Why Carragher is right about Man City v Liverpool

Mike Minay, BBC Radio Manchester

Former Liverpool centre-back Jamie Carragher called this the best rivalry the Premier League has seen. Some have disagreed, saying that it needs the managers to be less friendly towards each other. But I'm with Carragher.

The managers would add to the spike if, perhaps, the teams lacked quality. It would give us a little extra to build the game around.

But there's so much quality out there. It's the finest margins that have separated the pair over the past four or five years. A combined XI could be changed repeatedly, with an argument for each player. This show of brilliance helps to create the Premier League's best ever rivalry.

I'm not saying that Arsenal v Manchester United lacked quality, or Chelsea v Liverpool - or even City v United. But the level that these players are producing is the highest standard the league has seen. Therefore, it has to be the best rivalry.

Then there's the fans. At any given time of the day, scroll through social media and there's a Liverpool fan poking at a City fan or vice versa. This week, the referee for the game, Anthony Taylor, has created the stir (unnecessarily, in my opinion). This all heightens the rivalry too.

So, do we really need the managers to bite? Or does their respect just show the quality of the rivalry on show. Let their teams do the talking. They don't need to.