Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville has expressed his thoughts on Arsenal’s recent performance against Manchester City. Neville believes that the Arsenal players may have questioned manager Mikel Arteta’s tactical decisions during the match.
Arteta’s starting lineup raised some eyebrows, with Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Martinelli being left on the bench in favor of Mikel Merino and Leandro Trossard. The match saw Erling Haaland score in the ninth minute, but Martinelli came off the bench to secure a late equalizer.
Neville shared his insights on the latest episode of The Overlap, stating that the players would have likely been surprised by Arteta’s team selection. He noted that the decision to leave out Eze and Martinelli, who were instead named as substitutes, may have been viewed with skepticism by the team.
The lineup was announced on Friday afternoon, and Neville wonders how the players would have reacted to the news. He suggests that the team may have been thinking that Arteta had taken a similar approach to previous matches, such as those against Liverpool at Anfield and Manchester United at Old Trafford.
The match against Manchester City was a highly anticipated one, with Arsenal ultimately securing a draw. The team’s performance and Arteta’s tactical decisions will likely be subject to further analysis and discussion in the coming days. As the season progresses, Arsenal will look to build on this result and improve their standing in the league. The team’s next match will provide another opportunity for Arteta to showcase his tactics and for the players to demonstrate their skills.
