As the Premier League campaign reaches its peak, Gary Neville has taken another look at his predictions for the season and believes they are ‘fairly accurate’.
Before the top drama resumed last August, Manchester United legend Neville and his expert partner, former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, were questioned about their views on some of the hottest topics of the era.
Along with colleagues Roy Keane, Micah Richards and Jamie Redknapp, Neville and Carragher had their say on the title race, the clubs heading for relegation, the sides that would push the top two and United’s long standing Cristiano Ronaldo story.
But which of the duo was closer with their guesses?
Here’s where Mail Sport took a look.
Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher have made their Premier League predictions in pre-season
Sky Sports pundits had their say on the title race, with Manchester City tipped to win again
They are actually quite accurate
— Gary Neville (@GNev2) May 20, 2023
Who will win the title?
Neville predicted Manchester City for this and is likely to be proven right this weekend. Pep Guardiola’s side need just one more win to retain the Premier League title, while an Arsenal misstep would also earn them the trophy.
In contrast, Carragher tipped Liverpool to win their second title under Jurgen Klopp. At the time, this wouldn’t have been a radical prediction, especially considering the Reds had finished second to City by just one point last year.
But based on how the table looks now, Carragher may have a red face.
Richards and Keane also chose City.
SPECIES:
Marcel: a
Carragher: C
Carragher wrongly tipped Liverpool to lift the trophy and may now be redfaced
Who will be relegated?
Suffice it to say that both Neville and Carragher incorrectly called the fight at the foot of the table, with neither pundit naming Southampton in the bottom three.
Indeed, all three of their respective choices are currently incorrect.
Neville instead predicted that the three clubs promoted from the Championship last season – Fulham, Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth – would go under.
In hindsight, Fulham are 10th and eight points clear of the bottom half of the table, while Bournemouth are safe and can still cross the 40-point mark.
Forest, while still in danger, does have a three-point strap over 18th.
When explaining his picks on The Overlap in August, Neville had said, “I’m going to go straight back down with the three that came up.”
“The reason I say that is the disparity in terms of actual money pushing it more in that direction [down] always.’
Carragher, meanwhile, opted for Bournemouth, high-flying Brentford and Forest. He also admitted he was worried about Fulham but thought Marco Silva would keep them going.
SPECIES:
Marcel: D
Carragher: E
Oddly enough, despite their excellent form, Fulham were named in both relegation predictions
Who pushes the top two?
Again, both Neville and Carragher were wrong in their guesses. Indeed, the two men were united in tipping Tottenham to be best of the rest this season.
“Spurs are the only ones who can do that, but for that to happen something has to go seriously wrong for Liverpool and City,” Neville explained.
Carragher predicted Spurs would finish third in Chelsea’s absence, citing Antonio Conte as the deciding factor in the Champions League pursuit. Their strong performances against Liverpool and City last year also helped influence his decision.
Neville also sounded alarm bells at Chelsea, pointing out they were unstable with the controversy that engulfed Roman Abramovich before his sale of the club.
“It feels rocky, something doesn’t feel stable,” he added.
Keane, who issued his own verdict on Spurs, predicted they would finish behind City and Liverpool, and praised Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Conte.
“Spurs could have a brilliant season,” he said. “There is now expectation at the club. I’ve said before that they always let you down in the end. Can they back it up?”
SPECIES:
Marcel: D
Carragher: D
Tottenham were hailed as the side that would finish this campaign best of the rest
Cristiano Ronaldo – stick or twist?
United endured their worst-ever Premier League campaign last season and the mood at Old Trafford took a turn for the worse when Cristiano Ronaldo handed in a transfer request.
The superstar expressed his desire to leave after a bitterly disappointing year in which United missed out on the Champions League, and later forced his stubbornness out in an explosive, unrestricted TV interview with Piers Morgan.
But before he sat down and at the end of a dramatic summer at the club, Carragher and Neville vehemently disagreed over whether United should have sold the asset.
Neville urged his former teammate to ‘settle down’, stating that he had the power, strength and status to influence games and the locker room.
However, Carragher said sacking Ronaldo should have been Erik ten Hag’s first task as manager, believing the situation had overshadowed the entire club.
He suggested that United’s goals flowed more freely without Ronaldo, saying: “You can put up with that when he’s one of the best players in the world – I don’t think he is now.”
Finally, Keane insisted that United should ‘try to keep’ Ronaldo, believing that the off-field tension with the striker was not ‘as important as everyone claims’.
SPECIES:
Marcel: D
Carragher: a
Neville believes Manchester United were right to keep Cristiano Ronaldo despite the tension