Steve McManaman: Corach Rambler can win the Grand National again

With the prestigious Grand National race set to take place on Saturday, ex Liverpool midfielder, and former racehorse owner, Steve McManaman has claimed that Corach Rambler can win back-to-back National’s this weekend. Speaking to Betfred, McManaman also spoke about his favourite ever winner in the handicap steeplechase, his thoughts on the recent changes made to it and all the latest from the footballing world. 

There have been seven dual winners of the Grand National - can 2023 hero Corach Rambler become the eighth?

“Yes, he certainly could do it and he’s the favourite. The odds on him winning are short again and his preparation has been set-up for this race. They’re better horses competing with him this time around, in particular I Am Maximus and Vanillier, but he certainly has a chance of winning the Grand National again.”

Who's your all-time favourite Grand National winner and why?

“I once previously backed Lord Gyllene to win the race at around 14/1 and that was a good winner at the time. I also backed Tiger Roll when he won for the second time and that was a great feat for Gordon Elliott. 

“Coming from Liverpool, you’re always associated with Red Rum but sadly he was a bit before my time. Apart from memories of backing a horse, which is quite selfish to mention, my favourite Grand National ever has to be when AP McCoy won it in 2010. He was a good mate of mine and I’d go and see him in Liverpool city centre during the festival and we’d meet up for a meal and some drinks and it was very special to see his long awaited win at the Grand National.”

What do you make of the recent changes made to the race - i.e the reduced field, a standing start, higher minimum rating?

“There’s always going to be tweaks made to make racing a bit safer and if it’s done for those reasons, then I have no problem with that. As long as the professionals in the sport, the trainers and the jockeys are happy, then so am I. 

“It’s a great race to win and the prize money on offer is exceptional, so all the best horses want to compete in it, which makes the standard of the race very high and Gold Cup horses are now in this race because of the prize money.

“I can completely understand why they want to make the race safer and even though it will remove some aspects from the spectacle, as long as it’s safer for everyone competing, then that’s surely a good thing.

“This race is the highlight of the racing calendar and more eyes will be on it than any other, so it’s even more prone to scrutiny from a safety aspect.”

Onto the football, do you believe Liverpool will be happy going into the final seven Premier League games in the position they’re in? 

“Yes, definitely. They’re second on goal difference, so they’re in a good position and they’ll be happy. Against Manchester United, Liverpool would have left the game feeling frustrated because it’s very simple to identify what went wrong for them, but it’s not as if they were hammered. Arguably, it was two points dropped against their fierce rivals, so that will be the frustration but going into the last seven games joint-top, you’d take that. 

“All three teams have had injuries, they’re all in Europe and they’ve all got to get on with it now. Liverpool know what went wrong against Manchester United and they have to put it right.”

Which team out of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City do you believe will be feeling the most confident that they can win it?

“I think all three teams will be confident, but I believe Manchester City will be the most confident because they’ve been there on a number of occasions and they’ve come out on top in numerous closely fought title races.

“The eyes of the world are still waiting for Arsenal to slip up because they did last year and on the opposite end of the spectrum, people are expecting Manchester City to win all of their remaining games because they’ve done it before. 

“At this moment in time, all you can go off is history and what teams have done previously. Arsenal and Manchester City both won easily at the weekend and now all three of them have to compete in European competition and not take it lightly because they’re all participating in the knockout stages of the respective competitions they’re in. They’ve all got to hope that their squads can remain fit for this crucial period of the season and Liverpool will be hoping that certain senior players can return from injury soon to participate in it.”

Where do you believe Arsenal, Liverpool or Manchester City could slip up in the Premier League title run-in? 

“They’ve all got similar run-ins because they’ve each got to face sides in the top six and a couple of teams in the bottom six. Everton are in the bottom six, but when Liverpool go to Goodison Park later this month, Everton’s league position isn’t going to mean that it will be an easy game for them because it’s a derby. Tottenham are fighting to qualify for the Champions League, so they will be tough opponents for both Liverpool and Arsenal.

“It’s important to remember how professional these three teams are because they are where they are in the table for a reason. They’ll be favourites for every league game they participate in between now and the end of the season, regardless of whether it’s home or away. When you’re fighting for the title, you need to win these big games. It’s as simple as that.

“Liverpool are playing in the Europa League, so they will have to play on Sundays and eventually the pressure will ramp up on one or two of the competing trio and there will be negative things in the press or on social media and it’s up to them to ride it out.”

Is this the greatest title race in Premier League history in your opinion?

“The Manchester United and Arsenal title races were brilliant but with three teams involved this year, especially when you consider that Manchester City have dominated largely in recent times and Liverpool were the only team challenging them, it’s certainly more interesting. Three teams up there with seven games to go and the prospect of goal difference even changing things, it’s certainly the most intriguing race I’ve witnessed over the past few years, definitely.”

Do you think that Mo Salah should be more in the conversation for PFA Player of the Year? Phil Foden, Rodri and Declan Rice are the current favourites. For you, where does he rank amongst the greatest ever to play for Liverpool?

“As far as outstanding seasons go, I don’t believe this has been one of Mo’s because he’s suffered a couple of injuries. For that reason, I can understand why Rodri, Phil and Declan are the current favourites for the award. From what we’ve seen over the years, you’d have never thought that two defensive midfielders would be amongst the favourites to win it. Phil Foden has scored a couple of hat-tricks and he’s played really well this season, so you can understand why he’s up there, but both Mo and Erling Haaland have had their injuries to contend with this campaign so it’s not hard to comprehend why they’re not at the forefront of the argument. 

“Mo is certainly up there with the greatest forwards in Liverpool’s history. If he had been producing what he’s done for three or four years then I’d probably say no, but because he’s done it for seven now, then you have to say he is one of the best the club’s ever had. He may have had a few injuries this season, but during his time at Anfield he’s looked after himself very well and his constitution has been phenomenal. You have to talk about him as one of the iconic forwards, definitely.” 

Do you have a gut feeling that Rúben Amorim will become the next Liverpool manager? He’s also linked with the Barcelona job, but do you believe Liverpool’s the more attractive proposition out of the two?

“Of course Liverpool are. I don’t mean any disrespect towards Barcelona, but they’re an absolute financial mess. They’re an enormous club with a great history, but Liverpool are certainly the better proposition at the moment for any prospective manager. 

“Barcelona’s salary cap is going to be cut again next season and when it comes to bringing in players, then you have to be a magician to balance the books there. Liverpool are in a far healthier position than Barcelona are at this moment in time. 

“From all the reports recently, it does look as if Liverpool are looking to bring Rúben in and it doesn’t surprise me that it’s not Roberto De Zerbi or someone like Julian Nagelsmann. I think the stories we’re reading about Amorim are the right ones.

“Deco’s the sporting director at Barcelona, so it makes sense that they’re interested in a Portuguese manager, but I think to go into that club at this moment in time would be extremely difficult due to the restrictions they’ve got and the resurgence of Real Madrid if Kylian Mbappé turns up. If he does, then they’re going to be even better next season and that’s going to make it even harder for any manager to excel at Barcelona.”

Gary O'Neil is another name in the betting market to become Liverpool’s next manager. Do you believe he could be a good appointment for your former club?

“It’s too early for him. I know him personally, I really like him and his number two Tim Jenkins is a really good friend of mine from his time at Liverpool’s academy, but to go in after Jürgen Klopp is impossible. You need far more experience to manage Liverpool and I’m not saying that he’s not good enough, but he needs more time elsewhere before he can take a job like that, similar to Xabi Alonso. 

“Being the manager of a huge club is more than just dealing with the squad at your disposal, it’s about managing the history, managing the fans and managing the expectation that comes with the job. It’s not fair for Gary to be mentioned as a successor because he’s had a very short career to date, but he’s done fantastic work at Wolves and Bournemouth respectively. I wish him all the best and I do believe in the future that there will be bigger jobs out there for him, but he’s not ready for Liverpool yet.”

Do you have a suspicion that Xabi Alonso is waiting for the Real Madrid job to become available?

“Yes, very possibly, I don’t know for sure but the Real Madrid job will always be on the horizon. Xabi has a house out in Madrid and has history at the club. If Carlo Ancelotti is going to step down next year, it’s another year for Xabi to get experience under his belt and that move wouldn’t surprise me whatsoever. 

“However, in a years’ time, you have no idea what will be happening at Bayern Munich and elsewhere. Are Paris Saint-Germain going to be looking for a new manager? Is Pep Guardiola going to be at Manchester City in two years time? You just never know.

“I think it’s the right decision for Xabi to remain with Bayer Leverkusen for another year and put the rumours to bed for the time being. Now he can concentrate on winning the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal. He’s got a great chance of winning a domestic double when you consider that Leverkusen are coming up against Kaiserslautern, who’re in the second tier of German football.

“He’s got a great opportunity to create history at Bayer Leverkusen and the pressure will definitely be on him next year, but he’s learning all the time and that’s what we should let him do.” 

Liverpool, Manchester City and Real Madrid are all linked with a move for Bayer Leverkusen’s 20-year-old playmaker Florian Wirtz. Do you believe Florian is a special talent? Do you believe he would be a superstar in the Premier League or would it be too hard for him to turn down Real Madrid if they come in for him?

“I’m unsure what the financial implications there are at Leverkusen but I’d presume there will be additional finances if they win the Bundesliga and qualify for next season’s Champions League, so I don’t necessarily believe they will sell him at this moment in time. They’re normally backed quite well at Leverkusen, but I don’t know how much money they’ve got in reserve and if they need to sell him. 

“This has been his breakout year. He’s jumped into the German national team which has helped his stock rise too. He’s had an incredible season, but I’d be very surprised if Real Madrid came in for him because they’ve got no space for him really. If they bring in Kylian Mbappé and Alphonso Davies, Madrid are going to have to start getting rid of players and there’s not many that they could get rid of that would allow Florian to play every single game. Luka Modrić may step down because of his age, or move elsewhere, but there aren’t many other spaces for Florian Wirtz to come in and fill, so I’d be very surprised if he joined Real Madrid.”

Cody Gakpo has been on the receiving end of criticism this season from his own club’s fans. Do you genuinely see Cody having a long-term future at Liverpool?

“Yes. Liverpool won their game against Brighton last week and he still got criticised, so I just think sometimes now, especially with social media, that everything is blown up to such an extent. It’s a worrying trait really because Liverpool are joint-top of the Premier League, they’re in the Europa League quarter-final, they only just got knocked out of the FA Cup final and they won the Carabao Cup, so I don’t see the need for criticism of any of the club’s players. 

“Cody’s only 18 months into his Liverpool career and he’s getting criticised. I don’t like all this social media nonsense where everybody lays into certain players off the back of a couple clips. I don’t like it at all. People need to think about the current situation, where he’s come from, how old he is, how long he’s been at Liverpool and how good the team is doing currently.”

How do you foresee Liverpool getting on in their two Europa League quarter-final ties against Serie A’s Atalanta? With the potential to play either Benfica or Marseille in the semi-final, are you confident that your former club will make it to the final in Dublin?

“I think you have to be. This is not a Liverpool thing, but Liverpool are playing Atalanta, who’re 6th in Serie A, then they have the prospect of playing Benfica or Marseille to reach the final, so I think even if you supported any other football team in the country, you’d still think that Liverpool should get to the final. It’s a favourable draw, Liverpool could have faced Bayer Leverkusen or had an even more difficult tie against West Ham because they’re English opposition, but if you have seen the way Liverpool have played and the draw they’ve got to get to the final, then it’s very favourable. Unless something incredible happens, I’d be really upset if Liverpool don’t make it to the final.” 

How often do you believe Brazilian wonderkid Endrick will be used by Real Madrid next season?

“I think they’ll try and bed him in slowly like Vinicius Jr when he came in from Flamengo, but I think Endrick has surpassed everyone’s expectations already and it would be very hard to dip him in and out when you consider that he’s already playing for the Brazilian national team. I think they’ll try and be patient with him because it’s important to be patient with him. 

“At such a young age, he’s so impressionable and you’ve seen the problems that Pedri and Gavi have faced at Barcelona and the media frenzy surrounding them, so they’ve got to be very careful with what they do with Endrick, as you don’t want to overuse a talent like him at such a young age. 

“I definitely think Real Madrid will try and be careful with him, although he’s a precocious talent that is already wonderful at the age of the 17, so they may have to try and bed him in and I think there will be opportunities to do so because of the strength of the squad next year, so they may be able to dip him in and out and hopefully won’t need to rely on him too much which I think is a really nice thing. 

“If you’ve got Vinicius Jr, Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo, Brahim Díaz and you’ve got the likes of Kylian Mbappé that you’re bringing in and Endrick, you can only really play three out of the six of them, so you can chop and change if you feel that certain games are easier than others. 

“I think Endrick will be a member of the first-team squad straight away and that’s where he belongs now. Whether they’ll try and move on a couple of the fringe players to make space in the squad is something that we will have to wait and see, but they will have a lot of forward players in their squad.”