April 14th 2024.
Gary Neville was commentating on the Arsenal versus Aston Villa match and expressed his thoughts on Mikel Arteta's tactics. Despite Aston Villa winning the match, Neville still saw potential for Arsenal to chase the Premier League title. However, the two late goals scored by Villa dealt a heavy blow to Arsenal's title hopes and boosted their own chances of qualifying for the Champions League.
The game in north London was initially a goalless and entertaining clash, but with just 7 minutes left on the clock, Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins scored for Villa, giving Unai Emery a triumphant return to his former club. Arsenal, who were aiming to reclaim their spot at the top of the Premier League after Liverpool's loss to Crystal Palace earlier in the day, are now two points behind Manchester City with only six games left in the season.
Neville questioned Arteta's decision to start Gabriel Jesus up front instead of the in-form Kai Havertz and was surprised that Arteta didn't make any changes sooner when Arsenal seemed to be losing control in the second half. "The performance level was really good in the first half but it got scruffy," Neville remarked on his Sky Sports podcast. He also expressed his admiration for Jesus' energy and pressing, but noted that Havertz's precision and certainty in the final third may have been lacking in Arsenal's game.
The former Manchester United player also suggested that Arteta should have brought Jorginho onto the field and played Jakub Kiwior at left-back with 20 minutes left in the game. He believed that this would have given Arsenal a better chance at gaining control of the game, as it seemed to be slipping away from them.
Despite Arsenal and Liverpool's disappointing results on Sunday, Manchester City are still strong favorites to win the Premier League. They are attempting to make history by becoming the first team to win four successive titles. Neville acknowledged that Arsenal may have stumbled over the finish line in the previous season, finishing five points behind City, but he believes they still have a chance this year.
"You have to trust them, you think [they can respond to the Aston Villa defeat]," said Neville, referring to Arsenal's players. "They need to call upon last season's experience when they dropped points people didn't think they would." He also pointed out that they need to "get back on the bike" and not let this defeat discourage them, as they still have a chance to finish second in the league.
Neville believes that Arsenal are not crumbling like they did last season, and that all eyes will be on them in the coming weeks to see how they will bounce back. He also reassured fans that they are not watching a team that is falling apart, and that the focus will be on how they finish the season in second place. "We're not watching a team crumbling like they did last year. All eyes are going to be on them in the next week or two," Neville said.
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