On Sunday, Arsenal defeated Tottenham 3-2; Gunners still need to play Manchester United at Old Trafford; according to Gary Neville, “I think they will achieve a 100 per cent record”
With a game in hand, Manchester City’s 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest guarantees Pep Guardiola’s team will continue to control their own destiny. They are currently one point behind Arsenal in second place.
“People will point towards William Saliba [returning] and I will as well, but it’s more than that.
“There is a focus and discipline and attention to detail on the pitch in their defensive work – and six clean sheets on the bounce is a hell of an achievement in any season.
“They’ve got back on the bike and demonstrated that they have moved forward as a club, moved forward as a coaching team, moved forward as a group of players and are nowhere near the position they were in last season.”
“The trip to Old Trafford is the only doubt” Arsenal’s remaining matches are at home against Everton and Bournemouth before travelling to Old Trafford to play Manchester United.
Neville believes the game against Erik ten Hag’s side could test Arsenal, despite their struggles this season, but ultimately he expects the Gunners to take maximum points from their run-in.
“You never know what is going to happen at Old Trafford and Old Trafford can be a graveyard for teams,” he said.
“Even with the way Manchester United are at the moment, you have to regard that as a massive match and a big game.
“Teams have won at Old Trafford that have been in the bottom half of the table, but teams in the top half of the table have gone there and struggled.
“Liverpool famously in the last month or two have lost an FA Cup quarter-final there and they drew in the league and that was probably the start of Liverpool’s downfall in terms of where they are now [compared to where they were then], in terms of dropping out of the title race and getting knocked out of the FA Cup.
“You can never underestimate a game at Old Trafford. If you look at a collection of matches it can be overwhelming, but if you look at the form that Arsenal have been in and the defensive stability they have had, it’s not because of team errors [that they conceded two goals against Spurs].
“I think they will achieve a 100 per cent record. The one doubt is the Old Trafford game. It will all depend for me on how City do in the next week or two as well.”
Neville: A good day for VAR
Neville also commented on the VAR flash points at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, starting with the Micky van de Ven goal ruled out for offside in the first half.
“From one side, it looked like it was offside and from the other we weren’t sure but obviously it was. We can get wound up about offsides with VAR, but that’s the one I don’t get wound up about because there is a consistency to it.
“The point at which the ball is kicked and the sort of hairlines that they draw on, they are the same every week and I think we have just got to go with that. That is a positive intervention in the game I believe.”
