Jamie Carragher on Liverpool Maintaining Their High Standards & Man City Threat

Exclusive - Jamie Carragher felt every second of Liverpool's historic 2019/20 season. Watching Jürgen Klopp's men win their first Premier League title and flirt with becoming The Invincibles 2.0 is something the former Reds defender will never forget.

The challenge now for Liverpool? Do it all again.

Klopp will know that winning the league by 18 points is almost certainly not going to happen again. Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are all gunning for Liverpool, who will enter the 2020/21 season with a target on their back.

One not-so-simple way of ensuring another Premier League title is being as good this season as they were last, but speaking to 90min ahead of Sky Sports' 29th season of live Premier League coverage, club legend Carragher accepts that it should be impossible for Liverpool to do it all again.

"It's hard to be as good as they were last year in terms of points," he begins. "To be as good, they've got to get 99, 100 points. Can I see Liverpool doing that again? I can't, but I said that last year and they got 97 points.

"After 27 games, I think Liverpool had won 26 and drew one. They can't do that, that's just unbelievable. They dropped off a little bit after lockdown, but I'm not really counting that in some ways - the league was already won. After 27 games, the league was won. Can I see that happening again? No.

"I definitely think you'll have to get 90 points. To say you've got to get 98, 99 points to win the league, it's just so tough to do. What Liverpool and City have done in recent years, you can't believe what you're watching. When the points tallies eventually drop off, we'll say, 'remember when teams were getting nearly 100 points?'.

"I can't see Liverpool doing it again because it's such an unbelievable achievement, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did it again because they've done it two years in a row."

The problem for Liverpool is that they aren't the only side to have proven themselves capable of reaching such heights. City won the 2017/18 title with 100 points and retained it with 98.

To finish on a comparatively meagre 81 points last season came as a real shock to City and manager Pep Guardiola, who had just the Carabao Cup to show from an otherwise bitterly disappointing year. However, after splashing the cash on Nathan Aké and Ferran Torres already this window, City look to be eyeing a comeback.

"I think it'll hurt Guardiola, how far behind they were," Carragher explains. "Not just losing the league, but not competing.

"Guardiola's record, wherever he's been - Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Man City - they've always got 95-plus points. That's the norm for Pep Guardiola teams. I'd expect them to be there or thereabouts, around the 90 mark. That'll make it a lot more competitive.

"It'll hurt him, last year, because he's just not used to that at all. He's a serial winner. He'll certainly want to change that, and I think he will.

"City are the best team to watch in that they can go and win 6-0, 7-0. They do that regularly through the season. Liverpool don't really do that. But City, even after lockdown when they looked so impressive, they can still lose games - away at Southampton, the cup semi-final, the Champions League. They still look like they can lose games."

Carragher knows that Liverpool can't afford to lose focus. City are obviously out for revenge, while both United and Chelsea are looking to make a statement.

For now, the Reds must have their sights set on Saturday's Premier League opener against Leeds United - a game which Carragher is well aware has the potential to be a tough test for any team on the planet.

"Liverpool played Norwich in the first game last year, and I think it'll be a completely different game from that one," he says. "I think it'll be a lot tougher for Liverpool. Norwich played right into Liverpool's hands, I'm not sure Leeds will. It's very important, and I think Jürgen Klopp will hammer home, Leeds is going to be a tough game for everyone this season.

"You don't want to get shocked on that first day of the season. We know that Bielsa's teams maybe fall away in the second half of the season, there's so much intensity in the first half, so if you're playing them in the first game, you can imagine how intense it's going to be.

"I see Liverpool winning by the odd goal, but I think it'll be one of those where when the game's finished, you think 'thank God we got out of there with three points'."

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