PL football is back! Neville: Man Utd need to fix 'glaring' issue | Who are genuine title contenders? Who showed they can beat the drop?

0:00Well, hello, everybody. The Gary Neville podcast is back, starring Gary Neville. It's a beautiful sunny evening at Old Trafford. Manchester United beaten, though, Gary, 1-0 by Arsenal. On a day, despite that scoreline, I presume you agree, not without its positives for United.

0:14Gary Neville:Yeah, I actually thought that they played well. I thought they were the better team in the game in terms of performance. But we know that performance sometimes, obviously, isn't enough. And that Arsenal have got real resilience and they can sort of hang in there and sort of grind out, you know, 1-0 victories. And that was really good for Arsenal. But I just thought there were some positives. I thought Cunha and Embermo. I think probably Embermo more in the first half, Cunha more in the second half. But I think they showed that they can sort of handle sort of a big game at Old Trafford. They showed they've got the quality and the ability.

0:45Gary Neville:I thought Cunha looks a really good player. We obviously know that from Wolves. But you can see, it's interesting. I actually thought that when Mount was on the pitch, they actually looked a little bit better up front in terms of connecting it. Now, obviously, Seshko had to come on and he was only on for 20 minutes and to try and sort of get that goal. But I actually thought when Mount and particularly Kunja were on that side of the pitch, they looked like they did combine well with each other. I actually thought United found it more difficult the more subs they made. But I thought there were some positives for United.

1:15Gary Neville:Obviously, there's a long way to go. You know, this is a tough start. Arsenal, potential champions this season. It's only going to be Arsenal, Liverpool or City. So we know that Arsenal are a tough team to beat, tough team to break down. The goalkeeper's very good. The back four, outstanding. They had two full-backs that came on that would probably get in, you know, 99 % of teams in this league. So, yeah, I wasn't... Not too downhearted. It's the first game of the season. I thought the system worked better. I actually thought the back three did very well. Of Shaw, De Ligt and Jorah. I thought that Manchester United defended really well.

1:51Gary Neville:I actually thought Casemiro and Fernandes played well in midfield. And I thought that was going to be a difficult game for those two against Zubimendi, Rice and Odegaard. I thought they could get outnumbered, but they didn't. Casemiro and Fernandes, I thought, held their own. So, you know, I think United, over the course of that match, in terms of the football that they played and their performance, were probably the better team. But we know, obviously, they've lost the game and that's what matters. And presumably, if Manchester United played well and lost, then there must be some good things to say about Arsenal too.

2:20Gary Neville:Yeah, look, I think that I said a couple of weeks ago, Arsenal have got to pretend that the very first game of this season is February and that was a February-March type performance. Go away from home, win at Old Trafford 1-0. That's a big, big result. Now, it's happened very early in the season, but it'll give them real confidence. They'll travel back to London tonight and they'll feel, you know, together. They didn't play well, Arsenal. I mean, their football, really, for the players that they have out on that pitch in terms of Rice, Zubermende, Odegaard, Saka, Martinelli, Jokeres, you know, they really did let themselves down at times, particularly, I think, on the counter-attack.

2:54Gary Neville:They were really sloppy. didn't really get their passing going. I thought they actually started the game quite jittery. I thought the two centre-backs who actually grew in the game and are outstanding, they're a brilliant pair. But I thought Saliba had one of the shakiest 10 minutes that I've seen from him in that first period of the game. So, yeah, I think for them to get a clean sheet here, to get a win at Old Trafford and not be at their best, which they were well off their best, and they'll certainly get better than that, I thought was a real plus. But just little things, that front three, you know, very early on, Martinelli, Saka, Jokeres, They've got to be better than that.

3:27Gary Neville:I thought United's front three of Mount, Kunjurin and Bermol, that's the first time they've played together in a Premier League game. I thought they were a lot better in terms of their combinations and play than Arsenal's front three. I thought United's front three were better. So that's something to work on. Obviously, it's very early. I thought Jokeres actually looked a handful. I thought he did some good things. I was actually surprised he came off. I thought Arsenal actually didn't change defensively when the substitutes were made, but they lost their attacking threat completely, I felt, when Jokeres went off.

3:55Gary Neville:so yeah things to work on but the big thing for Mikel Arteta he's got a very resilient bunch they're good at set pieces they're a good defensive unit they just have to have a little bit more sparkle up front but Old Trafford is a tough place to come it's the first game of the season so yeah well done to Arsenal I think it's a big victory for them and of the three clubs that you've just said can win the league in your opinion they have all won first up so should we go back and take them one by one Liverpool first up Friday night fabulous football match obviously stained by that horrible racist incident but in terms of first of all the tributes to Diogo Jota beautiful and then the match itself really thrilling a really good launch night at Anfield and what did you make of Liverpool?

4:40Gary Neville:Yeah the game was great I think Semenyo to be fair not just in his performance but actually his statements that he made yesterday has just been the star of this weekend without a shadow of a doubt I thought it was incredible his words that he put out on social media yesterday demonstrates what a man and what a character he is and what he suffered there on Friday night is just absolutely unacceptable. And that's the first thing to say. But it was an outstanding game, marred by that incident. You know, the thrill of the game in terms of how Liverpool play, how Bournemouth then came back into it and then Liverpool obviously scored the late goals.

5:11Gary Neville:We had that debate at the end with Arna Slott, me and Jamie Carragher, because this part of me loves that type of football. They're leaving two on two at the back, the full backs going forward and even at 2-1 up, sort of over committing. that's how we played out here for many many years and just it's that risk element of football I think Liverpool are going to be a thrilling watch and if they sign Isaac even more thrilling and Eketiki had an outstanding Premier League debut so yeah there was a lot of good out there on Friday night for us to watch amongst that sort of horrible incident and it was a thrilling game and you know credit to Liverpool for coming back towards the end but they've got so much firepower they can score goals and they're going to win a lot of games maybe 3-2, 4-2, 3-1 you know I think Arna Slott and Liverpool players will want to see him get more solid defensively.

5:56Gary Neville:I think the full-backs will need to settle down a little bit defensively. Kierkegaard was quite rash and he'll just need to, you know, it's understandable. It's his first game at Anfield. Frimpong, I thought he was actually doing quite well but obviously, again, he got substituted. So, yeah, there are some questions, I think, for Liverpool in respect of their sort of defensive side of their game and their balance in midfield. Obviously, without Gravenberg, they look like they lack a bit of legs and there's a lot of space in there, which which is not something we were used to last season. But they've got some very, very good players and they've got more players to come in, I think.

6:27Gary Neville:So, yeah, a good start for them, but bits to work on, as you'd expect. And perhaps, my opinion doesn't matter, but alongside Semenya, who you rightly say is the star of the weekend, perhaps next to that, this could be Tajani Rinders. He was a joy for City yesterday. Yeah, we didn't know he was that good, did we? Actually, he was doing the podcast earlier on in the week and Jill Scott had obviously watched quite a bit of City in pre-season and she said Reinder's really good, watch out for him. And obviously I've seen him play, but then you watched him yesterday. It's the first game. We shouldn't get carried away by anything that we've seen in this first weekend because things will start to obviously even themselves out and things will start to settle down.

7:05Gary Neville:But what an outstanding game he had. And when you just look at the profile of a player and you think he scores with his left foot, his pass is with his right foot, the one that's over the top for Rico Lewis, is running power, forward and back, and you start thinking, ooh, that looks one hell of a play. There are very few players that you can see score a goal like that with a left foot, a pass with the right foot. You know, the running power forward and sort of the ability to sort of drive into that space. No, it was a really, really, I was watching him last night in that game and I thought if I was a City manager, fan, teammate, I'd be thinking, ooh, hang on a minute.

7:41Gary Neville:You know, people haven't written City off, let's be clear, they haven't, but they're asking questions as to whether this squad is as good as Arsenal or Liverpool, and rightly so. Thinking always that they've got this manager who's a genius who doesn't not win Premier League titles or titles two years on the bounce. So you've always got that in the back of your mind. You've got the question mark over Rodri, so you're thinking, you know, will Stones stay fit all season? Is Rodri going to be fit? Have they got that sort of ability up top to sparkle? You know, but you've got Foden, Shirky, you've got obviously Bernardo Silva, Marmouche, Haaland.

8:12Gary Neville:if you get Reinders and Rodri in there with Bernardo Silva and you're thinking, hang on a minute, that's a hell of a team. It's obviously they have to keep their defenders fit. But City, it's ridiculous to think of them as sort of, I'm almost like making them sound like dark horses, Manchester City, Pep Guardiola's team that's won a treble and won many championships in the last five years. But they just dropped off so quickly and so violently really. It was like off the edge of a cliff. but Reinders yesterday and the way in which City performed it's too early to say that they go right up there as champions but they keep Rodri fit, Reinders fit in midfield and Haaland and Diaz and Stones that spine is as good as anything you'll see in this league and they'll be really, really tough to stop.

8:58Yeah, it is interesting. I know I'm guilty of being reactionary in first weekend and you think something, don't you? But as you rightly said, it's been really fascinating that in this sort of prediction season Manchester City have been relatively little mentioned. And without, or try to avoid being guilty of reacting to the first weekend, do you feel that in terms of your expectations, they have risen now? Are you considering them more seriously based on what you saw yesterday?

9:26Gary Neville:I think, look, between the three of them, Liverpool, Arsenal and City and what we've seen in this first weekend,

9:34Gary Neville:all of them have got, I think, cases for saying that they could win the league. and all equal cases. I don't think there's any of the three that you would look at and think they're above the other. You know, I'm going to be asked to go Monday night football tomorrow night and make a prediction of who I'm going to win the league and I'm going to probably say Arsenal again because I've said them the last three seasons. But honestly, I think Liverpool, with Izak coming in, could easily win the league if they settle those two full-backs down and they get Gravenberge back. They could easily win this league by five, six, seven points.

10:02Gary Neville:We could be staring the obvious in the face that Pep Guardiola signs Reinders, he gets Rodri, his kingpin back in midfield. They've got the best striker in the league in Highland and probably one of the best strikers in the world that scores 40 goals. And all of a sudden you've got Stones and Diaz who could become the best centre-back pair in the league all of a sudden if they're at the best. And you could be looking back in six months and saying, well, it was staring you in the face. They've got a treble winning spine. They've got new players that look outstanding. They've got the best forward in the league in terms of scoring goals.

10:31Gary Neville:And then you look at Arsenal and you think the last two pieces of the jigsaw, they've got probably the best defensive unit. they look like they're a real team they're difficult to beat they're great on set pieces Jokeres obviously looks like he's a handful and a threat up front Zubimendi in midfield so all three have got genuine cases I know that there won't be equal favourites I know Liverpool will be slightly ahead but I don't think if you ask Liverpool fans or if you ask City fans or ask Arsenal fans I don't think any of them would sit here and say they were confident they would win the league this season but I think they'd all think we've got a great chance of winning the league because the three of them are really close I think I was interested you did say it's just three and sort of putting it into the context of this weekend I'm just thinking of the other ones who might make an argument Chelsea of course started with a blank game against Palace Villa and Newcastle blotted each other out Spurs have had a good home win that's a nice launch for Thomas Frank Yeah I'm not being dismissive of the other teams in terms of saying that the poor teams are nowhere near good enough they just haven't got that they haven't got that experience that maturity that title winning feeling about them yet those teams that you've just mentioned Aston Villa and Newcastle are not going to win the league, I think you're specifically mainly referring to Chelsea maybe, they've won the World Club Championship, they finished obviously in Champions League spaces last season but when I look at Chelsea they've got obviously a lot of very good young players but you're not looking at João Pedro and Dilap in the same light as you're looking at Arsenal's front players or Liverpool's front players or cities you're just not that they're good players and I think they'll have a good season Chelsea but no I'm not looking at them and thinking that there is that sort of spine of a title winning team there yeah it's not ready it's not right I'm gonna sneeze bless you bless me um so yeah that's just not been you know that's not just because of today I think we'd have said exactly the same before this game they've drawn against a very good team today in Crystal Palace so for me yeah I I think those that top three are going to be are going to be fighting it out to probably one of them may drop away a few weeks before the end but I don't know which one it would be but I think those three are going to be the ones that are going to be going for it OK let's just finish with probably if you're a neutral looking down what must have been the happiest place in England yesterday would be Sunderland yeah what a sensational start and you know of course and I do too having watched football there it is a great place when it's bouncing yeah And seeing the pictures of it yesterday, it was bouncing.

12:58Gary Neville:Yeah, I mean, what a day. What a day. And you saw those faces in the crowd when the goals were going in. And it's an amazing sort of situation when you see clubs come up. You referred to, obviously, a game earlier today about Brentford against, I think, Arsenal a few seasons ago. And it was magnificent that night. And, you know, you wish you'd have been at Sunderland yesterday just experiencing, you know, they've missed out for so many years. Such a great football club. but more importantly I think obviously we've talked a lot about and I'm worried about it actually about the three from the Championship coming up and then going straight back down I am worried about that situation but actually when I saw Sunderland yesterday there was a lot of things that I liked you know the physicality in the air with the headed goals I think the fact that they had players that looked like they were really sort of powerful and strong could make runs in behind they were really direct and I think we've seen some teams come up from the Championship and they've tried to play these thousand passes from the back and I lose the will to live.

13:53Gary Neville:I'm sorry. You're taking on Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham, Villa, Arsenal, Liverpool, all these great sides and you're passing out from the back and you've got championships and at-halves. And I know you've done it in the championship maybe and it looks great and I know there's reasons why teams do that now. One is because the coach wants to play the way in which we'll get that coach promoted. I think managers, owners want to play a progressive style of football. I think they also want to produce players that can be bought by the top clubs so that they create a player trading model that means that they can sell those players into clubs like City, Liverpool, Chelsea at 30, 40 million and it keeps them propped up.

14:31Gary Neville:But whatever happened to doing what you need to do to win football matches and points to be able to stay in the league? And actually, what I've enjoyed about this first weekend is that I don't want to see formulaic football. I don't want to see everybody playing the same way. I want to see direct, imperfect football. I do. Imperfection for me is beautiful in football. when players look directly run at players and there's that element of, you know, we've seen sometimes over the last few years wide players get the ball and pass it back and recycle it far too often. Now that can work. And sometimes if you haven't got, you've got three or four players in front of you, you think, okay, let's switch it.

15:05Gary Neville:Let's get it out to the side and see whether we can, you know, push it into a different area of the pitch to get a sort of advantage. But I want to see wide players with thrill and risk and players running forward and committing and over committing in the box. That's why I wasn't overly critical of Liverpool. the other night when they had that counter-attack goal against them, they had seven players in the box. They could have gone 3-1 up and won the game in that moment. Obviously, they risked losing the game in doing it, but that's what I want to see. So for me, Sunderland, yes, they demonstrated a lot of the qualities that I think can keep you in this league.

15:35Gary Neville:Because if you're playing for Liverpool, City and Arsenal, the three best teams in the league, and Sunderland come and try and play football against you and pass it around the pitch, you're really happy because I've been there. I'm really happy if they try and take us on at football because I know we're going to win that game but if they try and basically be direct against us beat us up be aggressive running behind us be a threat some of the toughest games I had in Premier League football were not in the biggest matches it was at grounds like Stoke Wimbledon Crystal Palace West Brom and there's many others Southampton at the Dell when I got beat there 5-3 or 5-2 one year or whatever it was 6-3 one year 3-1 the next because you had players that basically had quality but they also were really a massive physical threat.

16:20Gary Neville:So set pieces were a real pressure in certain grounds. You played Wimbledon away, you're thinking, put your helmets on type stuff. So I want to see this league not be 20 teams all trying to play beautiful football. And I thought Sunderland epitomised that yesterday in terms of spirit, energy, direct play, crosses and great headers from goals. I was really happy with it. I mean, we've not talked about the set piece that's won this game here today. and obviously I think that I actually thought Bayern Dere I mean you can never say goalkeepers had a good game when they've made a mistake like that because I think any defender that gives a goal away you've given up your credit of having a good game you know I've never bought into this idea that a goalkeeper gives a goal away and then they make a save 10 minutes later and they say he's made up for it he never thinks that a professional never thinks that if I make a mistake in a game and we win 2-1 I don't think oh I've got a way I just feel I'm very lucky and fortunate and I'm playing with good players and I've got to sort myself out because it'll cost us points if I carry on doing it.

17:18Gary Neville:But what it does point towards is Arsenal's great set-piece play, the way in which they work set-pieces, but it also points towards a glaring issue for United that can't be ignored and that is that they do need to find a goalkeeper. They have to. I'm absolutely unequivocal on that because I had an experience at United for 20 years where there were two big periods of seven or eight years with Schmeichel and van der Sar and then in between we had seven or eight goalkeepers in a sort of six, seven, eight year period and it's really unsettling when you haven't got a dominant number one who's six foot two, who's dominant in the air, who owns his six yard box, who comes and punches everything, who makes a lot of saves in one-on-one and saves you points when your defenders make mistakes.

18:00Gary Neville:I think that's going to need to be something. I don't know where they are on PSR, they seem to have a bit more money. They might have to magic up a bit more money in the next week or two or do something on loan. John and Rummer? Look, the two that you look at that were mentioned in the last few weeks is Martinez and Donnarumma. And the reason I say that those two would be good goalkeepers for Manchester United is not necessarily because I think they're the best goalkeepers in Europe or that they're amazing. I think they've got big personalities and characters. You've seen Donnarumma in a European final for Italy, save those penalties, he looked like a giant.

18:34Gary Neville:You've seen him play for PSG in huge games under pressure. You've seen Martinez play in World Cup finals. and win a World Cup. So they've played under extreme pressure and they've got big personalities and characters and they almost walk out with arrogance and sort of dominance of a goalkeeper. And I think Manchester United, they need that. There's a number of things that Manchester United need this season. They need Luke Shaw to stay fit. I hope he didn't go off at the end because he was injured because that would just be completely and utterly demoralising. Because when you saw actually that Jorah went to left centre-back, De Ligt went to right centre-back and Maguire went in the middle, just through that one change of Luke Shaw, they didn't look as comfortable all of a sudden on the ball they didn't look as comfortable but when Shaw was left side centre back De Ligt was in the middle and Jorow was right centre I thought they looked really good as a back three and I think if Martinez was on the left that would be equally as good but if Luke Shaw can stay fit and they can have that other you know Maguire or De Ligt and Jorow they're going to have a good back three Manchester United they're going to keep quite you know decent clean sheets out here but you've got to get the goalkeeper sorted I thought Dorgou looked quite good at left wing back Diallo and Dallo I think are okay on the right as well.

19:38Gary Neville:So I think Amarim's getting to that point whereby I think he's got a team that he thinks he can probably, I think they need to sort the goalkeeper out because they will continually concede goals and points and it undermines what you're doing. I've said here that that 75 ,000 or 72 ,000 home fans, when the goalkeeper's flapping at it, all they do is go, and that sends a shiver through defenders, the Manchester United defenders, it'll send a shiver through the goalkeeper. it creates an anxiety in the stadium I've said it for many many years you've got to have personality, character and stability in that position I think Manchester United are going to have to deal with it in this next couple of weeks but I thought it was actually a good performance from United and I thought it was really resilient and good from Arsenal and we've had a really good first weekend I'm looking forward to Leeds and Everton tomorrow night because I think that's got the makings of a really good game but I think there's been some really good things this opening weekend Yeah and I'm reading that Leeds are a big team too by the way We're a big team Or are going to be No, no careful Gary big physically so if you liked if you liked that kind of get up and go football then maybe that's what you're going to see I don't know I've seen a few teams come up over the last few years I'm not going to name names they all do it their own way but honestly I just said it before please don't put us through it this five yard pass into your goalkeeper you know physicality set pieces strength be dominant defensively try and keep clean sheets be a threat when you put the ball in the box and get bodies into the box Leeds will be a threat physically and I think they'll go about it the right way.

21:07Gary Neville:You said they're a big team. Leeds are an enormous club. Enormous club? I was talking about the physicality of the players. And they're an enormous team as well but they're an enormous club Leeds and you just think of Leeds and Sunderland and you think of those two grounds and when those two grounds are at it and they're on top note they're a real difficult place to go. But it's really bloody hard to get an atmosphere if your centre-halves are passing it to each other five yards across the box but if you're getting it forward and you're to your strikers and you're winning free kicks and you're getting corners and there's throw-ins going into the box.

21:38Gary Neville:Arsenal are unapologetic around long throws. So if you're Sunderland or Leeds, chuck it into the near post. Things can happen. And that's what Stoke used to do. It's what Crystal Palace used to do. It's what Wimbledon used to do. They haven't got three, 400 million pound player budgets, these teams. So why would you try and compete with the same level of football? Of course, if you can get it down and play with a bit of quality in certain moments, of course that's right. But, and I'm not advocating going back to 4-4-2 and long ball here. But I just think these teams that are coming up, they've got to be a bit more pragmatic, I think.

22:08Gary Neville:And let's see what Leeds do tomorrow night against Everton. It should be a good game. Should be a belter. Thank you, Gary. Look forward to watching you tomorrow. Best thing that's ever happened to you financially. Go. Easy. Sold my car on Carvana. Amazing offer. Really? I hit 200 on a scratcher. Did the scratcher come to your house and hand you a check? No. How many scratchers did you hit to get that? I hit a button on Carvana.com once. Okay, that's fair. It's like the lottery, except you always win. Not like the lottery at all, actually. Exactly. Inexplicably good. Offers worth bragging about.

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