Latest news with #Carragher
Indian Express
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
‘They won't win the league': Carragher rages at Liverpool's ‘unbelievable and shocking' defending in season opener against Bournemouth
Defending champion Liverpool started their 2025-26 Premier League campaign with a win over AFC Bournemouth in the first league game at Anfield on Saturday. The Reds scraped to a 4-2 victory in a hard-fought match. Club legend and former Liverpool captain Jamie Carragher has lashed out at the side's 'unbelievable' and 'absolutely shocking' defending, which saw them concede two goals in the second half. Carragher said Liverpool will not retain their Premier League title if they continue with those standards. 'It is unbelievable,' said Carragher after the game. 'It's fantastic from Semenyo – but Liverpool have had this problem. How many players were ahead of the ball – maybe eight players – when they were winning 2-1? That can't happen. It's absolutely shocking at this level. For Semenyo to run that far and get his shot away is incredible – but where Konate is going? He had a really, really poor night tonight at centre-back.' Late goals from Federico Chiesa and Mohamed Salah led Liverpool to the win after they were given a scare by Antoine Semenyo whose brace eliminated Arne Slot's two-goal lead in a quick flash. Earlier, Hugo Ekitike opened Liverpool's account before Cody Gakpo doubled the lead for the home team. Carragher slammed Liverpool's defending and said it has been poor during their pre-season campaign as well, where the Reds conceded a 4-2 defeat against AC Milan, while they also conceded twice against Athletic Club and Crystal Palace in the Community Shield. 'That is not right. It's not,' said Carragher. 'It's only game on top of the Community Shield – but I've watched enough football in my life. This idea that everyone bombs forward, it's not for me. I don't like it. At no time last week in the Community Shield did I ever feel Liverpool were in control of the game. You can draw 2-2 with Palace, that can happen. But it's how easy Crystal Palace could get at Liverpool, how easy it was tonight. In the first half, Bournemouth should have been at least 2-0 up at one stage,' said Carragher. 'There is definitely a problem that Arne Slot has to solve. People say 'they need a centre-back'. A centre-back doesn't fix that. He just takes Konate's place. It's about the make-up of the team with two attacking full-backs and a number ten who more interested in getting on the ball than defending like Szoboszlai was last season. If Liverpool continue like that, I don't think they will win the league,' he added.
Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Jamie Carragher outlines Liverpool's biggest concern in Premier League title race
Jamie Carragher has given his predictions for the Premier League title race this season and he has some concerns over Arne Slot's Liverpool squad after a busy transfer window Liverpool have strengthened their squad this summer, but are still two players short and will face a tougher challenge in the Premier League this season. That's the opinion of Jamie Carragher, who has issued a warning to the defending champions. Arne Slot 's side kicked off their title defence with a thrilling but unconvincing 4-2 win over Bournemouth at Anfield on Friday night. While there was a promising performance from new striker Hugo Ekitike, the defence was vulnerable and it took two late goals to secure the points. The Reds have spent over £300million on players in the summer transfer window with a huge turnover being overseen by Slot. They have added Ekitike, Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong and Giovanni Leoni, among others, yet Carragher has spotted a few worrying signs. Asked on Sky Sports which side is best placed to challenge Liverpool for the title, Carragher replied: 'I'd probably say Arsenal as a whole, as a club, as a team, but I've just got Pep Guardiola in the back of my mind. 'He just doesn't not win. When he doesn't win a league title, I don't think he's gone two years without winning a league title. He's such a special manager, you think is he going to conjure something up? 'I'm also thinking 'is this City squad good enough to go and win the league right now?' The squad he had last season he couldn't find something to fix it and we always expect him to do that, so I'd probably just edge for Arsenal.' He added: 'There's no doubt that the [Liverpool] squad is much stronger than it was last season. We could see that in the teams that the manager picked – he didn't have full confidence in certain players. He's rectified that in terms of the players that he's brought in. 'But I envisage a much tighter title [race] this season, because I think Liverpool will be better, and I think they will maybe get more points than they got because they dropped off towards the end, but I think Manchester City and Arsenal will be a lot stronger too. 'Those two have been the two who have battled it out for the Premier League title in the past few seasons. Last season they dropped off and Liverpool took full advantage of that, but I expect them to be a lot stronger.' Asked about the large turnover of players, Carragher said: 'That is the worry and Liverpool haven't looked themselves in pre-season. It might sound strange, but Liverpool still need more players because of those who have gone out. 'You think of the amount of forwards they had last season, they've lost three and brought one in. So they need at least one more forward and one defender and that is a formidable squad that will look to attack the Premier League and Champions League.' Liverpool are in negotiations to sign Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi and could return to test Newcastle 's resolve over Alexander Isak. The Reds saw a bid of £110m plus £10m in add-ons rejected earlier this month, but Isak is refusing to play for the Magpies in the hope of forcing through a transfer.
The Irish Sun
20 hours ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘Not correct' – Carragher slams VAR for feeding ref ‘wrong information' after missing blatant handball in Prem opener
The incident took place early on in the Prem curtain raiser CARR BLIMEY 'Not correct' – Carragher slams VAR for feeding ref 'wrong information' after missing blatant handball in Prem opener JAMIE CARRAGHER slammed VAR after Bournemouth star Marco Senesi avoided an early red card against Liverpool. The defender appeared to have deliberately handled, but the virtual assistants did not intervene. 2 Marco Senesi appeared to deliberately handle 2 Liverpool stars were convinced that Senesi had handballed Credit: Getty Advertisement The flashpoint occurred on 14 minutes as Mo Salah attempted to play new boy Hugo Ekitike in. A poor touch by Senesi appeared to play Ekitike in on goal, albeit barely beyond the halfway line. Looking to atone for his error, the defender reached his arm out and patted the ball away. Senesi subsequently cleared, with an appealing Cody Gakpo handballing and Bournemouth being awarded a free-kick. Advertisement READ MORE IN FOOTBALL Field generals Five midfield engines Man Utd could swoop for if Baleba transfer fails Reds boss Arne Slot was incensed by the incident, with Liverpool players also appealing. But despite the protestations, VAR did not intervene. Commentating on Sky Sports, Peter Drury said: "Check is complete from the VAR, the suggestion being that he had no control of the ball [and] it bounced up off his body onto his other arm." On co-comms duty, Carragher replied: "That's handball. He knows exactly what he's doing, it's his reaction as a defender, but that was handball." Advertisement BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK Carra, 47, then added: "The information the referee got there was not correct." Confirming the decision, the Premier League Match Centre suggested that the no-call was in fact due to how far out the incident occurred. 'That bothers me' - Jamie Carragher tells Liverpool NOT to sign £150million Alexander Isak from Newcastle A Prem post on X read: "The referee's call of no red card to Senesi was checked and confirmed by VAR – with the action deemed not to be a clear handball offence nor denial of a goal scoring opportunity (DOGSO), due to the distance from goal." Ekitike, 23, went on to fire Liverpool into the lead on 37 minutes... with Senesi at fault. Advertisement The French striker easily beat his marker before calmly slotting past Djordje Petrovic to score his first Premier League goal.
Irish Daily Mirror
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
'I don't like seeing people sent off' Carragher infuriated by massive VAR error
Bournemouth defender Marcos Senesi dodged a red card in the opening moments of the Cherries' Premier League clash with Liverpool, sparking fury from pundit Jamie Carragher. Senesi seemed to deliberately thrust his arm out after the ball ricocheted off his body, blocking Hugo Ekitike's path to goal. Referee Anthony Taylor waved play on initially before VAR officials were summoned to review the flashpoint incident. The video officials concluded no further action was warranted, but Carragher was left seething with their verdict. "We can hear what the VAR are saying. They're saying it's come off his leg and hit his hand like you can't do anything about it," Carragher said during Sky Sports' coverage. "But it's not. He realises he's got a massive problem and he puts his arm towards the ball. "How the VAR can say that. I really don't like seeing people sent off, that's a last resort. But what I've just heard from the VAR did not happen. There's plenty of time and he throws his hand at it. The information the referee got was not correct." Liverpool manager Arne Slot appeared frustrated by the incident. He cut an animated figure on the touchline but Liverpool had to continue without a decision going their way. The Premier League Match Centre shared an explanation for Senesi avoiding punishment. "The referee's call of no red card to Senesi was checked and confirmed by VAR – with the action deemed not to be a clear handball offence nor denial of a goal scoring opportunity (DOGSO), due to the distance from goal," it said. Fans on social media agreed with Carragher's assessment of the incident, though. "Blatant handball from Senesi, Ekitike would have been through.," wrote one. "Even if it's at the halfway line, that's surely got to be a red card," another argued. "Just about the most blatant handball you'll see, and the intent is obvious. At the very least though, it's incredibly poor from the ref to be missing that. Senesi hardly did it discreetly." Ahead of the season, the Premier League reinforced the message that there would be a high bar for VAR interventions. "'Referee's Call'' was introduced last season as the match official in the middle, who can feel and read the game, is best placed to make the ultimate decision," the league said. "Their decision will stand unless, in the opinion of the VAR, based upon the evidence readily available, that call is a clear and obvious error. This helped to reduce the VAR delays from an average of 64 seconds to 39 seconds per match last season."
Daily Mirror
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Jamie Carragher fumes at VAR controversy after just 14 MINUTES of new season
Bournemouth defender Marcos Senesi escaped punishment in the opening minutes of the Cherries' Premier League opener against Liverpool, leaving commentator Jamie Carragher furious. Senesi appeared to stick an arm out after the ball bounced off his body, preventing Hugo Ekitike getting a run at goal. Referee Anthony Taylor gave nothing in real time and the video assistant referee was called in to look at the incident. Those in the VAR room didn't feel further action was needed, but Carragher disagreed. 'We can hear what the VAR are saying. They're saying it's come off his leg and hit his hand like you can't do anything about it," Carragher said during Sky Sports ' coverage. "But it's not. He realises he's got a massive problem and he puts his arm towards the ball. 'How the VAR can say that. I really don't like seeing people sent off, that's a last resort. But what I've just heard from the VAR did not happen. There's plenty of time and he throws his hand at it. The information the referee got was not correct.' Fans on social media agreed with Carragher's assessment of the incident. "Blatant handball from Senesi, Ekitike would have been through.," wrote one. "Even if it's at the halfway line, that's surely got to be a red card," another argued. "Just about the most blatant handball you'll see, and the intent is obvious. " At the very least though, it's incredibly poor from the ref to be missing that. Senesi hardly did it discreetly."
