that. The other stuff I never thought about that, and hope I don’t have to.”

Sooner or later though, there will come a time when Salah will have to be replaced. He has started the season brilliantly, but it’s clear Liverpool 2.0 may not be built on him alone. Naturally, a team that’s built for the future cannot be built around a 31-year-old. Klopp has new stars and new talismans coming through and making their mark.

Inevitably, at some point in time, Liverpool will have to decide to say farewell to Salah as well. There are few players in world football though who would be capable of stepping into his shoes at Anfield right now.

There is one who is currently playing under Xabi Alonso who might just be the right fit. Florian Wirtz has long been regarded as the wonderkid savior of German football.

Despite being only 20 years old, he has already broken plenty of Bundesliga records and has regularly featured for the senior German national team as well. His form has led to links with a transfer away from Leverkusen, with Liverpool among those said to be interested (as per the Daily Star).

However, if the Reds want him, it seems they will have to wait. Wirtz’s father Hans-Joachim has given an interview to Sky Sport Deutschland, suggesting his son will stay put at Leverkusen in 2025.

“At the moment everything is geared towards Florian playing in Leverkusen next season,” Wirtz snr said. What’s more, Florian Plettenberg has suggested Wirtz is keen on a move to Bayern Munich.

It’s a path that has been taken by many a Bundesliga star over the years, and Liverpool diverting him away from it will be a tall order. If the Reds can though, the timelines of Wirtz’s planned departure and Salah’s contract expiring could point to the perfect transfer plan.

While he predominantly plays as an attacking midfielder for Leverkusen, operating in central channels, Wirtz is not unfamiliar with playing on the wing. He is more than capable of playing on the left or the right, especially because he is ambidextrous and is equally capable of shooting with his right and left foot.

He is the type of diminutive attacking player who has the one-on-one ability and the goal-scoring and goal-creating prowess to be able to replace Salah at Liverpool. His manager has been in awe of him all season, and even compared him to Lionel Messi earlier this year.

“There are good players and there are players who look good on the pitch. The player who looks good does things that are nice, but not necessarily efficient,” Alonso told reporters, as per GOAL.

“Why is Messi so good? Because he knows how and when to play simple passes. Messi says: ‘You’re in a better position? Here, there you have the ball!’ It’s not always about making the most brilliant move, but the best and smartest. Florian can do that. That’s why he’s so good.”

With Alonso’s seal of approval, his recent track record, and the fact that he is only 20 years old, Wirtz definitely seems like the perfect fit for Klopp. If the Reds do decide to part ways with Salah, the German international could be an ideal solution to replace the club legend.