- Manchester City used to be the team neutrals always wanted to lose
- Jamie Carragher thinks their disdain has moved towards Arsenal
- This is the now the case due to three reasons.
Jamie Carragher believes there are three factors which are causing neutral supporters to root for Manchester City rather than Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final.
‘Anyone but City’ has become the motto for many football fans in recent years, with Pep Guardiola’s team repeatedly winning Premier League titles.
This type of attitude is nothing new, with the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool viewed in the same way in times past.
However, Jamie Carrgaher believes the baton has now been passed on to Arsenal, which is due to three reasons.
Jamie Carragher claims neutrals want Man City to win the Carabao Cup
According to the Liverpool legend, ‘anyone but Arsenal’ has become the new norm, despite Man City’s lack of popularity due to their wealthy owners, as well as the FFP charges they are facing.
“Arsenal have achieved the seemingly impossible ahead of this weekend’s Carabao Cup final: they have inspired neutrals across the country to root for Manchester City,” Carragher told The Telegraph.
“This curious shift in popular opinion is not limited to the outcome at Wembley; the same applies, even more intensely, to the Premier League title race.
“Pep Guardiola, the architect of City’s modern dominance, must believe he is living in a strange new world.
“When faced with the choice between City – the club who have relentlessly added to their trophy cabinet since the Abu Dhabi takeover and are still awaiting the outcome of an investigation into 115 alleged breaches of financial rules – and Arsenal, who are desperate to end a significant wait for silverware, the prevailing choice of the majority is no longer ‘anyone but City’.”
“Instead, the overriding sentiment feels like ‘anyone but Arsenal’. This is caused by a blend of tribalism, hypocrisy and timing,” he continued.
“The prospect of Arsenal being emboldened by trophies – either the Premier League, the Champions League, or even both – is one that many rivals find tough to take.
“This ‘they will be unbearable if they win the league’ accusation is a complaint that is more worthy of the school playground than any intelligent football discussion, but my suspicion is that it is the underlying fear that is really driving the anti-Arsenal sentiment.”
Carragher added: “It is this psychological warfare, more than any credible complaints about their tactics, that has Arsenal fighting an army of neutrals as much as Manchester City at Wembley.”
Man City will only care what their own supporters think
It may be slightly comforting for Man City not to be the team that everyone is desperate to lose, as was the case in last season’s FA Cup final against Crystal Palace.
However, Arsenal and Man City fans are the only ones who will be present at Wembley and it is those travelling from the north west who need to get behind their team.
There was a lot of talk before the Champions League second leg against Real Madrid about how important it would be for the supporters to give the players their backing.
This can make a big difference, particularly in the biggest games, so it is important that those making the trip to London raise their voices to spur on Guardiola’s men.
