Exclusive Interview with Richard Dunne: Insights on Everton, Aston Villa, and Man City

Last updated: December 10, 2024 by Leon Marshal

Richard Dunne is an Irish former professional footballer who played for Everton, Man City, Aston Villa and Queens Park Rangers. Here, he joins us for an exclusive interview with the best betting sites team to provide his opinion on all things Premier League, and a look at some of his former clubs.

Premier League Observations

Richard Dunne playing for Irish national team – © Michael Kranewitter, Wikimedia Commons, CC-by-sa 4.0

Who are the current favourites for the Premier League title?

Over the course of a 10-month season, you normally will get a period where things don’t go well. Every team normally experiences a bad patch, and I think there are difficult times for Liverpool to come.

The lead they’ve got is substantial, certainly over the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City.

I think Liverpool have surprised a lot of people in terms of how well they’ve settled as a team. They look really balanced squad-wise.

With City at the moment, I don’t see them being capable of recovering. I don’t think they have the squad at the moment to be able to go on that run that they normally do. I think it’s a lot more difficult for them this season than it would have been in others.

I would certainly put Liverpool as title favourites at this moment in time.

What about the top four?

That top four race is going to be quite interesting, I think, as well.

I mean, it’s got a bit of a familiar look to it at the moment with Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and City there, but just behind with Forest, Villa, Brighton, Bournemouth, you know, you could say that from 5th down to United in 13th, there’s only six points difference.

Maybe top four might sort of establish itself in another five games or something like that. There might be a little bit of a gap that starts to emerge there.

It seems at the moment from 5th to 13th, anyone’s in the hunt for what could be Champions League and certainly the Europa League and the Conference League.

It’s really exciting and the league is as competitive as it’s ever been this season.

Certainly, at the moment, you look at the top three and you would expect them to take those places in the Champions League race. I would expect Man City to be there as well. When everyone’s fit and available for them, I think they’re capable of putting a run together at some stage. It won’t be enough to win them the title, but certainly to finish in the top four.

Tottenham, Newcastle and Man United are three teams that have been far too inconsistent for me to have any sort of faith that they can put together a run of maybe 20 games and become a team that can challenge Man City or challenge for the top four.

I don’t think Champions League football is secured for Man City yet, but I think they’ll have too much for everyone else and will win that race.

What has been the biggest surprise for you in the Premier League this season?

It’s a huge surprise to see how quickly Man City have unravelled after losing Rodri to injury. They’ve also been without Kevin De Bruyne for a long period, and I think he’s a player that has been if not the best, then one of the best in the Premier League for the last ten years.

Any team would miss those types of players, but for City to be on the run that they’ve been on, nobody saw that coming.

Who would you consider to be the most exciting English player in the Premier League?

I think it’s almost really obvious, because he’s been that good, but Cole Palmer has to be the best English player in the Premier League.

He gets all the accolades, and he deserves them. He’s a different type of player to anyone else in the league.

He’s just so calm and relaxed, and he looks like he’s not even interested at times, but the little twists and touches and the vision that he’s got, the calmness that he’s got is just incredible.

There’s been a bit of a debate about the greatest ever CB’s to play in the Premier League. Some people are putting Virgil van Dijk in there – if you had to name the best pair, who are you putting in there?

There were a lot more dominating CBs during my era than there is currently. I think that the best one was probably John Terry.

He was incredible when he was at Chelsea, and not just for his own performances, but how he led the team and how he led the whole club from the front.

John Terry won so many trophies. I would have to definitely put John Terry as one of the pair of the best CBs to ever play in the Premier League. It would be John Terry and someone else. If you’re looking at this generation of defenders, then you’ve got van Dijk, who is having another incredible season. You would put William Saliba and Gabriel in the equation with Arsenal.

Looking back to when John played, it was him, Rio Ferdinand, Vidic, Sol Campbell, those guys were the best.

I would pick John Terry, and I would go with Rio Ferdinand alongside him.  

Premier League and SPFL ‘Naughty and Nice’ List

Which Premier League player, manager or club would be at the top of Santa’s good list for having an outstanding season so far? I think you have to put Arne Slot at the top of Santa’s Good List. He’s been brilliant since he stepped into the dugout at Anfield.

It’s never easy when you follow in the footsteps of a legendary manager, we’ve seen how difficult that can be with what happened at Manchester United after Fergie left and what happened at Arsenal when Wenger left – there’s normally a period where the club dips, but Liverpool have carried on and kept moving forward.

Which Premier League player, manager or club would be at the top of Santa’s naughty list and must be better / improve in the New Year?

I find it difficult to get away from Man United in terms of topping the Naughty List. I think how they started the season with Erik ten Hag, a manager that I think the club hierarchy knew wasn’t the right man and wasn’t going to improve things, but they decided to stick with him.

Not only did they decide to stick with him, but they also spent hundreds of millions of pounds on players that now don’t look like the right fit for the new manager that has just come in.

I think the players have underperformed for a long, long period of time and for them to be sitting in thirteenth in the league, it’s difficult to understand that. Even with all of the issues at the club, United sat in thirteenth in December shouldn’t be happening.

Questions on Everton

As a former centre half, what kind of ceiling does Jarrad Branthwaite have, and do you see him as a good fit at Old Trafford?

From watching him play, obviously Jarrad Branthwaite had that period at PSV, who are a huge club over in Holland, so he’s had that experience of playing for a team that is expected to be up the top end of the table. I certainly think he can do that no problem – I don’t have any concerns about his ability to play for a club that are expected to win more football games than they lose and challenge for titles.

Jarrad Branthwaite can definitely operate at the top end of the table in the Premier League.

I think a few clubs will be looking at him. If Manchester United’s interest has moved on with all of the changes that are happening at the club, then I think a team like Chelsea would definitely be interested in him. I think he has the right kind of profile to play for them and any of the top four clubs.

He’s such a good player, left-footed centre back, they don’t come around very often.

I do think that there will be a line of clubs trying to sign him. Maybe not so much in January, but I think next summer, Everton will have questions to answer. Can they afford to keep him? Are they ambitious enough to convince him to sign a new contract?

At what point do Everton decide to make a change from Sean Dyche after years of underachievement and a new stadium on the horizon? Do you think he survives the season? Like you say, I think when new owners come in, it’s generally curtains for a manager. They normally want someone else to come in.

I think at the moment, Sean Dyche is the right man for Everton. I think what he can do with that squad is going to be more than enough to keep them up.

So, I think he will finish the season, and that’s what should happen. That would be the sensible thing for the new owners to do.

Long term, new stadium, new ownership, it seems to me that it’s inevitable that they will appoint a new manager in the summer. Most owners want a new man to be the face of a project; to be the face of the beginning of a new era and all that stuff.

I think between now and then, Sean Dyche should be the one that is given the opportunity to continue to manage Everton in the Premier League.

Everton have been really inconsistent. They’re going to go through periods where they lose 5 or 6 games in a row and then they come back, and they pick up a few points and then they lose again.

Obviously, the fans want more than that. Moving into a new stadium raises those expectations. As I said, I suspect that the owners will eventually be looking to bring a new manager into the football club.

Questions on Manchester United

Were you surprised by the announcement that Dan Ashworth had left the club given the lengths that United went to get their man? I think the dynamic of Dan Ashworth’s sudden departure is very strange. To wait so long for somebody and then to release them after five months, that doesn’t make much sense.

When you look at INEOS in football, you look at Nice and the French League, which is basically a one-team league, but they did not qualify for the Champions League.

I think a team like Nice, who are a huge size, should be more than capable of competing to get into the Champions League places in the French League.

If I was a United fan and I was looking at Nice since INEOS went in there, then I would be concerned because Nice haven’t been able to compete with the best clubs in France since they went in there.

Each little decision that is being taken at the club makes you question whether they’re the right people to take the club forward. It does leave you concerned that they have got United on the right track and are heading in the right direction and all that sort of stuff.

I’ve watched a couple of their games recently, they’ve been poor. 

Man City vs Man Utd

United have lost their last two games at The Etihad by a combined margin of 9-4, with Phil Foden and Erling Haaland getting all of City’s goals. What do those two bring to a game like this which United have struggled with?

Foden and Haaland are special players. Both haven’t been at their dominant best so far this season, but I think any team would struggle to deal with them when they’re flying, so it’s no surprise that they’ve had such a massive impact on the scoreline of the last two Manchester derbies played at The Etihad.

Form isn’t with City at the moment. Several players are playing below par. Pep will be missing Rico Lewis too, so he’s going to have to try and find another combination in his midfield for the match with Rodri still missing.

I still think that City will be favourites. They can be a really dangerous team on their day, of course they can.

United will always carry a threat, but City will be favourites, and I’d expect them to come out on top against United on Sunday.

Questions on Aston Villa

Is Jhon Duran the best back-up striker in the Premier League?

I think Jhon Duran is the best back-up striker in the Premier League. He’s sort of getting himself into the super-sub conversations and the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer comparisons now.

The way he can come on and make a difference in games is sensational. He’s obviously a hugely talented footballer, and I’m sure that he wants to be starting more games, but the impact that he has from the bench is almost unique and it’s a huge bonus for any squad to have a player that can do that sort of stuff from the bench.

He deserves huge respect, because coming off the bench and making a difference is one of the hardest things to do in football. He would much rather be starting games, and I think to say that he’s best back-up striker or bench option in the Premier League is a bit disrespectful towards him. He’s a brilliant striker and I think he’s proven that this season. He deserves huge respect.

Questions on Manchester City

There has been speculation linking Kevin De Bruyne with a move away from City at the end of the season, but he returned to the starting line-up for the win over Forest. Just how important is he to City’s chances of reeling in Liverpool this season and do you see him finishing his career in Manchester under Pep?

I think Kevin De Bruyne is hugely important. He’s been the Premier League’s best player for the last ten years or so.

The team hasn’t played as well, they’re not as creative without him. I’m sure the reason for Kevin not starting that many games recently is because the manager doesn’t want to lose him long term again. Pep Guardiola wants to keep him available for the rest of the season, so if that means an extra week or two on the bench to manage his minutes, then so be it.

We all know what difference a fit and firing Kevin De Bruyne can make, so it’s important for City that they keep him fit for the remainder of the season.

Without Rodri in that midfield, you need someone that can do something different.

I think Kovacic, Rico Lewis and Gundogan, they’ve all gone into that central midfield area, and they haven’t really made that much of a difference. Obviously, they are really talented players, but they don’t take Man City’s game to a higher level like if Rodri or Kevin De Bruyne do when they’re available.

To have him back is huge. In terms of the long-term future, I have no idea. I think a player who gets over 30, regardless of how good you are, there are doubts.

With Kevin’s absences and the injuries…it’s hard to say what will happen. I think he’s definitely good enough to play for a couple more years in the Premier League.

The one thing that I would encourage them to go out and do is try and find a long-term replacement for Kevin in the next couple of windows. They need to learn from the mistake of not having a player to back-up Rodri.

Jack Grealish has struggled to show his best form recently with Pep hinting at fitness issues across his team. What more can Jack do to get back on the right track and how best should the manager try to use him?

Yeah, it’s almost like you would like to see more of the old Jack Grealish at times. There’s no doubt that he’s improved as a player since he’s gone to Man City. At Man City, he’s become a different type of player than what he was at Aston Villa, and I think his knowledge of the game will have improved and his understanding of his role in the team will have improved.

He’s quite secure in how he plays in terms of he’ll get down the line and come back and give the ball back to someone else. Pep values ball retention above everything else, and in some ways, he’s taken some of the bits out of Jack that probably made him spend £100 million on him.

I think for Jack to start realising his best form, he probably has to go back to how he got the move to Man City in the first place. Take people on, take chances, take shots, get goals.

I think Jack just needs that little bit of luck as well. I’ve seen him over the years, he’s an unbelievable football player, Jack Grealish. When he’s on form and when he’s confident, he’s so difficult to stop. He just needs to try and regain that somehow and, obviously, working hard and getting a little bit of love from his manager is going to be a huge part of helping him get back to that level.

Questions on the Champions League

One more victory would probably be enough for Villa to guarantee a play-off place, but should they be aiming for a spot in the top eight?

The biggest disappointment for Aston Villa if they don’t make that top eight, it will have to be the game against Club Bruges. They just didn’t turn up, they didn’t perform, they gave away a silly goal and I thought that was an opportunity for them to move on to 12 points.

It would have left them in a perfect position. They’re still doing well in the Champions League. I think most Villa fans would have bitten your hand off for them to be where they are at the moment, ninth with ten points.

Since Brugge, they’ve drawn with Juventus. They’ve got Leipzig away next and then they finish up with Monaco and then Celtic. They’ve still got winnable games.

I think the bare minimum for Villa would have been the playoffs, but there is a huge opportunity for them to finish in automatic promotion. To do that, they have to be brave.

I think we’ve seen it a lot from Villa at the moment where they’re waiting in games and they’re hoping not to lose. They need to be brave from here on in if they really want to get that top eight.

If they’re happy with a playoff then they only need to carry on. I think Villa has the mindset that they can go and beat all three teams in their remaining fixtures. If they do that, then they will almost certainly be in the knock-out stages without a playoff game and that is what they should be aiming for.