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Jamie Carragher reveals who he thinks will be Liverpool’s main title rivals next season – Arsenal or Man City

Srinivas Sadhanand

Tue 25 February 2025 9:15, UK

As Liverpool look set to become Premier League champions this season, Arsenal and Manchester City will have their sights set on dethroning them in the following campaign.

Liverpool need 26 points to win the league and based on theܫir unrivalled consistency this campaign, it seems like a safe bet to expect them to get the job done.

On one hand, Mikel Arteta should be backed to challenge Arne Slot’s side more than City next season as they are nine points above Pep🧸 Guardiola’s men in second place curr

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	27	19	7	1	64	26	38	64
2	ArsenalArsenal	26	15	8	3	51	23	28	53
3	Nottm ForestNottingham Forest	26	14	5	7	44	33	11	47
4	Man CityManchester City	26	13	5	8	52	37	15	44

But on the other hand, Manchester City are seasoned 𝄹winners and if they splash the cash in the summer like they did in the winter transfer window to rebu🍰ild their squad, they would have all the ingredients to go toe-to-toe with Liverpool.

For Arsenal, the fear would be finishing second both this season ♓and the next — which could prompt serious questions about whether Mikel Arteta is the right man to lead them to success.

Jamie Carragher chimed in on both clubs’ chances of challenging Liverpool in the 2025/2026 seasꦦon.

Jamie Carragher expects Man City to be Liverpool’s main Premier League title rivals, not Arsenal

Carragher initially claimed that Arsenal have been rather unfortunate this season as he believes that if the Gunners played like they did last season, they would push Arne Slot and Co to the brink this campaign.

Considering Li꧃verpool have managed to dominate the league despite only sig🔜ning one player in Federico Chiesa who has barely featured for them, it seems likely that they could do the same next season if further bolster their world-class squad.

Jamie Carragher added that he would put 📖his money on Manchester City and not Arsenal being Liverpool’s m♑ain title rivals in the following term.

The pundit said on The Overlap’s Fan Debate show: “I was thinking about Arsenal and I actually think they’ve been a little bit unlucky in that, I think sometimes, it’s about timing and I think if the Arsenal of last season, if t✤hat is playing this season, this is a real sort of fight between Liverpool and Arsenal to the wire.”

“Last season, you were at your best but City are still City. City have had the drop-off this s༺eason and I think the worry for Arsenal is and I take it back to when I played for Liverpool in that under Arteta, I think he’s been here five years and every year you get better and you get to that point and we get there under [Gerard] Houllier🌠, we got there under [Rafael] Benitez where you just don’t make that final step, we dropped off massively.”

“Now, when you say you aren’t the team of the last two years, are you a little bit worried that we’ve actually seen peak Arsenal and Arteta? I think we have actually, the second half of last season I think was the best, I thought Arsenal were brilliant, as good as anyone in Europe and I was watching them every week thinking this is a proper team. We were talking after the game yesterday that I still think, if Liverpool go on and win the league, you can always so, wh𒁃o’s going to challenge the champions next season? I think I would still back Manchester City more than Arsenal right now.”

Arsenal vs Manchester City record at challenging for Premier League titles

Historically, bo🐓th Arsenal and Manchester City have competed for several league titles.

City have won six while the No🎉rth Londoners havꦉe won three.

Meanwhile, Arsenal have finished second eight times in the Premier League era wh꧃ile Manchester City have done so just thrice.

The Sky Blues have reclaimed the title on three instances; in 2012 when they won the league after finishing third the s꧋eason before, in 2018 when they went from fourth to first and in 2020 when they knocked Liverpool off their perch by becoming the champions of England.

But the same can be said for Ar𒐪senal in 1998 (third to first), 2002 (second to first) and ✅2004 (second to first).

As a result, it is impossible to call which tea🃏m will is🥀 better-set to challenge Liverpool for domestic glory next season.