Gary Neville has predicted which teams will be involved in the Premier League title-race in 2022/23,and has also shared his ‘little hope’ for Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side this season.
Gary Neville shares ‘little hope’ for Liverpool in title-race predication
Liverpool and Manchester City are the only Premier League clubs Gary Neville predicts will contest the title-race this season. But the former England right-back has told Sky Sports he hopes, more than expects, Jurgen Klopp’s side fall behind Pep Guardiola’s by next summer.
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Neville believes the Etihad Stadium natives are almost guaranteed to finish in, at least, the top two spots this term. But he senses Tottenham Hotspur could be the team that pushes the Anfield outfit the most, as Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United are too far behind.
Liverpool only missed out to Manchester City in the title-race last season by a single point as Guardiola retained the Citizens’ crown. The Reds took 92 points from their 38 matches, and only lost on two occasions. But one less win than City helped mitigate their extra loss.
Manchester City also recorded the league’s most prolific offence with 99 goals, while they and Liverpool registered the joint-best defence with 26 conceded each. And Guardiola has since replaced Gabriel Jesus with Erling Haaland to lead the Etihad offensive line this term.
Liverpool have also added an out-and-out centre-forward with Klopp signing Darwin Nunez from Benfica for £64m, rising up to £85m. The Uruguayan could become the Reds’ record-signing if he triggers all add-ons clauses in the terms of his switch over a six-year contract.
Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola backed to contend 2022/23 title-race
Manchester City and Liverpool contending successive Premier League title-races will be the two outfit’s fourth head-to-head battle in five seasons. The Citizens pipped the Reds to the crown in 2018/19, before the Anfield natives took their first top-flight honour in 30 years.
Just a single point also separated the two clubs’ in 2018/19 as the title went in Manchester City’s favour on the final day. And while Neville predicts it will be the same two again at the end of 2022/23, he hopes more than expects that Liverpool fall away in the new title-race.
“Liverpool and Man City,” Neville said. “City will definitely finish in the top-two. Liverpool, I always have this little hope rather than thought that they might just dip slightly, and then maybe Tottenham are the only team I can see that can get close to them.
“I don’t feel Chelsea, [Manchester] United, Arsenal are in a position to get close to the top-two. The Champions League will cause a problem for Tottenham, but they’ve got some world-class strikers.”
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