‘It blew my mind' – Gary Neville doesn’t hold back with honest Liverpool admission

Gary Neville admitted that recent percentages predicting who will win the Premier League title “blew his mind”. Liverpool currently sit atop the table after 11 games with a five-point lead over Manchester City and a nine-point advantage ahead of Arsenal.

Fans are buoyed by their strong start under Arne Slot, losing just a single match, which has sparked discussions about their title prospects. Still, ex-Manchester United skipper Neville questioned the accuracy of such forecasts after the poll suggested the Reds are 60% likely to walk away with the title come May.

The former England international also claimed that it’s still too early to determine who will win the league. “Last night, I got stopped in my tracks. I saw Sky Sports’ Instagram feed post a title probability percentage – it blew my mind,” Neville said on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet.

“Liverpool are 60% likely – the most likely to win the title. Manchester City have a 34% chance of winning the title, and Arsenal have a 4.9% chance of winning. There’s no way that’s right – Arsenal at 4% and Liverpool at 60%? I don’t feel like that probability is right at this moment in time.”

Neville also claimed that “only five teams have ever been this far in front at this stage of the season, and they’ve all won the league”, no doubt an exciting tidbit for Liverpool fans. However, while the Reds are in good spirits after last weekend’s vital 2-0 victory over Aston Villa, many supporters will be erring on the side of caution.

The Anfield faithful are all too familiar with overconfidence, as history has haunted them with misleading stats before. Liverpool have notoriously been atop the league at Christmas only to lose the title an astonishing five times.

While they did enjoy Premier League success in 2019/20 under Jurgen Klopp, they have also lost out on the title in recent seasons in painful fashion. The 2021/22 season saw Klopp’s side pipped by a point by City, while in 2018/19, their stunning 97 points was still one short, once again to Pep Guardiola’s side.

Former Reds star Jamie Carragher has now called for the club to use the January transfer window wisely if they want to go on and clinch the title. The former Liverpool captain suggests making a pivotal signing that could be the linchpin for lifting the trophy come May.

Slot’s first window was subdued, with Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes overseeing only the acquisition of Federico Chiesa. However, having seen the side win 15 of their 17 matches so far this season, Carragher has challenged the Reds to make a mark, perhaps by going back in for Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi.

The ex-captain also claimed Liverpool may not find themselves in this position again for some time and so should take advantage of their lead.

“If I was Liverpool I would be doing that (strengthening in January),” Carragher said. “I was thinking about this – if you are Arne Slot and let’s say an average Premier League manager is at a top club for two or three years trying to win the league.

“Arteta has been there (Arsenal) for four or five years. You are trying to build something. He might never be in this position again in terms of being nine points clear of Arsenal and five clear of City.

“There’s a long way to go, I get that, but we know Liverpool don’t do silly things in the transfer market but if there is something there right now. Do it.”