Jamie Carragher questions Arne Slot over early Liverpool title admission - 'He is wrong'

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher says that neither the Reds nor Chelsea will be able to play down their start to the season if they can win the game between the two sides at Anfield this Sunday.

Arne Slot has been at pains to point out the easier fixture schedule his team has faced up to this point in the campaign but Liverpool has still won nine out of 10 matches that he has been at the helm. Next up is a run that begins with Chelsea and Arsenal in the Premier League with a trip to RB Leipzig in the Champions League in between.

"The same churlish observation has been directed at both sides that "they have had a kind fixture schedule" which explains the signs of promise," Carragher wrote in his column for The Telegraph. "Slot has driven this bandwagon himself with regards to Liverpool’s first seven league games.

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"He is wrong to downplay the significance of any winning run. I do not like a trend creeping into our game where fans, pundits and perhaps even senior figures at top clubs start turning their noses up at so-called "routine wins".

"Every Premier League victory counts and must be earned. Some wins may feel better emotionally or in terms of the confidence they bring, but there is no more value in terms of points. A top-four side can trip up against any team in the division.

"A title bid is not just about beating rivals or the perceived "bigger clubs". Manchester City failed to beat Arsenal and Liverpool last season but it did not stop them becoming champions."

Liverpool.com says: Carragher is right in that getting a win over Chelsea would put Liverpool firmly in the title picture. The Reds would create a seven-point gap with a win this Sunday and that should put an end to conversations about Enzo Maresca's men joining the title race. For Liverpool, though, a win would only fuel that talk even more — eventually being impossible for Slot to stop.