Jamie Carragher reaction to Bukayo Saka's Arsenal title statement speaks volumes
Liverpool has the chance to go into the second international break sitting atop the Premier League, although it will arguably only know whether it is truly in a title race by the time the third domestic hiatus rolls around. However, Bukayo Saka is already prepared to make big statements over the destination of the Premier League trophy, much to the surprise of Jamie Carragher.
It was a buoyant night for Arsenal, with the players doing their talking on the pitch in an impressive 2-0 win over PSG. The nature of the new Champions League format ensured the stakes were not especially high, but it nonetheless put the competition on notice that the Gunners intend to challenge in Europe this season.
Saka got on the score-sheet, as his wide free kick evaded everyone and flew straight in. But his most headline-grabbing contribution came after the match, as he told Carragher and the rest of the CBS studio that Arsenal believes it will wrest the Premier League title off Manchester City this season.
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As was so often the case in his playing days, the assist goes to Thierry Henry. He set Saka up with a direct question over whether or not this is Arsenal's season.
And while the 23-year-old admitted he didn't want to "put too much pressure" on his side, he ultimately went very strong with his answer. "I do think this is the year," he declared. "We've been close the last two years, and we're getting closer. But yeah, here's hoping this is the year."
If he wasn't immediately aware of the significance of his answer, Carragher quickly changed that. The former Liverpool defender produced the kind of "ooooh" more readily associated with fellow pundit Gary Neville, clearly taken aback by the strength of Saka's stance.
In a relentlessly media-trained world, it was refreshing to see Saka speak his mind. And his conviction does underline that if Liverpool wants to challenge this season, it will likely have two formidable opponents to see off.
The highest compliment you can give Arsenal is that the squad appears to be developing an aura vaguely comparabale to the one Liverpool boasted in 2019/20, where it simply refused to be denied the title again. Having said that, the Gunners are already four points down on where Jurgen Klopp's side were at the equivalent point in that campaign — and will not have the chance to overcome that deficit until Gameweek 30, such was the run the Reds produced.
Near-perfection will likely once again be demanded of the eventual winners. But Carragher and everyone else knows now that Arsenal backs itself to produce just that.
Liverpool.com says: Fair play to Saka. Belief is coursing through the Arsenal side, and there's no point in him hiding it.
That belief appears somewhat warranted, too, with the Gunners looking incredibly hard to beat. The gap to Manchester City has never seemed so small.
Where Liverpool fits into the equation should become more clear after the international break, with Arne Slot embarking on a brutal run of fixtures. But the players should take a leaf out of Saka's book and back themselves for the highest honors, with everything still up for grabs.