Arsenal: Gary Neville names four players responsible for Gunners collapse
The Gunners have not won in four Premier League games and Neville hasn’t stopped any part of the squad
Gary Neville has sensationally blamed four Arsenal players after their recent collapse in fortunes.
The Gunners were on course for their first Premier League title since the 2003/04 season but have failed to win any of their last four games.
Three draws against Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton, followed by a crushing defeat against Manchester City, saw Pep Guardiola’s side steal the initiative with less than a month left in the season.
A number of factors have been suggested as the reason behind the Gunners’ sudden drop in form.
Centre-back William Saliba is out with an injury and there is no doubt Mikel Arteta’s side have faltered in defense without the Frenchman. Likewise, the ever-reliable Bukayo Saka has scored just once in his last five games, missing a crucial penalty against West Ham at the London Stadium.
But according to Neville, it is Arsenal’s management team who are mainly to blame and should therefore bear the brunt of the blame.
Gary Neville criticizes Arsenal’s management team
Speaking of The Overlap, Neville said: “I see Martin Odegaard, a fantastic professional. Oleksandr Zinchenko, a great professional. But if you actually hit peak pressure moments in big games at the crux of the season, are they leaders?
“Arsenal’s senior players, Partey, Zinchenko, Odegaard, at their toughest time – when those younger players like Saka and Martinelli needed that guidance, Jesus had to tell them to stop running and just be up front and had to be really disciplined in how you play – they haven’t affected the rest of their team-mates on the pitch, I don’t think.”
He added, “In fact, they’ve contributed to the struggles they’ve had in games.
“Xhaka at Anfield, Partey’s performance in the last two games, I think Zinchenko also gave away a goal in a game – the game against Liverpool and maybe West Ham too – and probably Odegaard also had his toughest game against Manchester City.
“And then if you think about the conversation Zinchenko had [against Southampton] and then Odegaard came in and said ‘break’.
“So those four players who are the leaders of that team haven’t been able – at a time when those younger players needed to – to really bring them together and keep them calm and composed. That has been clear to me over the last few weeks.”
Can Arsenal still win the Premier League?
Despite the fact that Arsenal haven’t won a league match since April 1, Arsenal are still not out of the title race.
At the moment they still have a two-point lead over City, although Guardiola’s side still have two games in hand.
But if the Citizens only slip in some of the remaining seven games, the door is wide open for Arsenal.
A first domestic title in 19 years looks unlikely at this stage, but certainly not impossible.