Jamie Carragher controversially snubbed Arsenal's Mikel Arteta and Manchester City's Pep Guardiola when making his Manager of the Year selection.
Arsenal extended their lead over City at the top of the table with a 4-2 win at Brighton on New Year's Eve.
After the game Arteta was coy regarding Arsenal’s chances of winning the league, insisting that the club’s seven-point gap at the summit “means nothing”.
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Nevertheless, the clubs’ dazzling form has made Emirates faithful dare to dream.
The Gunners have not won the Premier League since 2004, but Arteta’s side are currently in pole position to claim what would be their 14th league title.
Arteta and Guardiola snubbed by Carragher
Despite Arsenal’s impressive league form this term, and City’s Premier League triumph last season, neither Arteta nor Guardiola were named Manager of the Year by Carragher.
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Instead, the former Liverpool star crowned Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe as the best manager of 2022.
Howe has overseen a stunning turn-around on tyne-side, with the Magpies currently third in the table, having lost just one game all season.
Writing in the Telegraph, Carragher said: “The first phase of the new era at Newcastle United is a triumph of coaching more than the result of a financial revolution.
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“I don’t believe any other manager could have bettered Howe’s work at St James’ Park over the past 12 months.
“Had the club’s Saudi Arabia owners’ somehow lured Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp to the northeast upon completing their takeover, the team would not be in a stronger position.
“Much has been made of the money available at Newcastle and where it will eventually take the club. It is inaccurate and unfair to judge Howe’s early work through that lens.
“He has led a team that was second from bottom to third in the Premier League through a combination of astute purchases and by vastly improving the performances of those players he inherited.”
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Naturally, Carragher did concede that a contributing factor to Newcastle's success had been the cash-injection provided by the club’s mega-rich owners.
The pundit continued: “Financial backing has been part of it, but secondary to Howe changing Newcastle’s style.
“They have gone from a defensively minded team trying to grind out results to entertainers playing on the front-foot.
“Yes, the new ownership has shifted the landscape in the short-term and long-term for Newcastle.
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“Howe was backed in the transfer window upon his appointment and no club spent more in the calendar year.
“But look closer at those deals and they have nothing in common with the early splurges of Chelsea under Roman Abramovich, or Manchester City under Sheikh Mansour.
“Most presumed a Newcastle top-four challenge would be two or three years away, not a matter of months, and there are enough recent examples of clubs spending big under new ownership and going backwards because of poor recruitment.”
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Football, Jamie Carragher, Manchester City, Arsenal, Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta, Premier League, Eddie Howe, Newcastle United