Jamie Carragher believes Manchester City have the two best players in the Premier League at their disposal.
Based on this season especially, Carragher’s claims is justified.
Phil Foden is certainly in the conversations for being the most in-form player in English football, with Ally McCoist stating that he has been the best of the best last month.
Foden has had his best season in a City shirt, with Fulham midfielder Tom Cairney agreeing with the Scottish pundit as well.
The fact that the £225,000-a-week man was rested against Crystal Palace ahead of the Sky Blues’ upcoming contest against Real Madrid is a sign of his growing importance at the Etihad Stadium.
But to say Phil Foden has far and away been City’s and potentially the best player in the league would be a stretch with how remarkable Rodri has also been this season.
Steve Bruce claimed that he is “not sure” whether there is a superior player to the Spanish international in the English top-flight as well.
Jamie Carragher says City have the two best players in the Premier League
Declan Rice recently revealed that Manchester City’s English representatives have told him that when Rodri is unavailable through injury or suspension, they are not the same team.
Such is the impact the 27-year-old has on arguably the best team in the world, with Phil Foden describing him as his boyhood club’s “most important player” as well.
Once again this campaign, the former Atletico Madrid anchor has found a way to elevate his game, as he has become an all-action midfielder in a similar vein to Patrick Vieira.
Gone are the days when Rodri was just a traditional sitting midfielder.
This season, the ex-Villareal midfielder is his side’s entire midfield in a sense, holding the forth in front of the back four, driving forward with the ball and popping up with goals and assists, as he did for Kevin De Bruyne’s second strike against Palace.
With how influential Foden and Rodri have been for City, one would assume Carragher meant to name the duo.
Instead, Jamie Carragher has opted for Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland as the Premier League’s two best players while touching on Manchester City’s 4-2 win against Crystal Palace.
“I thought it was ominous. Just [Kevin] De Bruyne and [Erling] Haaland getting back and for me, they’re the two best players in the league. You just think of the physicality of Haaland, he will score goals, Kevin De Bruyne is the best player in the Premier League.”
“And if those two start to click, I think they are a level above in terms of what Arsenal and Liverpool have got in terms of going forward. So, I thought it was quite ominous how City went one down and won so convincingly”, he said on Sky Sports’ The Gary Neville Podcast.
Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland need to click now
In our view, Jamie Carragher is spot on Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland, with others likely mentioning Mohamed Salah, Alisson Becker and Declan Rice alongside the pair as the league’s crème-de-la-crème of players.
With City facing Real Madrid in the Champions League, an FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea and with just seven games left in the league as well, De Bruyne and Haaland must click now.
Against Crystal Palace, the pairing’s contributions were a reminder that they could still give City the edge in all the competitions they are fighting for.
For Manchester City to succeed on all or at least multiple fronts, Pep Guardiola needs two of arguably his biggest superstars to emerge as difference-makers or his side might struggle to get over the line.