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Despite Arsenal’s most recent win over Chelsea, Gary Neville insists he is yet to be convinced about the Gunners’ title credentials.
THE LOWDOWN: DOUBTERS GONE SILENT
Gary Neville insists he will continue to question Arsenal’s title credentials because Mikel Arteta’s men have failed to prove themselves when it matters the most.
The Gunners returned to the top of the Premier League after their 1-0 win at Chelsea on Sunday afternoon. Against all expectations, it has seemed like a two-way battle between reigning champions Manchester City and the Gunners.
Former Manchester United captain-turned-pundit Neville hailed Arteta’s frontline, specifically the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard, as they’ve been in fine form for Arsenal many times so far this season.
But Neville has insisted the team capitulated towards the end of last season , so while their current form must be praised, he’s not optimistic about their title chances as it gets to the demanding end of the campaign.
THE LATEST: PUNDIT’S DOUBT
Speaking to Sky Sports Premier League podcast , Neville said: “We have to question them. Arsenal fans come at me every single week, because I will continue to question them until I don’t see a moment like I did here [at Tottenham] last season, and they get through those moments, and they finish second, or they finish third, or top, which would be out of this world.”
“Because they haven’t proven it yet. It’s like a boxer that hasn’t won a world title, or a national title. You have to question them. But what you cannot question is, that was a really, really good performance.”
The 47-year-old added that he is interested in the way that Arsenal used long throws at Stamford Bridge to overcome the Blues.
“Arteta is obviously a coach that likes progressive football, he likes the idea of playing through the thirds, his team play great football, but the idea that he’s also willing to put a long throw in against Chelsea, I like it,’ he added.
‘I think that teams that demonstrate weakness, they lose away from home, they concede goals on set pieces, they don’t come from behind – they’re the patterns of a team that haven’t got any resilience or robustness or toughness.”
He continued to say the World Cup break would be a challenge for all clubs, creating a unique season where players may not return in the same condition that they did in the first part of the campaign.
Neville continued: “The reason there has to be a question is because we don’t know what’s going to happen on the other side. The big part of the season, where it really matters, is yet to come,
“Arsenal are fantastic, a real value team, playing great football. I love watching their front players – I love Jesus, I love Saka, I love Martinelli, absolutely fantastic, and Odegaard is class, but I wanna see it over 38 games.
“We’ve seen over the last few years – this Arsenal group of players have found it more difficult in the last part of season. It’s not overly negative. Let’s see what happens in 20 games’ time.”
THE VERDICT: UNNECESSARY BIAS
At this point, no one should be putting put the notion about Arsenal not being genuine contenders, especially after another dominant win over a rival side. Admittedly, the season is still long and anything can happen but it is an unnecessary claim to say the jury is still out on the Gunners.
