Rio Ferdinand & Jamie Carragher Expect Man City to Close the Gap on Liverpool This Season

Rio Ferdinand and Jamie Carragher have both predicted that Liverpool will win the Premier League once again this season, but the points gap will be closed by Man City.

The Reds finished 18 points clear of runners-up Manchester City to storm to their first ever Premier League title last season, but the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic has stopped them from strengthening their squad with signings ahead of the upcoming season.

Striker Timo Werner signed for Chelsea after Liverpool weren't prepared to meet RB Leipzig's asking price, and a move for Bayern Munich's Thiago Alcantara remains up in the air for similar reasons.

Speaking to TEAMtalk, Ferdinand praised Liverpool for the way in which they won the league last season, but questioned their squad depth: “The key for [Liverpool] has been having their key players fit for the best part of two seasons. It has been massive and what we have yet to find out is how they will cope if they are to lose a few big names for an extended period."

Liverpool legend Carragher also spoke to TEAMtalk and admitted that he would like to see a closer title race: “We want and we need to see a competitive title race. I want to see the other teams get closer to Liverpool because we need it to be more competitive."

Despite wanting a more competitive race, however, Carragher admitted that he thinks the Premier League will still be a two-horse race between Liverpool and Manchester City, who are 'a long way ahead of the rest'.

"I expect all the teams trying to chase Liverpool to do better than they did last season, but I only see two teams in contention for the title and that will be the top two for the last couple of years."

Manchester United finished third last season and have added to their ranks with the £39m signing of Donny van de Beek, while Chelsea have spent big to overhaul their squad, including breaking their club transfer record to sign Kai Havertz from Bayer Leverkusen.