Micah Richards confronted Jamie Carragher in Sky Sports studio after he 'put the knife in'
Micah Richards and Jamie Carragher are the best of friends on television, but there was one stage where the Manchester City legend had something to get off his chest
They laugh with each other on Sky Sports and CBS, but Micah Richards has not always been happy to see Jamie Carragher.
Richards, 36, and Carragher, 46, are two of the most famous and talked-about football pundits in the industry today. The former made his punditry debut in the 2019 Manchester derby, not long after he retired from football off the back of a difficult spell with Aston Villa.
But as he walked into the studio to see Carragher, Richards recalled some harsh words the Liverpool legend said on television after the Merseysiders beat Richards and his team-mates 6-0 at Villa Park. Carragher tore into the Midlanders' performance, blasting their attitudes and effort levels as much as their technical failures.
While Richards admitted it was a turgid display from him and his team-mates, he took exception to Carragher's comments about their professionalism.
READ MORE: Arne Slot may unleash Liverpool transfer to help Mohamed Salah and Premier League title pushREAD MORE: Man Utd recall star with 'immense ability' to fast-track into Ruben Amorim's first teamIn an exclusive interview with Mirror Football, Richards, who is starring in the 19th season of 'A League of Their Own' said: "I work with Jamie Carragher now. Carragher, I remember a game we played against Liverpool at home and Liverpool battered us 6-0.
"Carragher basically said, 'I wouldn't take one of those players. They are not good enough and they are not giving enough'. I took that personally.
"When I started doing punditry, I was like, 'I understand you can critique my performance in terms of not doing well, that's fine'. You have to take that. But when it's like, 'You’re not working hard enough’ or, 'You’re not giving any effort’, you don’t know that! You don’t know that, so you can’t say that!
"But it’s all fun and games at the end of the day. I had a conversation with him after that, and he said: 'I didn’t mean it like that’. He was just in the moment and the emotion of what he was talking about.
"To be honest, that season, we were poor for Villa, so I can understand why he was putting the knife in. Players, generally, are fine as long as it’s not personal. I try not to make it personal, certainly while I am doing my punditry.”
Carragher did not hold back then, and he certainly does not now, calling things how he sees them without sugar-coating his words. Richards also speaks his honest thoughts about players, football teams and refereeing decisions.
But while he is always objective, Richards is also aware of the effect his words may have on people. He added, "I wouldn’t say anything that I would regret. I have been in that situation. I am fresher out of the dressing room, and if you look at the senior pros, they are 15 or 20 years out of the dressing room.
"Things have changed. It used to be tough love back in the days when I was first coming through. Now, players are a lot more sensitive, but they are also open and honest. They are like ‘As long as you be fair and honest, they don’t mind’.
"Up to now, I don’t think I have ever said anything to upset anybody and if I have, it would be purely on football matters and nothing ever personal.”
Season 19 of A League of Their Own is on Sky Max and Sky Showcase every Thursday from 9pm
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