Gary Neville thinks the title race is wide open this season, and says Arsenal can still win the league, but they need to make one vital change.
“They have to prepare themselves to deal with the strengths of the opposition before they can impose their own brand of football.” Neville wrote in The Telegraph.
When I played, I felt I was alongside a group of players who, 48 hours before the game, were already in alert mode. We all started with the premise: what are the dangers, what are the risks to winning this match. What might leave us with a bloody nose that might mean we don’t win this game and we don’t win this league.”
I do agree. Sometimes, especially in the big games, you have to question whether or not Arsene Wenger and the squad have done enough work on the opposition. I guess tomorrows game against Manchester United will give us a good idea as to whether Arsenal have the mental strength to bounce back from the midweek loss and to prepare properly for the United game.
Neville had plenty more to say in his column:
“You knew Keane and Bruce and McClair and Irwin and others would wake with those same thoughts. And Scholes, Giggs, Ferdinand and Carrick. And many more besides.
Once you have dealt with the risks, dealt with the other team’s strengths, you can play your football. And off that base Arsenal would feel they play the best football in the league, with a high possession rate and fantastic one-on-one players who could go on and win them the match. Ramsey, Ozil, Sanchez, Walcott, Cazorla.
So the arrogance and naivety would be these Arsenal players waking up on Saturday morning and not seeing the dangers posed by United, who are better organized, with a better defensive structure. It would be a mistake for Arsenal just to wake up thinking: we play better football, we keep better possession of the ball, we can break United down.”
What do you think? Do you agree with Neville? Share your thoughts by commenting below.