Gary Neville believes that Pep Guardiola got his selection of the Manchester City team wrong against Arsenal and admitted that it contributed to their second half of collapse in the modest 5-1 defeat.
City was right in the game just after the break when there the early opener of Martin Odegaard canceled but goals from Thomas Partey, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Kai Havertz and Ethan Nwaneri saw City City for the fourth time four this season Or more goals for the fourth time – the most ever in a Guardiola campaign.
City was on the couch without several important players – with Rodri, Ederson and Ruben Dia's from injured and Kevin De Bruyne – but Neville believes that Guardiola should have responded better to these types of strokes.
“I think the moment you play against Manchester City and you increase the level of intensity, they really struggle,” he told the Gary Neville podcast. “They really struggle, really really. They no longer have the energy as a team, they are poor in transition.
“I have to say that I think I thought Pep Guardiola would have treated much better and had dealt a lot better with the loss of Rodri, I really did that.
“If this was another manager, there would be sitting and saying: you know for sure that Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic will work against Arsenal, who have Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice and Thomas Partey? They are energetic and have real quality and strength.
“I think you actually give them a chance, maybe you pack that midfield with three or four players there and maybe they are figures – and then to add to that.
“But he played Phil Foden on the right on the right, Savinho on the left, which I thought Josko Gvardiol had blocked the entire game in the future, and Omar Marmoush, whom I actually thought I was playing really well from the left against Chelsea last week Against Chelsea, who make those runs in a position of Erling Haaland where there was no room.
“So I just thought Pep Guardiola was wrong today.”
'Man City now have a frightening February'
According to Neville, City was unrecognizable from the first minute, with the fault of Manuel Akanji, while after just two minutes from the rear Odegaard the opener the opener gifting.
The side of Guardiola was lucky not to be 2-0 during the break, because Havertz missed a golden opportunity to double the lead after Mateo Kovacic had given the ball away to Declan Rice in comparable circumstances.
Such bad versions mean that the city needs a summer structure, according to Neville, but they have a “frightening” February to first contend.
“Nowadays, one of the biggest problems was their greatest strength, Guardiola almost rewritten the football rules with playing behind,” Neville added. “Yet today it was their downfall in the sense that they were just caught with so many straight steps to midfield and Arsenal on top of them.
“They were the architects of their own downfall for a large part of that game, and it told us where City is currently, that they need that rebuilding, they need that reconstruction that Guardiola knows clearly, and I am sure they think About a large summer transfer window.
“But they have a hell of a month ahead: they have to play Real Madrid twice, they have to play Liverpool, Newcastle, Spurs.
“They now get a week off, and then a FA Cup -similar to Leyton Orient, but otherwise February is frightening for them.”
'Arsenal has demonstrated what they are capable of'
Neville was very impressed by Arsenal's performance and encouraged Mikel Arteta's side to “go for it” while trying to hunt Liverpool at the top of the table.
“What a performance of Arsenal. I supported them to win the competition at the start of the season and I didn't change my prediction,” he said.
“Liverpool is in an incredible position and you have to say that they are huge favorites and they have to win, but if you follow, you have to make an explanation, you must let the other team know that you know I don't go away And you have to be there when they slip.
“The crime is not there when she slides, so that is all that Arsenal can do. This game was a big challenge for Arsenal, who had to win the game, but also with Liverpool who won yesterday.
“Liverpool is doing very well and they look like they have all the types of weapons and tools that you need to win a competition, so they have a number of fights.
“It feels like they climb a mountain every week, Arsenal, just to stay there and almost come to a point where there is a title race, but I really believe that is.”
He added: “They can frustrate me, Arsenal, and they actually frustrated me for large parts of that competition.
“Sometimes you can get one-zero up and think that you are fine in a game and you can have the game drifted and you can sleep a little, that's what they did. But they did respond.
“What Arsenal has demonstrated after admitting the goal of Haaland is what they are capable of, and it takes me back to our dressing room if you have shown what you are capable of.
“Don't get under that standard.
“Why does it need a Haaland goal for us to reach a level that we can reach, where players with real intention run ahead, go in bags with real fresh steps like Declan Rice did for Lewis-Skelly? Why wait?
“Don't wait, you have 14 games to go, there is a Premier League title there, don't wait, go for it.”
'Gabriel Celebration is disrespectful'
However, Neville was not impressed by Gabriel who celebrated in the face of Haaland after the early goal of Odegaard. Later Myles Lewis-Skelly was able to imitate the party of the Norwegian.
“It actually happened to me here, many, many years ago in Highbury, where a player came up and shouted in my face,” said Neville. “We won the game 4-2 that day.
“I don't really like it, I think it's a bit disrespectful. I get the fact that Haaland is the kind of pantomime crack here today, but there is something that I didn't like.
“I was many things, but I never did that, I never started screaming in the face of a player. I just didn't do that.
“There is something that I thought I felt a bit uncomfortable. It was a bit disrespectful.”
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