Jamie Carragher has hit back at Pep Guardiola’s claims that the mainstream media is desperate to see Liverpool beat Manchester City to the Premier League title.
The Spaniard made the accusation, as reported in the Manchester Evening News, after his side’s 1-0 win over Leicester City on Monday night, a victory that puts them back in pole position to retain their crown.
But Carragher has been quick to rubbish the claim.
Writing in a column for the Telegraph, he said: “Having built my post-playing career as a TV and newspaper pundit, I can only speak personally about such an accusation and say this: Pep is right if he is including me in his list. I am desperate for Liverpool to lift the title.
“I doubt this is a startling revelation. I played 737 games for Liverpool so it would be as pointless pretending where my allegiance lies as it would my colleague Gary Neville, or any former player working in the media affiliated to a particular club.
“But as with Gary, this does not mean we look upon our former teams less critically, or speak more harshly about others. In fact, it is the exact opposite.
“So when I read comments about the media favouring Klopp and Liverpool – and it is not the first time such remarks have been made this season – it bemuses me and makes me query how and why such paranoia exists.”
OPINION
You can understand why Carragher is a bit miffed off about this, to be fair. This kind of accusation from Pep, founded on nothing but his own petulance, has the capability to fuel real distrust in a fanbase towards an outlet, and can ultimately discredit some very valid opinions. Essentially, it is a case of a manager throwing his toys out of the pram. Liverpool have drawn a lot of praise this season, but so have City, and rightly so. Both teams have been magnificent, and both deserve all the plaudits they get. Yes, Carragher would rather see Liverpool win the league, in the same way that Pep would never want to see Real Madrid pip Barcelona to the post in Spain. Does that mean that Carragher acts on this bias in his job and analysis? Of course not. And for every Carragher, there is a Gary Neville who, begrudgingly as it may have been, has admitted that he would rather see City crowned champions. Maybe when City have some recent club legends of their own to shout about, the imbalance, as Pep sees it, may be redressed.
