Neville: Arsenal gave their fans an uncomfortable evening but deserve credit for getting over the line

0:00Well, welcome along to the Gary Neville podcast, which today comes to you from the Emirates, where we've just witnessed Arsenal going back to the top of the Premier League table. But it was a mighty close victory over Newcastle, Gary.

0:12Gary Neville:Yeah, it was. I think the word is exhausting. The Arsenal fans, I mean, they're enjoying it now. They're relieved. But I mean, for the last 20, 25 minutes, it was uncomfortable for them. and you felt that discomfort, didn't you? I mean, the right next to us here, I don't know if you know, you can spin the camera just towards the fans right behind you. You hear every single shout.

0:42Gary Neville:But they didn't play with urgency in the first half. They got in front and you're thinking then, OK, was it 10 minutes, 11 minutes to go? I thought Newcastle started the game quite well, but then you think, OK, back players, less touches on the ball, play it forward. two midfield players don't drop back into your back four and sort of end up getting it deep and then when you end up playing it long you're disconnected so a lot of things they did in this game weren't great from a point of view of tactically I mean they're very good defensively and they really work hard this Arsenal team one thing that you can never say is and it's worth noting they really do sprint like crazy to get back into their shape and they defend really well and they're compact and they're so well organised and there's a lot of respect needed for that because there's a lot of teams that you watch and they leave lots of spaces in between them everywhere.

1:34Gary Neville:But I actually think this Arsenal team, to be fair, they get back into their shape really tight every single time and that is something that you should be really proud of. And it can win you a title. You know, clean sheets. You know, back in the day, we weren't really a 1-0 team. But if we got a 1-0, that was almost like the ultimate test of your concentration and your endurance and your resilience because you know how difficult it is. You know you're one moment away from something being taken away from you and a trauma in a title race. So really got great respect for them for that. But what you want is that expression, that freedom, whereby they play forward, they go forward, they run forward and they do things with a bit more certainty in their attacking play and that didn't come at all today.

2:16Gary Neville:I can't think of a really good chance at all. There might be because we're at the end of the game and it feels like a blur. the goal comes from a set piece and we'll talk about that shortly but I can't think of other chances that they created in open play because they get the ball into the final third and then they do tend to recycle it quite safely at times and that's been a criticism of mine of them for a couple of years now what's your idea I understand by the way recycling the ball around the edge of the box if you're 2-0 up if you're 3-0 up try and draw them out let them get frustrated you know work, they're moving from side to side but they're not doing that and when they're moving them from side to side they're not doing it quickly so sometimes you might move it from side to side and recycling it so that a team have to sprint across and you're wearing their legs out and you're fatiguing them, that's not what we're seeing we're seeing them sort of almost amble from side to side with the ball where someone takes a touch and another touch and Newcastle's players are not really having to move at all, they're just standing in front of you like this, if you move it quickly then Newcastle players have to sprint across, that's not happening and if you're moving it from side to side you're working it so that you can get a 1v1 in a wide area on the opposite side so that a wide player like Madweki or Reze can go and do something.

3:26Gary Neville:So I don't see the idea sometimes and they're not positive enough and they're not building up sometimes to get to a point of a cross where you can say, well, a player's getting into that channel over there sometimes, think De Bruyne at Manchester City they'll move it across, they'll move it across and all of a sudden De Bruyne will put it there and all of a sudden you know there's going to be three players at the back post and he'll whip it in like that. I'm not even seeing that So they've got to somehow build some simple ideas in this next few weeks. I'm not sure that's going to happen in open play of what they're going to do to be able to start creating chances more against teams that played deep like Newcastle did at times.

4:01Gary Neville:So, yeah, it was a really frustrating day for the fans. Brought anxiety, brought nerves, really uncomfortable, but they got over the line and they deserve real credit for that. Quality goal in terms of the finish, but you mentioned set pieces. we're used to seeing Arsenal score goals from corners but it was a different kind of day from that perspective, wasn't it? Because we saw one go short, led to nothing, groans second one go short, led to nothing, groans and then the third one which went a little bit longer leading to the goal I mean, would that actually be scripted to sort of try a couple of times to Odegaard if it doesn't work out, go a bit longer?

4:38Gary Neville:Yeah, I mean, I mentioned that they need credit and respect putting on them for their defensive resilience and how they get into their shape every single time and work hard. But they also do deserve massive credit for what they've done with those set pieces today because I reckon 99 out of 100 teams, when your fans are groaning after the second one, you're definitely playing it into the box on the third one. But they did it again. And the only way I can describe it, it was almost like, and I've never boxed in my life, I've never thrown a punch in my life, so I don't know why I'm giving boxing lessons all of a sudden, but it was almost like a sort of a fighter going sort of punch to the ribs, punch to the ribs and almost like the other guy and all of a sudden goes over the top.

5:18Gary Neville:It was almost like that. They were almost like probing with one area but then coming in and what they were trying to do is work out that space of how they got it into that pass into Havertz and Eze was obviously the key at the edge of the box. I mean it's an exceptional finish. It is an absolute beauty of a finish that from Eze. It really is and he's the one that looks free. he's the one, I mean Madweke looks a little bit free Saka when he came on the rest of them do look a little bit sort of what would be rigid whereas actually Eze looks like he's got a little bit of the sort of confidence and there's a bit of swagger still about him and yeah that really well worked, we know Arsenal are obviously the best in the league at set pieces, you're right we're expecting those drifted balls in aren't we with Gabriel and the others moving across the near post and one of them getting a flick in and scoring but Newcastle have Chow, Botman, Byrne, Asula four big big lads Volta Marder came on as well so I think they're 6 foot 4 three or four of them so I think they thought it's going to be difficult for us to be able to get the sort of run on these types of lads they're good in the air they really are so what we're going to do we're going to try and sort of draw them out and pull them away from and create more space and then play a short one so look Well done to them for their analysis.

6:37Gary Neville:Well done to them for their... More than the analysis, it's been identified, but then the players have had the nerve on the pitch to carry out the instructions through pressure from a lot of fans behind that goal and behind us here because they were groaning like crazy. And it was even a whoo when they went short on that second one. So they've done brilliantly with that and set pieces are a big part of this Arsenal team and it's meant that they've basically come up trumps today because of it again. It is the strange thing isn't it about this place where they haven't been champions yet that you get all that pre-match atmosphere with the song that they sing here and yet from the first whistle and even after they've scored the goal you can still feel that real edginess all the time Yeah you can You can, you can feel the edginess, you can feel the it's a crowd that haven't seen it for so long or haven't seen it at all for a lot of them and that comes across but it's a group of players that haven't seen it before either and that comes across the whole thing is going to be like you say for the next few weeks just if they get over the line they're going to have to be wheelbarrowed over the line they are they're not going to sail over the line without a shadow they're just going to have to be carried crawl almost like you know what I mean get me there if they get over something, it's going to be a real struggle.

7:59Gary Neville:They're just not going to all of a sudden hit form, I don't think, in this next couple of weeks. They've got quite comfortable fixtures. I mean, we said before the game today, maybe it's a little bit disrespectful to Newcastle because they played really well in the game. That is the perfect team. They're not involved in a relegation scrap. They're not involved in European race. They're almost, if you like, thinking about the summer and next season and sort of Eddie Howe's probably thinking about what the plans are for transitioning this team and squad. They've got World Cups, quite a few of them as well, so they're probably not getting injured.

8:30Gary Neville:It's the perfect team to play against, but then what that means is that they're quite relaxed. And so they came out there today, and look, I do want to mention the midfield. I mean, look, I do like Newcastle's midfield. I think Tonali, Gimaraish, I think it was Willock today. They're bloody good. They're good players. They could play in any team, by the way. You could put Gimaraish in any team in the Premier League or in Europe. You could put Tenale in any team in the Premier League and in Europe and they would not be out of place and they'd sing and dance in there, I'm telling you. Because I actually think, I thought at the start of the season, Zubamendi was a great signing.

9:05Gary Neville:I think he's been a very good player for Arsenal. But right now, I was expecting this is where Zubamendi would really sort of, if you like, be the player. What's going to be the difference player? I thought Jokeres would be that player that would get the goals for them in these big moments and get to 2-0, and his bit of lack of quality at the end was poor on that counter-attack, so he's got to do better than that. But I thought, you think of what Pirlo is, or a Scholes, or a Rodri, the player, Bernardo Silva, the player who can dictate play in a game like this, a player who can get Arsenal on the ball, who can organise, who can get them with authority, and he's not demonstrating that.

9:46Gary Neville:He's struggling in the games, and he has done for a few weeks now. So I don't know whether they can somehow, Now, I mean, Erdegaard does it better. I think Erdegaard went deeper. But the problem is when Erdegaard goes deeper and then Rice goes deeper and then Zubermendi is already deep, you've got three players back there, certainly two in deep areas. You can't really have that. You want them to obviously be rotating with each other and you want one of them back there to make a link play with the defensive side of things and the fullbacks. But yeah, it just felt to me like Zubermendi today, Rice and Erdegaard, I thought they actually got outplayed by that Newcastle midfield.

10:20Gary Neville:I don't know what the possessions here there you go 55 % to Newcastle 45 % to Arsenal surprising very surprising but not surprising in the sense of how I saw that midfield for Newcastle play I thought Tonali and Gimeraj were far better than the Arsenal midfield play so yeah a bit of thinking to do for Mikel Arteta around the midfield in terms of how they can get control of games how they can show authority keep the rhythm of the passing the back players the two centre backs are a little bit they're a bit wooden aren't they on the ball they're very good defenders I like them a lot but they're just a little bit wooden on the ball sometimes when they run out it looks like you know they could hit someone as they sort of like a charging bull aren't they sometimes when they sort of run out Gabriel and Saliba so I think just how do they simplify and get Zubimendi on the ball a lot more in these areas and let him thread the passes through it's not happening but look But Newcastle's midfielder good.

11:20Gary Neville:I'll repeat it myself there. But they got over the line, Arsenal. If they hadn't got over the line, and by the way, this is chance from the Volta Marder pass. I mean, that was the title there, wasn't it? Yeah, he lifted it over. The one save, big save of the game that David Raya had to make, which has helped him to keep yet another clean sheet this season, was that first half one from Sandro Tonali. I mean they've got a fantastic defensive record this season anyway haven't they Arsenal they've got the best one in the division is that going to be key to them seeing this through? Yes because it looks like they're not going to score a bag full of goals which brings the sort of the the if they end up level with City I think City are going to win the title I think City are going to have to drop points somewhere it would look like I mean Arsenal can keep clean sheets but I can't see where they're going to get more goals than Manchester City.

12:19Gary Neville:I think currently now City have got two more but City are in far better form right now from an attacking perspective. So look, I think it's something that they're going to need to keep clean sheets, they're going to need to win every single game. They've got a chance for the title. The Opta stats pre-game today were 63 % still to Arsenal. I'm not sure what they're seeing that I'm not but that's a computer for you it's a computer and computers sometimes are more they can predict better than I can so yeah I just think the defensive work is absolutely outstanding but they need goals as well they need goals and I think that's something that ultimately looks a long way to go in the sense there's four games three, four, five weeks so it'll still play out quite a bit in this next few weeks but they've got a big game here next Saturday against Fulham Can they get two or three?

13:14Gary Neville:Can they make this crowd relax at least one weekend? And how do they balance the demands of this with the Champions League? Because today we've seen Havertz go off and we've seen Eze go off injured. And that's always a concern when you're building up the games. And the Madrid one, even though Atletico's league form isn't good, that's not going to be easy, is it, over two legs? Oh, no, that'll be a big struggle. A team that suffocate you, really, in terms of the way in which they play, a manager and a crowd when they go there will be intense. Look, I think the only way, I mean, there's definitely going to be no prioritisation of a competition because they're in the two biggest competitions.

13:51Gary Neville:You have to go for both. The only way this works for Arsenal is to keep momentum, keep winning. They have to go for it. They have to somehow take the sort of what would be the reins off and just go for it. Whilst that defensive balance stays in place, whilst that set piece sort of what would be organisation stays in place, they've got to be more free in their attacking play they've got to get more free they've got to sort of think about the fact that they can go if you think about it at a glass half full and you can go and be a Champions League winner and a Premier League winner in the season rather than thinking, you know, I think at the moment they're thinking, we've got to win a league I do think they're thinking that, I don't think they might be thinking right now we've got to win a Champions League, they don't know how to win a Champions League a lot of these players but they've been so close in the title race and they'll be so desperate not to fall short in that.

14:41Gary Neville:I do think that Mikel Atleta has to go for every single game and not prioritise any over the other, but he knows that the Premier League is the one that's easier to win than the Champions League right now, I would say. It is. I just think the Champions League, I just think there are better teams in there than them. Look, it's a cup competition. They've got three games left and they've only got four left in the league, so you could argue that basically it's easy to win both, but I don't see them getting past Atletico Madrid and the other teams in the semi-final but I do see them having a chance with this.

15:11So a word about Newcastle then because you've already said how highly you rate their midfield and yet we look at the league table and there they are down in 14th place. Questions have been raised about Eddie Howe's future. How do you see it from their perspective now?

15:26Gary Neville:It's a really disappointing season.

15:32Gary Neville:obviously the transfer business at the end of the window in the summer was a real problem for them wasn't it because they ended up with Volta Marda and Vissa and that's just not paid off yet at all and that's the difference right now

15:50Gary Neville:I think full faith in Eddie Howe full trust in Eddie Howe that's the way to go they've got a really really good manager so where at some clubs it's easier to say well let's shift the manager and let's keep the players because they've got five year contracts they've got six year contracts absolutely the other way around at Newcastle I would think I would think they'd be thinking no if we lost him you know we've lost we've lost an eight and a half out of ten manager someone who's a real solid performer reliable consistent someone who's got a great attitude so I think that basically now they've got a sort of what would be I'm sure hope they're sitting down with Eddie Howe and I hope they're going through with basically a sort of like, right, these are the players I want to shift for me and these are the players I'm going to buy into for next season and I want to get these four or five in and our business done early.

16:38Gary Neville:You know, whilst everyone's thinking about the World Cup and everyone's sort of what would be planning and I want these players in. I think I'm hoping they're in a really sort of what would be sure period behind the scenes where they're really getting themselves sorted for next season already because for Newcastle to be where they are, they're a really good side. I actually like watching them. I mean, I really do. There's a lot there to like about that. They obviously didn't have any cutting edge today, but they could have had them. I mean, Vista should have scored. You know, if that's if that's Izak, he does score, doesn't he?

17:09Gary Neville:You know what I mean? He does. So, they're going to need to basically sort of back their manager properly. I think buy into him, back him. They do buy into him. Obviously, they've been there a long time, but almost like, you know, go again with him. Lean in, sort of really make the manager the guy that you believe in and say to the players, right, who wants to be on this bus? And that's what I'd do if I was Newcastle, because I think they've got one of the very best there, and I think he'll get them back up, challenging for Champions League next season. Newcastle are on 42 points, and it's a strange kind of season in the relegation battle, isn't it?

17:45Because Wolves and Burnley are down, but when you look at the others, I mean, we could this season have a scenario where a team gets to the magic 40 point mark and still goes down because Forest must have thought they'd done themselves a power of good with their remarkable victory at Sunderland but then West Ham and Spurs follow them by winning as well, it's an extraordinary race to avoid the drop

18:07Gary Neville:I watched the first half of the game last night and Sunderland helped Nottingham Forest but then they helped themselves it was a brilliant performance and you're absolutely right I don't know how they would have travelled back to Nottingham but they must have travelled back thinking we're okay. I went to bed last night thinking Nottingham Forest are okay. Still think they're okay, but less okay than 24 hours ago. And then obviously we were watching on these little screens here, weren't we? The West Ham and Tottenham stuff and that was yeah, it was I mean imagine what's going to be there. That's, I mean we talk about the title race because that's where we are here today, but that West Ham, Tottenham Forest dynamic in this next few weeks could be where the real thrill and excitement lies because Tottenham down there I mean that league table when West Ham scored and Tottenham were 0-0 and they were four points clear you're thinking oh my god if it finishes like this and then obviously Tottenham get that goal Doherty stays in I don't know what he's doing back there, but he stays in, thankfully for Spurs fans.

19:21Gary Neville:And they get that goal and then all of a sudden you're thinking, right, OK. And then I think Everton equalised, didn't they? Yeah. Pretty quickly. And then West Ham score again. So, look, absolutely thrilling day in the relegation race and probably more thrilled than probably the title race right now with obviously Manchester City playing in the FA Cup this weekend. Yeah. I have no idea what's going to happen. no idea whatsoever it's a it's a flip a coin job I mean you mentioned the FA Cup Leeds as we talk haven't played their FA Cup tie but they're on 40 points and probably thought they'd done enough and maybe they still haven't I thought Leeds were out of it let's have a look here we go well Spurs would need two wins to level their their points yeah but I think Leeds fixtures you know are quite good let me have a look well they one of them actually is against Tottenham Yeah, I think Leeds fixtures overall.

20:19Gary Neville:Remember, look, Leeds fixtures are... Yeah, they've got Burnley at home, Leeds. They've got Tottenham. They've got Brighton at home. They've got West Ham. Yeah, look, I think they'll beat Burnley at home, Leeds, which would then take them to a point whereby I don't think that they'll get caught there. So I think Leeds are OK. I think Nottingham Forest probably need one more win, but I think they're OK. I do think it's West Ham or Spurs now. and I think the way Nottingham Forest played last night and the emphatic nature of their victory will give them confidence to think that they're okay as well and Leeds as well.

20:54Gary Neville:Leeds once they went to Old Trafford and won, I thought that was a point whereby psychologically they were going to survive from it because their fixtures going into the running were more comfortable than the rest. Well, we're going to be following all the twists and turns very keenly. So, Gary, thanks for joining us as ever. Thank you, Rob. Thank you.