Gary Neville hails return of Arsenal’s Invincibles spirit but insists Mikel Arteta must retain composure in title race | Football News

Gary Neville believes we are seeing the “Arsenal of 20 years ago” – when Arsene Wenger’s Invincibles ruled English football – following another seismic result in a pulsating title race.

Mikel Arteta saw his Arsenal side re-establish their five-point cushion at the Premier League summit following a deserved 3-2 win over Manchester United – but insists a successful title tilt will “demand almost perfection” for the rest of the campaign.

The Gunners are now unbeaten in their last 13 Premier League games, their longest unbeaten streak in the competition since going 14 unbeaten in December 2018.

“I really enjoyed it,” Neville said in his latest podcast for Sky Sports. “I just felt in the last half an hour, Arsenal had more quality.

“It felt like Arsenal were like they were maybe 20 years ago. When I was a player against them, I used to wish they’d shoot from distance or cross it – but they would play that extra pass to get it into wide positions.

“They would keep driving you into your box. I’d find myself getting deeper, narrower and under pressure. It just felt like the goal was coming. It was just wave after wave of attack, and it felt like that 20 years ago when you were playing against such a good Arsenal team.”

Arsenal now have 50 points from their opening 19 games and, with five of the last six champions exceeding 90 points, Arteta knows they have to keep up their electric pace.

It is now a time for cool heads.

Earlier in January, Arteta would not be drawn on an unsavoury incident at full-time against Tottenham when a spat between Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale and Spurs forward Richarlison ended with a fan kicking Ramsdale before running back into the crowd.

Then, he instead stressed the importance of his players keeping their heads during a fiery contest, having seen defender Rob Holding sent off less than half an hour into their defeat at Spurs in May.

Arsenal’s temperament will be tested during the second half of the campaign, but Neville believes the additions of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko – ironically from Man City – will give Arteta’s side the necessary experience to handle the scrutiny.

“I don’t think managers 20 years ago were as demonstrative as the ones we see today, like Conte, Klopp, Pep and Arteta,” said Neville when asked about the Arsenal manager’s touchline theatrics which earned him a caution off referee Anthony Taylor.

“Those Arsenal players are going to come under significant pressure in the next 19 games which will require composure – particularly in the last 10 matches.

“When you’re going for a league title, it is going to be really pressurised for those players. They’ll require not just that passion but they’ll also require composure and some calm authority at times.

“They will need settling down. They’ve got players such as Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus who know what it’s like, they’ve been there before. It’s really exciting to think what this Arsenal team can achieve.

“They need to now go on and prove to us that they can win the title, which is going to be really tough. They’ve still got to play Manchester City twice and they’ve got them on their shoulders.

“They’re a massive powerhouse, Manchester City and Pep Guardiola. You can imagine them sitting there tonight not being too fazed by this.”

Heading into the weekend, Pep Guardiola had questioned his players’ desire after the 4-2 win over Tottenham and said Arsenal will “destroy” them in the Premier League title race if they continue to play as they are.

City responded with a 3-0 victory over Wolves courtesy of a fourth Premier League hat-trick of the season for Erling Haaland – and Neville maintains that he feels Arsenal will ultimately come up short despite their current five-point advantage.

“I don’t see them going on to win the league, I still think Man City will. I feel City have a special run in them and that a point in the season will come when they’ll lose one or two matches. City will be right on their shoulders and it’ll become very difficult for them but they could win the league.

“I thought they’d be nowhere near winning the league and I can’t believe they’re even in the chat. The fact they’re in the conversation of winning the league is incredible so it’s not a negative thing for me to say that I think City will win the league as that’s what I thought at the start of the season.

“I feel City will hunt them down but they’re in with a shout which is really unbelievable for Mikel Arteta as I was really worried for him at the end of last season.”

Neville: Nketiah deserves England call-up

Eddie Nketiah has scored 19 goals across his last 26 starts for Arsenal in all competitions, including 13 in his last 13 starts at the Emirates Stadium.

“An England call-up is due for Eddie Nketiah,” added Neville. “Gareth Southgate is very good at allowing players to see their U21 career through and not bring them into the first team too early.

“But Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s form isn’t there at the moment, Callum Wilson is good but is he going to be there for the next four or five years? Harry Kane we know is fantastic but there is a dearth of centre-forwards. Marcus Rashford is playing wide and I think that’s where he’s going to stay.

“Erik ten Hag wants him to stay there so he’s got a real opportunity, but at the moment the best thing Nketiah can do is contribute to this Arsenal team and this very special run that they’re on and special season they’re having.”

Arteta lauds Arsenal’s first half of season

The win moved Arsenal on to 50 points from their opening 19 games of the campaign – a record for the club at this stage of the season – eclipsing even Arsene Wenger’s invincibles by five points.

“Extraordinary,” Arteta replied when asked about his thoughts on the first half of the campaign.

“It doesn’t get much better than that. We deserved the points that we have. I think we have played well enough to win most of the matches.

“But the reality is that we have things we can get better at. Attacking and defending in transitions. That’s the aim.”

Arteta, who worked as assistant to Pep Guardiola before taking the reins at the Emirates Stadium, will now take his side to face City in the FA Cup fourth round on Friday night.

They also still have two league meetings to come and Arteta believes everyone in the division is still playing catch up with City.

“I know my team so well,” he added. “They are good enough to play against these teams and they have done it. We talked about that in the last two or three days.

“We know our reality, we know still how much we have to improve, we know what’s taken us to the position we are today and we have to reinforce that every day.

“I know where we are, I know why we are here and I know where we want to be and we are far from that.

“I know the levels of the other teams and one especially that has won in the last five or six years and we are not there yet.”