Paul Merson: 'Winning Premier League better than winning Champions League'

By Daniel Lewis, Senior ReporterPublished: 03 March 2020 9:48 AM

Merson: 'Winning PL better than winning CL'

Paul Merson dismisses talk that Manchester City could enjoy a better season than Liverpool if they win the Champions League this season.

Former Arsenal forward Paul Merson has insisted that winning the Premier League is a bigger achievement than lifting the Champions League.

Merson was speaking in reference to suggestions that Manchester City could enjoy a better season than Liverpool should they go all the way in Europe.

Liverpool won the Champions League last season but are facing an early exit this time around as they trail Atletico Madrid 1-0 ahead of their last-16 second leg, while City lead Real Madrid 2-1 at the midway stage of their tie.

The Reds are 22 points clear at the top of the Premier League, though, and Merson feels that is a better indicator of a team's quality.

"Man City can still have a better season than Liverpool? They can't. They can't. Liverpool haven't won the league for 30 years. That's a feat to go and win it," he told Sky Sports News. "When you win the Premier League, it's 38 games, week in, week out. You turn up, you grind it.

"Sometimes you get beat, but you have to turn up again and keep on grinding out results. Liverpool won the Champions League losing more games than they did in the Premier League last season! How does that work?! That tells you everything. The Premier League is the ultimate, week in, week out.

"Man City win the Carabao Cup because their squad is massive and they have two teams. The FA Cup is won by the draw; the team don't win the FA Cup, the draw does. Of course the Premier League is bigger than the Champions League. Much bigger! I'd rather win the Premier League, every day of the week.

"In the group stage you only have to win three games and draw one. Real Madrid? They're not the team they used to be. As a professional footballer, over the grind of a season, for me winning the league over a 38-game season is the ultimate. You can lose around a third of your games in the Champions League and still win it!"

Liverpool tasted their first league defeat of the campaign in last weekend's trip to Watford, seeing them fall one short of setting a top-flight record for successive wins.