Gary Neville wears many hats; he's club captain at Manchester United, he is the players' union rep, but diplomat he most certainly isn't - not when it comes to inter-club rivalry and winding-up the opposition. Following the latest round of Champions League results Neville was asked to comment on Liverpool's, shall we say, unfortunate exit, not surprisingly, the former England rightback jumped in with both feet and told it like it is when saying: 'Liverpool deserved to be knocked out'. Of course they did, so why the fuss?
Answer: It's a quiet news day and Neville can usually be relied upon to stir the rivalry pot and of course our news hungry media do not need a written invitation to keep the pot boiling.
The fans love a laugh especially when it comes at the expense of your biggest rival, but it remains to be seen who will have the last laugh because despite the loss of face and the prestige of playing in Europe's premier club competition, Liverpool have more chance of winning the Europa League.
Gary Neville, nailed on MOTD pundit when he calls it a day.
ReplyDeleteOn a note that is only semi-related to the post, do you think that the exit from the Champions League will hurt Liverpool chances for CL qualification next year? I think some might say no. I, however, think otherwise. I think that it will be a massive blow. Let me explain why.
ReplyDeleteEuropa League ties are played on Thursday. As the competition progresses and Liverpool get deeper, Benitez and the players will be under pressure to win the competition. Thus, Benitez will ask Gerrard and Torres (and the rest of the team) to play Thursday to Saturday or Sunday. There may be a slight respite with a Monday game though. These players will have very little rest. Over time, with players as prone to niggling injuries as those two are and a team as light as Liverpool, I think that competition will cause them to drop points they otherwise would not because of fatigue or slight knocks that limit their play. What say ye?
619,
ReplyDeleteThat's a fair point about playing on Thursday. However, I think Liverpool have a much better chance than United ref winning a big European trophy this season. Further to which Rafa will only be focusing on a top four finish and tbh I think he may well have reached that point.
I personally don't see United winning any of the big prizes this season, the best we can hope for is a domestic cup.
Scousers could still end up having last laugh...