GARY NEVILLE and Jamie Carragher saw in 2024 by rowing over their Premier League teams of the season so far.
Neville, 48, and Carragher, 45, were part of Sky Sports’ broadcast for Liverpool’s 4-2 win over Newcastle on New Year’s Day.
Following the match, the pair revealed the 11 players they believe make up the best Premier League side this term.
Surprisingly, they agreed on eight stars, with just three differences between the teams.
The names they shared included the entire back four – Trent Alexander-Arnold, William Saliba, Virgil van Dijk and Destiny Udogie.
There was also no surprise that they went for Arsenal man Declan Rice in midfield.
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And they selected three of the same forwards – Mo Salah, Jarrod Bowen and Son Heung-min.
But their discrepancies began with the choice of formation as Carragher picked a conventional 4-3-3, while Neville went for an attacking 4-2-4.
In goal, Carragher chose Tottenham shot-stopper Guglielmo Vicario, while Neville picked Liverpool’s Alisson Becker.
But it was in midfield where the pair started bickering.
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That’s because Carragher put Cole Palmer and Bernardo Silva in his midfield, snubbing two of Manchester City’s biggest names in Erling Haaland and Rodri.
And while the omission of top scorer Haaland would have shocked many, it was the absence of Spanish midfielder Rodri that left Neville utterly bemused.
Neville, who claimed his XI would “steam roller” Carragher’s side, said: “Rodri is the best midfield player in the world in his position.
“They’ve won two trophies already and are about two points, three points off the top of the league. I can’t believe you’ve not picked Rodri in that midfield.”
He then went on to add: “I love Bernardo Silva and I think Cole Palmer’s a great talent. I couldn’t pick any one for Chelsea or United, I just wrote them off.
“But Silva, I couldn’t get him in ahead of any of my front four players; Haaland for me is the best striker in the world along with Harry Kane, he’s the top scorer in the league.”
Man City’s three league defeats have been the only matches Rodri has missed in the Prem this season – highlighting his importance to the team.
Meanwhile, Carragher, who labelled Neville’s team “too narrow”, took umbrage with Neville leaving out both Silva and Palmer.
He said: “I can’t believe you’ve not picked Bernardo Silva, I just think he’s sensational every season. And Cole Palmer, you said you can’t pick a certain player because a team hasn’t done so well, but that for me elevates Cole Palmer.
“His performances this season, he’s been Chelsea’s best player by a mile, yes that’s not too difficult. But I think Palmer has been one of the players of the season.”
Palmer, 21, has contributed eight goals and four assists in 17 Premier League games since joining Chelsea from Man City in the summer.
Silva, 29, has five goals and four assists in 16 league matches for the champions.
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But after disagreeing on a couple of their picks, Neville and Carragher came to a consensus over their Premier League manager of the season so far as they both went for Aston Villa boss Unai Emery.
Villa sit second after 20 games, just three points behind leaders Liverpool.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
