02 January 2024 , 11:59
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Jamie Carragher has stood by his decision to name no Aston Villa players in his team of the season so far.
Unai Emery's Villa have been flying in 2023, following a strong end to last season by climbing to second place in the league on New Year's Day. They sit just three points behind leaders Liverpool, who beat Newcastle to open up a gap to their rivals.
Carragher included players from six different clubs in his selection, with Liverpool and Tottenham each claiming three of the 11 spots. The lack of Villa representation didn't sit well with fans of the Midlands club, but Carragher has doubled down.
While there were no Villa players in Carragher's selection, he did name Emery as his manager. Spurs' Guglielmo Vicario is the goalkeeper, with team-mate Destiny Udogie at left-back and Arsenal's William Saliba in central defence, while Liverpool pair Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk round out the back four.
Arsenal's second representative is Declan Rice, who is joined by Manchester City's Bernardo Silva and Chelsea's former City star Cole Palmer in a midfield three. Up top, Liverpool's Mo Salah and Spurs' Son Heung-min take the wide spots either side of West Ham's Jarrod Bowen.
Carragher doubles down and insists "worst run club" Everton proved him right
One of the first replies mentioned Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite, who Carragher said was "Very close to making the team along with, Alisson, [Pedro] Porro, [Douglas] Luiz, [Lucas] Paqueta & [Ollie] Watkins!". The lack of any on-field Villa representation didn't go down too well as a whole, but Carragher stuck to his guns.
"The team of the season is a bit of fun so relax," Carragher added. "Not necessarily who we think are the best players, but players who in different circumstances have excelled so far.
Who else should have made Jamie Carragher's selection? Have your say in the comments section
Jamie Carragher has stood by his picks (Getty Images)"Understand Villa fans' frustration, but which player of yours was the biggest omission??" he asked. One response described Luiz and Watkins as "the obvious two," while there were also shouts for John McGinn, Boubacar Kamara and Pau Torres.
Brazil midfielder Luiz was competing for one spot, Carragher explained, with Rice claiming the deep-lying berth. "I was only picking one from Luiz, Rodri or Rice," he said.
"I went for Rice because of a couple of late winners which were vital. And joining a new club for a massive fee & playing like he had been there a long time."
The former England and Liverpool defender defended his other midfield suggestions despite the shouts for McGinn and West Ham number 10 Paqueta. Up front, meanwhile, he indicated Watkins wasn't the only player pipped by Bowen.
"[Dominic] Solanke was also in the running along with [Erling] Haaland!!!!" he added. "Bowen had scored in 11/18 games, plus he scored in 7 consecutive away games which is a record!!"