Gary Neville reacts to Man City's win over Arsenal | The Gary Neville Podcast 🎙️

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Gary Neville podcast at the end of what has been, I guess, the central game of the season so far. And it ended in a win which may be absolutely critical for Manchester City over Arsenal by two goals to one. There was a lot to take in. Gary, Arsenal hit the post a couple of times in that second half. There was a crazy goal conceded by Donnarumma. There a moment of absolute magnificence from Cherki what's your big picture takeaway?

Bernardo Silva second half what a performance that is just a grip a game I think people sometimes become surprised when I talked about Paul's goals in the last five six years of his Manchester United career, gripping a football match by the scruff of the neck and controlling it and dominating the speed of it. And honestly, what we've just seen there from Bernardo Silva is absolutely above and beyond. And that's my starting point, because I think he's just beat Jocares on a header at the back post as well.

He's then pressing the highest up the pitch five minutes later or two minutes later, and you have hit him eyes what managed to city I just experience that know how but

that energy that professionalism and I thought he was absolutely sensational in the second half, and he just lifted it again. I thought, you know, in some ways, I still had some

good chances. You mentioned the as a post. You mentioned the could have lost. Because they've not come here today and you know, I know the big sort of talk before the match was the bottling the freezing that sort

of anxiety, the nervous the pressure. I actually thought they handled the occasion very well, and that's positive. They didn't come here today and not

play the income here today and

sort of what would be. Have no idea. I thought he played a good game of football, one of the the best performances I've seen here from an away team to be fair. So for Arsenal, it's as good as it can get. But you're up against a juggernaut and

that juggernauts Pep Guardiola and Minster City have won title after title in this last seven or eight years, and they've just stole ahead at the right time, and they've got the momentum and

they will go in front on Wednesday. You know, they'll be they'll beat Burnley at Burnley. There's still a way to go, but it's gonna be a lot. It's gonna be difficult now for Arsenal, but how they psychologically recover from this is really important. I'm sure we'll go through the fixtures shortly, but when when city do go level on Wednesday and we're taking that for granted a it happen. Um I still do them play two home games before city play

again and city have got a very tough game away. Everton a certain point, I think in two or three weeks, so look, all's not lost and it still could come down to goal difference

and Arsenal are good defensively, and they've got to try and get the scoring boots. Going but yeah, Manchester City

will walk into that dressing and be able to smell it. You mentioned obviously Pep Guardiola fairly obviously and the fact that they've done it before. In fairness, the point's been made quite a lot recently that there are several in the City squad who haven't done it before. Is it the presence of those who have that make the difference?

Is it that kind of almost muscle memory of winning in the clutch moments?

I think when you've got Rodri and Bernardo Silva dropping into your back line and getting on the ball and taking the ball and dictating the pace of the play like they did in that second half, particularly Bernardo Silva, but Rodri did it as well. You're essentially just, I used to think of it as being, you know, having Roy Keane in midfield or Petr Schmeichel in goal or Bruce at centre back. It's almost like as the way he's playing. You know, having Roy Keane in midfield or

Peter Schmeichel in goal or Bruce at center back. It's almost like as he as a young he's almost like you've been cuddled and hugged all the time by people who are looking after

you. And they're just looking after the ball. They're looking after the sort of rhythm of the game, and I felt Rodri and Bernardo Silver in that second the way. It's a great way to get into the game. But it is worth mentioning that there are

four or five of those city players that are going for their first title who are playing exceptionally well right now. Start with the two center backs to send the box

thought were formidable today,

and they've been brilliant this

last few weeks. And today I thought you sign off and, uh. And gay were excellent, not just to a Rolls Royce. Of a football player that you'll see at that the way he's playing. He's got a lot of confidence in his defensive third. Is then positivity to go forward and stride for when he strides forward. It looks like

Gareth Bailey like he's got

that run of smoothness and real sort of like. Good running style, and then he gets in the box and he's good in the air and usually see somebody must be six foot to I don't know.

He'd be look six foot two from the ball. I mean, I don't know what he is, but. Have someone that good on the ball to have somebody runs like that and to have someone who's got such maturity and I wouldn't be sort

of so quick to throw a young player into the England squad in the World Cup, and I won't be so quick to say get them. But this lad looks like he's made already for this type of sort of game.

He was outstanding today. Then you've got Cherokee. Who I mean, that goal is just we did stay clear of the messy comparison, didn't we? We just thought, No, you just don't do that because it just puts pressure. He's not messy, but it was the way which he skips and just moved his feet and just sort of drifted past people. It was's beautiful bit of play so confident. Um so many I didn't think was it is actual best

today, you know, but I've mentioned gay who's not enough. Nico O'Reilly in Turkey. I thought we're outstanding. I would ordinarily be mentioned some menu in that sort of

category, but I don't think I can today of how he's played, but he's going to be going to be a lot of goals and obviously lots of goals and assists, so he would usually go into that sort of category as

well. And Don't remember the

other one who's trying to win

his first Premier League title, but he's a serial winner elsewhere, and he had a bit of a challenging. Starts the game. But yeah, the one mistake I would say just mean that we'll

carry on talking about sitting. the way it was. It was. It was a couple of incredible performances from senior players. And then lots of good young players around the mooring in a good moment and confident, but

them to really like father figures that the guardians of quality and standards, and it's

a model that works. I mean,

just three or four or five players that are in their 30s that you just trust is the word trust and what they do they raise the standard of everybody else.

Do you think there's any interest or value in the observation that City's team is settled? You know in previous years when they've been winning the title one of the things we and our trainer boys said it's impossible to second-guess Pep's team you know he did something different every week this time and that the goalkeeper apart was the League Cup final team yeah it's been that team for the month since essentially and do you take anything from that that settled nature you know what the 11 is and they all understand

they're part of it and they're doing their jobs yeah I think if City can stay I mean Roger went off with a little like a groin at the end that would be a the way. I think it's a problem. I think it's a problem for the younger jobs. Yeah, I think if City can stay, Roger went off with a look like a groin at the end. That would be

a problem. By the way, they'd

lose a lot. Because Nico, I

think wouldn't be the same anywhere near the same level as Roger. So if that is a two or three week injury. That might give us a little bit of their own. They're not going to be able to play well themselves in a good game. Um. But I'm

sorry. I've got your question. Peter settled team. We'll be right that for that 4 to 4 when the defending the four standing

up there almost like ominously

looking at the defense and give it away and we'll be on to you. And we don't mention Highland anymore. We're just taking for ball. Anyway, Mr He was like a battery in Ram today, and he's got a great goal. So I think

there's no way that team will change. But obviously, Roger looked like he picked up a groin, so that might be a point where they have to change, but I don't think he'll change the

team at all. He's got Savino and Foden that he can bring off the bench. He's got others as well. Just Rodri, that's the one question you would ask, but you're right. He has got a very settled XI that I think that he would think will go and win them the league

and go and win them the FA Cup. Arsenal, by contrast, funnily enough, shook it up a bit today, but made the call to play Havertz up top. Had Martin Oerdegaard back, and obviously Zubermandi and Rice have done a lot of hard running kind of by themselves in those midfield positions, and it freshened up. And the impression I got from sitting next to you for two hours was that you enjoyed, basically, what they were doing.

Yeah, I mean, ordinarily when you highlight sort of two Manchester City central midfield players in Rodri and Bernardo Silva, the first half. I'm just thinking actually in the second half, what rice and Zuberman rice and Urdu God didn't do as much was press onto them. If

you remember in our slow, having quite a bit of joy in that sort of area over there in the first half was when they really pressed high onto Rodri and Bernardo Silver and

stop them playing in the second half. They started to get on top. Obviously, Bernard, the first half, they started the game. did. I thought I thought I was did a good job in the game. I mean, if he just scored that late on, it would the way that you've got to play. You know, when you're playing Nico O'Reilly for city or out timber and California

others are for Arsenal. They were just just blocked off. You haven't got that. What would be that subtlety on the ball or that even ability that safe, consistent and reliable ability

to feed the ball in your good touches and passes and getting it into your front players intimate field players because the center backs effectively, the way that they played. I think losing both their full backs just would have cost them

a little bit today in terms of

on the ball and being able to get forward, But I thought I still today. Lost the game. Because you can lose here. Because you can play well and do okay in the game and lose here,

and I'm sure Michael Arteta will point towards the chances as a is one where he is the poster have a chance at the end. the goalkeeper. They've got the ball deep with Donna Romero the center backs and then when they actually sort of counter the all got back really quickly and sunken. I don't know what

went wrong because it happened quite quickly with Donna Roma plays a ball for the goal. Peter I think he throws it doesn't there and it goes in between. I think maybe Martinelli and has

a have a sorry on this side and all of a sudden there's like acres of space. Why? I'm sure the back four players. They're going to be in the back four players. And all of a sudden there's like acres of space. Why? I'm sure Jamie Cargill tell us tomorrow night on

Monday Night Football, but that shouldn't happen. You know, something's gone fundamentally wrong when you basically got a goalkeeper that's playing the ball against managed to city.

So either the back four haven't pushed in and made it all compact high up the pitch with the four players or the four players have gone too high. I would say probably the mid field players in the foot and

the back place haven't pushed in because in the first half, if you remember, Gabrielle was pressing on the edge of the 18 yard box at one point. So Arsenal's fatigue, maybe a city

wearing them out means that they just probably just not done the full press like they were going. They probably just not done the full press like they were in the first half in that moment, they've half of them have gone and half them stay back, and

that's when you get big gaps from front to back. So that was the mistake I think they made on the goal where they counterattacking. Obviously, then Harlan gets that goal at

the end, so just that was a disappointing one because they really did work that defensively where they either went full press or they all came back and defended deep. They got stuck in between half and half. I'm sure Jamie Carragher will look at that for tomorrow night.

Yeah, I mean you talk about cup half full, cup half empty and all of that sort of stuff. Talk to me about the man management job that Mikel Arteta's got now. Because a month ago there was talk of the quadruple. Now you wouldn't be human as an Arsenal fan or player if you thought we might end up winning nothing here. And how do you get into the minds of the players? Because equally they might be European champions and English champions in a month and a half from now.

You know there really is a cup half full, or two cups full, or nothing.

I'm sure, I'm absolutely certain, Michael Arteta will be saying to them in there now, I'm proud of you, if you perform to that standard for the next seven games, you'll be in a European Cup final and you've got a great chance of winning the league because you'll score a lot of goals and you win a lot of games. If Man City dropped one point. We're in two points were

in the draw, so I'm sure he'll be reiterating the message of. That's the level I need you to be at. Now what Michael Arteta is going to have to do in this next few weeks is make sure we

picked that team. With that level of intent. I think it's the way. It's a game of intent. I think it's really important now that are still playing next Saturday night. The game are still be Newcastle.

I'm doing you're doing for NBC. I'm doing it for sky. It's a huge game. It's a huge game because that really is the game they cannot afford to drop anything. They have to win next Saturday night. I'm not saying they have to go and win two or the way that we've seen it. We've seen it. We've seen it

tonight. I'm not saying they have to go and win two or three nil, but that will help with gold difference. And yet you have to think about that, but they just have to come off that

field with three points. And that will then, I think, set them up nicely in terms of being able to go. They can still look forward to this running, and I That was a good performance today and we could have got a point out that game easily. Play like that and that standard in every game to the end of the season and we'll win a trophy. I think he'll be saying that.

Before we come on to the rest of the season, just one or two issues within the game. The Gabrielle Harland head-to-head. What's your reflections now? I saw you talking to Mike Dean before he disappeared.

Yeah, Mike actually to be fair said that he thought it was I think he's discussed it with a few of his colleagues and I think he said it was a red in the end. Look it matters less because I mean look if Gabriel scores late on City be absolutely furious. What ordinarily happens is and I got done I think it was actually Steve McManaman in the Manchester derby it was back in 2003 He's got the ball and he's got the ball. He's got the ball. He's got the ball.

He's got the ball. He's got the ball. He's got the ball. He's got the ball. He's got the ball. He's got the ball. He's got the ball. He's got the ball. He's got the ball. He's got the ball. the game. And I think he actually he puts his head down as well. Now, Holland does brilliantly

well. It doesn't react. He could have gone like this and put his head to his face, and I think he'd have been gone straight away. Gabrielle straight off the pitch within a second. I don't want to see players sent off, but he's lucky there, Gabrielle. I think it's not ended up. Counting for anything, but I think Pep Guardi he would have been. I think he would have been a bit more counting for anything. But I think Pep Guardiola

would have had a real noise up and winge and with some justification, I think if if

obviously Gabrielle scored late on our city had conceded a goal, I think he'd have been. I think you've been annoyed. I just want to ask you to because I think I think we're all fascinated by as neutrals, whatever. You were squirming when Ryan Illy got caught very early on around the goal kick and you were going off on one. But then, well,

that's what I was going to say, ironically, it actually cost Donnarumma a goal. Just explain, because I know it's a tough one for you, but to a football fan, if you can, flipping the coin, what is the value in what they're doing as passing short? Do you see that? Because there must be a reason they do it. the ball. You know, it's a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a

bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a bit of a have a habit sometimes of keeping the ball too deep and too far back and leaving the goalkeeper on the ball too much because he's good on the ball and they rely upon him too much

to pass it back to him quite a bit. That couldn't happen today because they did that in the second half of the Carabao Cup final wasn't with David Raya. It was obviously with Kappa and

it cost them because what it the way. You're not going to get a chance to get a chance to get a chance to get a chance to get a chance to get a chance to get a chance to get a chance to get a chance to get a chance to get a chance to get a chance to the way he's playing. He's playing. He's playing. And actually, I think recovered really well from that moment.

Don't know. I was not good on

the ball. He's clumsy on it. I mean, can be good, but he's erratic. It can be

inconsistent. But honestly, I'm

seeing I'm seeing it less and

less. I'm seeing it less than I was last year, Peter in the year before. But honestly, I have I've there's no doubt that the. The risks far outweigh the reward of this type of football, and I'm not talking about basically

sort of safe. Knock it long football. But you can. What are the benefits of playing out from your six yard box? Of course, if they play if a team drops off to the halfway line or a sort of

mid press as they would call it, of course, play out. Just play not a game. It're not even thinking about that. You just think, you know, let's make sure we settle into the game. Well, play it forward. Test their defenders, make them run back to their own goal, trying to get some set pieces, try and make them defend playing their half. That still is the thing. I don't care. You're the game changes. Of course it

changes, but you have to play as much as you possibly can in the attacking half of the opponent's area of pitch. Sorry, simple as that. You have to. That is football. That's how you win matches and city do that so much.

They don't pass it back anywhere near as much as Arsenal. I still do pass it, but I didn't think I still passed it back too badly today. Maybe a little bit in the second half. they got a little bit safe. I thought in the first 20-25 minutes they had some real intent of running forward and playing forward and pressing

but you can't do that against City for 90 minutes because your legs just go a little bit and you just become a little bit fatigued.

Okay well we're into the last month, we haven't got clever graphics here so I'm just gonna have to talk to you about the fixtures. Arsenal have left, home to Newcastle, home to Fulham, at West Ham, home to Burnley, at Crystal Palace.

It couldn't be better. I mean West Ham away is tough because of where West Ham are right now. That could not be, if you just said let's pick five fixtures, you might change one. But honestly you could not pick a better five games than that really. You'd snap your hand off all day if you got off of those five, the season. I mean, you could not pick a better five games than that. Really You say it's

not your hand off all day. If you got offered those five. As your last five games of the season going for a title so that they've got no, they've got no complaints, no excuses.

You know the idea that they'd be playing Manchester United away, Liverpool and field more. I'm trying to think of an awkward team at home that you know, I mean, just they've got none of that.

Yeah, they've got a team that are in the relegation scrap Westam who can be awkward and you can see that could be a little bit tricky. But gone beating Newcastle and full of

that. They're the key games now to go and get those six points the game. I thought that was the one that was the one that was the one that was the one

that was the one that was the

two semifinals in sort of

interspersed between those games, aren't they? Um yes, you're right. Yeah, I thought that that's that's the tricky one for us. All that's the one look if they lose against if

they drop points against New Castle and full of you don't you don't deserve a title. the game. It's a tough game. You know, you're in the West after a second leg of a Champions League semifinal when you may have been knocked out.

You might have got back late. You might have had a grueling. You might have gone to extra time and penalties. It might be sapping. That will be a game. That's a tough game. That's one

game that you'd look at. I think all that needs a little before then, two in the Champions League and two in the Premier League and they've got to go and do the job in those four matches. Yeah, incidentally the two

teams who have them both still to play, funnily enough, coincidentally are Burnley and Palace and depending on how the fixtures are scheduled around the Cup final, potentially for City and so on, actually Crystal Palace could end up playing them both in the last week of the season, which would be interesting. So the City's games are Everton away, Burnley away, Everton away, Brentford at home, Bournemouth away, which by the way will be Iriola's last home game, so there'll be a little bit of stuff around that. Last day of the season against Aston Villa and somewhere in there to be decided

the home game against Crystal Palace, very possibly within the last week of the season. The Bournemouth game... Palace here is it? The Palace game is here, yes. They've actually got a decent record here haven't they? Palace. Have I missed you? No, they've had a couple of big times. Just to say there could be a cup final in there, obviously, and the Bournemouth game is

on cup final weekend, so that's the one that might... Yeah, that might be the one that might end. So that's the one about the ball the Bournemouth away game. Uh if it gets if it goes to the last game against Villa here, I still can forget about it. They're done that

they're finished. Something has to happen against Everton away Bournemouth away. I think they're the games that could be

a little bit more tricky for

city. But city fans them to in the way they've been playing this season. They've been playing really well in every single match. I mean. Can I still outscore city in the last few weeks? This is not difficult as well with where city score goals Highland Turkey, Semenu

Folding Savino Docu. They're all capable, aren't they? But look, I still got to go and score goals and win games. Um. Do their own job. Most importantly, the main thing the other team. You know, I think the key to the game is the key to the game in this

position is. Be there. If the other team slip up, make sure you're there. Don't not do your own job. So look. I think both of them have got comfortable ish run ins. Um. Yeah, let's

see. City definitely favorites

now. I mean that that that game today that win today definitely

puts them in that position. Do you want to do any other business? Top none I mean it felt a little bit like remember Sam I could for the Bayern Munich center by When when I see the ground beating the ground when that goal went in in the sort of Champions League final And that was the first goal It felt a little bit like that watching that goal going for Brighton last night didn't a router scores and all of a sudden you saw to the crowd you saw Javi Simons you saw Dancer and you thought oh...

I mean that hit deep didn't it, that hurt them badly. Forrest of One and West Ham have won. Sorry, Forrest of One and Leeds have won. Forrest of One and Leeds have won and West Ham play tomorrow night. The unthinkable is thinking. the game. I'm going to be watching the game. I'm going to be watching the game. I'm going to be watching the stand play tomorrow night. The unthinkable

is. Thinking Yeah, the unthinkable is happening before our eyes. Really? It's a desperate situation. I actually went to a James concert straight after the game, so I didn't

watch my team play, but. just to say that I was watching a concert that was absolutely loving and enjoying and then thinking when I saw United team and saw Mas Rawi and heaven at center back at all, there's no

way that we can keep a clean sheet here, but I thought from Bruno Bruno and Burmo, Cunha and Cisco will score goals. If you said to me one nil, I said no

a Liverpool winner on this the top five. I mean, it's obviously a bit of a stretch, but that just puts Chelsea in a

desperate position of all the issues. Actually the top five looks to be the most clear cut now looks set. I mean, look, Chelsea play. Liverpool. I think they do. Yeah, Chelsea

play Liverpool and Manchester United play Liverpool. So you could argue that Liverpool have got a couple of tricky games, but I just think now is it seven points there in front? Yeah, yeah. And Chelsea look to be fair. They look dead on their feet, don't they? They look like they're beaten every time you watch them. They're not in a good run of uniform at all. So yeah, that was a that was a bad weekend for Chelsea. A really

bad weekend after United getting beat against Leeds on Monday. Chelsea must be thinking like that's going when now you think United center back and back for you think you've got a real chance to not score a goal. Is a very

really bad situation. But yeah, Michael Carrick and Manchester United. I think that's a big response that from a really difficult Monday night football against Leeds when leads, I

think outplayed Manchester United. I think it's a really good response. Tottenham was the big thing last night wasn't it? I mean that was just... I mean it's not good

for them. I think that's covered everything. Do you want to have a further word on who's going to win the league or would you rather dot that question now?

I think Manchester City now. Manchester City are favourites. I think Manchester City now, uh, Manchester City of favorites. I wouldn't say it's I won't say clear favorites. I think they could end up both

on the same points. Um. Um Arsenal could do them on gold if his body's doubtful, doubtful that Manchester won't score more goals, and they look

like the solidly solid

defensively now, so Yeah, be a big be a big

Big shock from here. If Pep

Guardiola didn't win it from this point, wouldn't it? Yes, it would be a big shock because he always does. Yes we got from a pot gone from a point of Arsenal favorites. Think they'll

win it. Six points clear a point today. There's still six points today. There's still six points clear to a point whereby now