Gary Neville reacts to Arsenal's LATE winner and Man Utd misery! | The Gary Neville Podcast

Hello everybody, it's the Gary Neville podcast. We're at St. James' Park. There are still Arsenal supporters high above us celebrating what feels at the moment, Gary, in the moment, like a monumental win.

Yes, yeah, and rightly they should be celebrating. It was absolute bedlam up there. You know, there's nothing better than seeing a last-minute winner, unless it's against your team, but seeing the Arsenal players at the end, obviously, celebrating, and the the way he's going to play against him. He's going to be playing differently, but his team selection at the start of the game is more positive is

substitutions were everything he could have thrown at the game. If you're going to come off a football pitch, make sure you've used all your weapons. Make sure you've used everything

in your armory, and he's done that. So even at 11, you know my message I was thinking about the way they've done it. They have done everything they possibly can. The manager made the right decisions. He makes the right substitutions, but

it's just not quite come for them. But the reason you get the winner at the end is because of the intent. I said last week, we've got to stop looking at what we can laugh at the says

or what managers say. Look at what they do. So if they say they're going to go for it, they should win every single match, then let your substitutions tell us that. Let your team selection tell us that. And I'm quite animated here tonight because a week ago, I was equally animated in a different way because I felt as though he was leaving his team short, a point whereby even the players in the dressing room might have been thinking, ah, you've not played Eze.

You've not played Saka, you played Marino, you played Trossard, you've not played Martinelli. you've got to think about it. You've got to think about it. You've got to think about it. You've got to think about it. You've got to think about it. You've got to think about it. You've got to think about it. You've got to think about it. You've got to think of it, and I even thought traveling up this morning is the pressure on

Michael Arteta to win the league. And what I was thinking on the way up for three hours. I was thinking of the Arsenal board saying to him that you know, second is great because

the monetary difference between first and second is very little year in the Champions League. You get a big prize money for finishing second. You're consistent, the grounds are full every week, the people are paying to watch,

but you're Arsenal Football Club and you have to win titles. And I'm absolutely adamant about that because of what I experienced in my football career whilst battling against Arsenal year in, year out. And they've got to step up.

And today they've stepped up. When that first goal went in, I said, big. And I thought the second one was coming. I genuinely did. I thought I could feel that sort of something happening in the ground. Those Arsenal players and it did happen. And I think it's a big moment.

Look, September, it's ridiculous. I can't even believe I'm speaking like this. Someone who's experienced around sort of, you know, being in title races and saying every single season, it doesn't start till March. the way. You've got to send out some clear messages that we're here and we're proper, and

that's what I think Arsenal have done today. So to what extent did the Liverpool result play

into the dynamic of this game? To what extent was there a weight of obligation because of what happened at Selhurst Park yesterday? I think it added pressure on. I mean, look,

they've been under pressure

anyway. Arsenal, if Liverpool the one that've been under pressure anyway at Arsenal, if Liverpool had won they'd have been under big pressure in a different way but there's no doubt when you're travelling to London like we used to or to Newcastle like Arsenal were yesterday, if the team that you think you're up against that can win the league lose a game on a Saturday and you're travelling to play on a Sunday, that doesn't half give you a lift. You're not going to be able to get a lift. You're not going to be able to get a lift. It doesn't half give you

a lift. I mean, players and managers will say all day long in interviews that we only concentrate on our own job and they'll play that straight back and tell us basically what you

know the professional says, but the reality of it is that little smile on your face that little the way they've done it. I think it's a bit of a challenge in Europe and seeing that sort of element of when someone goes first and misses a pot. It's

certainly a lot easier than when they put it in, and that's what Liverpool did. They missed the pot yesterday. They missed a four footer or eight footer Crystal Palace away is now and

asked will have gone up here today to their toughest ground.

This is a very difficult place place for Arsenal to win. You said their record, four in the last five they've lost. So for Arsenal to come here today, yeah I said before I feel quite animated because I feel like I've seen, I call it a swing, a momentum shifter. Forgive me, you make a good point because people coming into this weekend were saying listen Liverpool probably win at Palace and it's conceivable that Arsenal lose at Newcastle because they have and we were talking about an eight point gap I mean there's your swing eight

potentially has become two in fact yeah and lots of people were thinking that before the weekend you know eight points would be too much to sort of catch up I don't go along with that I think it's still too early but yeah I just think that what I mentioned before is you don't win the title in September Arsenal haven't won the title today, Liverpool didn't lose the title yesterday. But what I think Liverpool realise tonight is that they're probably going to be in with a bigger fight

than maybe they thought. Maybe they thought they were in with the battle anyway, that they weren't going to have it easy. But there's something in that Liverpool sort of mentality tonight as they go to bed, they'll be thinking. You know, they started the game with soccer. They started the game with your caress. They started

the game with as a they started the game with Trotsa, but then Marino comes on. Urdu guard comes on. Martinelli comes on. Mad wake is not even sort of fit yet, so they's got some real sort of Game changes that can come off the bench and

Michael Arteta used them. He used them. He actually went to three at the back. He put Trotsky that left back at one point, and he really did take risks. That's what you have to

do. The manager tells the team on the pitch by substitutions and his team selection how he's thinking about the game. If you the way forward. You can't really. You can't really put four or five defenders on all of a sudden, the managers playing

for a point. He's happy with the result. The manager puts forwards on and keeps on putting forwards on and keeps on putting forward. He's telling you to go for it quite clearly.

The one I kept saying about. You know, Declan Rice that was sitting a little bit deeper. I kept saying to release the way he's going to be going to be. Take the risk. Take the risk. Release yourself. You've got supermen back there

for much of the game alongside you. All right, him and Gabrielle and Saliba can can can deal with that counter attack. Take the risk, and I think there was an element of that. I mean,

obviously, both goals came from set pieces. Declan Rice did put a great crossing. But yeah, I the game. It's a game that you're in. It may not prove to just got to do something that sort of. Changes the ordinary. You know that little bit extra

that takes you away from being sort of predictable and that little bit of safety and that pragmatic, pragmatic element of what Arsenal are at times. Get rid of it. You don't need to be.

You've got absolutely brilliant options up front with players who are really exceptionally talented. Let them go. Let them be free. You've got enough. You've got a

brilliant back line. You know, Mosquera Saliba, Gabrielle, two fantastic defensive fullbacks in California and timber and Ben White and Louis Skelly miles. Miles Lewis Skelly to

back them up. You've got a great goalkeeper. Everything's about scoring goals. Two, three, four, hurting teams. Today they'll have big, big smiles going back down to London tonight and I think they'll realise that is a blueprint moving forward. And Mikel Arteta, I'll say it again, he'll say that nothing's changed in a week. It has. It has. He's taken more risks today than he did last Sunday and fortune favours the brave. Horrible one for Newcastle, Gary.

Especially after Liverpool, you know, same things happened again.

Yeah, and look, it is a horrible one for Newcastle. I didn't think they played at their best. I mean, look, they fought their solid defensively. They were hanging in there. Looked a bit like City last week at one point when Eddie Howe went to five at the back and I couldn't you couldn't argue with it because there was a wave after waver of attack But yeah they'll be disappointed they'll be gutted with how the season started, but I think the I

Think the ingredients are right here. There's no need to panic. You know those Newcastle fans at the end There's still a lot of them. I think we're appreciative of the performance. They played against a good side And I don't think there's a need for changes here or anything like that, I think they just need to get into their flow, I think they'll rise up the league, I think they'll win a lot of points, a lot of matches here,

and today they just played against, I think, probably at this moment in time, maybe the best team in the league on performance levels,

and they're very difficult to play against Arsenal. OK, Liverpool then, and I need to ask this question in the context of Crystal Palace, because there'll be supporters of their club listening, saying, hey, you're talking about Liverpool and Arsenal, we're up there in the top three, we're in the best run of form in the land, we're Crystal Palace, we're proud of it.

So in dealing with Liverpool, please deal with Crystal Palace as well. Yeah, I mean, let's start with Glasner's celebration. What a brilliant sight that was, seeing him sprint down the touchline in sort of a last, well not a last minute win, it was 95-96 minutes. I like Nketiah, I like Nketiah a lot, I was happy for him. He's obviously not always playing at Crystal Palace, but they had loads of chances in the first half. the way. You know, it's a really good game. You know,

there's loads of chances in the first half. Allison I'm always in the highlights. It wasn't on live that game, but you see Allison's made some world class saves. It's not as if it's a

fluke. The Crystal Palace of one. And the plane really well in the they've got a really good coach. Um so well done to them. Yes, a brilliant day for they've got to be able to concede. They've got to be able to concede. They've got to be able to concede. They've got to be able to concede. They've got to be able to concede. They've

got to be able to concede. They've got to be able to concede. They've got to be able to concede. They've got to be able to concede. They've got to the way he's been. He's been really good. He's been really tough in the car about got a

debate in the week about whether that was a bad one and whether he should be. You know, Rolex for it or whether he should be let off, though, because I was young kid. I actually thought

that's one that could cost you a little bit at the time. I just thought it was a silly one and if he'd been there on the way they play. You know, they're not going to be completely out of trouble. They can make a difference and Liverpool. You say they scored goals to get them out of

trouble in moments this season,

and it's not going to continue

all the time. So yeah, there's something to think about for Liverpool, but I like the way they play, you know. You know, when I go and watch Liverpool play, it hurts me to think that the way they do it. They're always looking to score. They always look to score. They

always look to score attacking options. They always look to score loads of goals and score more than the opposition, which sounds really basic, but they're not sort of sat back looking to

pinch games. That's that. You know, they're there really going punch for punch, throwing everything that they can. So you've got a lot of admiration that. I think that's what today cemented it for me. I think we needed to see that

from Arsenal in context of what

Liverpool did yesterday. If

Arsenal come here today and

play pragmatic and. And draw the game 11, but it's a pragmatic one one. I think I'm safe, but I'm not. I'm not. I'm saying something's just flicked a switch has flicked this week in

the Arsenal change it training

ground and it's Mikhail Arteta that's put his finger on it and he's thought, right, I'm going to get my best players out. I think that's a

big moment.

We'll come, I'm afraid, to Manchester United. But before we do that, again, just hearing the voices of supporters in my head now, dealing with the big ones, whilst Sunderland are up there,

in the context of what you and

everyone has been saying about about newly promoted teams competing. A word on them because aren't they flying? I've not watched them live yet but I think first Monday night football of the season they played that first home game didn't they against West Ham I think it was and you sometimes when you like what you see you know you see teams that obviously have got a you know they're going to be defending for large parts of the game but then you see them sprint forward and then they put balls into the box and they play with intent and positivity, they've got physicality about them so I really like what I've seen and I've only seen highlights so far and parts of games but it's brilliant what

they've done and we need to see teams from the Championship that come up do well, we really need to see that, it's a big part of the Premier League and teams need to be given encouragement without going bankrupt in themselves. So I think what Leeds have done and Burnley have done and Sunderland, look it'll still be difficult as the season goes on but it's a great start for them. It's a great win again at Nottingham Forest who are a tough team to play against for the majority of last season and just finding their feet this season. So yeah what a great start for Sunderland

and they deserve a special mention. Okay Manchester United it was another grim day yesterday at Brentford there's there's no escaping that it feels like we're just on a loop asking the same question week after week so there you are the floor is yours where

are you at with it all? I'm very very worried very very worried I think we needed yesterday because yesterday was going to put into context the Chelsea game. If you're going to go and win yesterday and do well, the

Chelsea game becomes located started against Chelsea.

Yesterday, the performance that

we saw and the result that we saw means that you feel that the Chelsea game was skewed by sendings off and 10 men and all those other things. You start to look at

Chelsea left less positively, and that's just football. So I think we needed yesterday. I think there are a lot of United fans coming out of that ground last Saturday, including me. I

was at the game against Chelsea thinking right, Okay, Brentford away, Sunderland at home next week. There's a real opportunity to get nine points on the board on the bounce and then you'll be up in well up there with it being at the start of the season you know in the top six or eight probably but yesterday was a really poor performance and a real worry. Going into a little bit more detail I felt yesterday for the first time just the way that we've been playing this game. And a real worry. Going into a little bit more

detail. I felt yesterday for the first time just through instinct watching it on the television seen players face it seemed players body language. That there might be an element of

players really doubting the system and what's going on because there was something that happened in that game yesterday that I mentioned on my podcast two or three weeks ago that I said we couldn't see again. Remember after the Grimsby game in midweek, and I can't remember what game United played at the weekend after it, but we did the podcast on here, and I said that Mason Mount ended up at left wing back. There's sticking to your plan, and there's your coach that's got an idea,

and making sure that he delivers the idea and not flip-flopping with his idea the way he's playing. He's playing with a coach that's got an idea and making sure that he

delivers the idea and not flip

flopping with his idea with players, which can sometimes undermine what you're trying to achieve. But then when you're putting Mason Mount at left wing back, and he's ended up at left

wing back again yesterday in the last five minutes of the game. It starts to look awful. Let's But. Yesterday there was a there was a shot of sure and Maguire. On the bench. I think maybe 510 minutes from the end of the match, and they deserve to be on the bench. By the way, I've got no problem with that. But he changes his back three or his can't keep changing. You can't keep changing. He's on shore usually stays on, but sometimes he comes off. Dello was off on. You cannot continually keep changing

your back three and back five. It's impossible. I mean, that is the sort of part of the pitch

where you need reliability and

you need continuity to build relationships. So, Ruben has had a preseason. He's had a week now in between each of his games nearly almost of the weeks because I mean,

managed United aren't in Europe, yet the performances are as poor as ever. The results. Catastrophic really in managed United terms. The money that's been spent has been big. And

there's some things that I'm seeing that are a massive worry and some things that can't happen. You can't put Mason Mount at left wing back. I'm sorry, it just can't happen. I can't watch Mason Mount play left wing back in a football team. I struggle at times to watch him in his position, but actually putting him out there on the left wing is just, or left wing back, is ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. So I am very, very concerned. I really am because the manager's obviously a good coach he's had a great record in Portugal but it's

not clicking at all it's not clicking and the thing is for me when I said just before maybe I didn't finish what I was gonna say but it looked to me like state the players and the idea are not connecting at all you could just see their body language in their faces and yeah yeah a problem it's a big problem their bodies, their bodies, their bodies, their bodies, their bodies, their bodies, their bodies, their bodies, their bodies, their bodies, their bodies, their bodies, their bodies, their bodies, their bodies, their bodies,

their bodies, their bodies, their bodies, their bodies, their bodies, their bodies, their bodies, their bodies,

their bodies, their bodies, their bodies, their bodies,

their bodies, their bodies, their bodies, their bodies, you're going to start seeing very, very big questions being asked of the ownership. Big questions. They brought your manager in. He's played a completely the two players? What's the difference between the two big questions? They brought your manager in his played a completely

different system. They've

invested in a completely

different system. They brought dog in and they brought all the players. And if they were to be 14 15 16th in October, which was where I said at the start of the season, if managed

United where they were last season in October, it's not a one off. It becomes what you are and it becomes a pattern and then managers come under huge pressure. We've seen what's happened with Graham Potter in the last few days. So look, that's why I'm worried. That's why I'm worried, because this is not going to go away. It's going to build in this next week or so. And I think that a victory is needed more than ever at Old Trafford on Saturday against Sunderland. Yeah tough times for Manchester United and they have been for quite a while now. I don't know if there's anything else

you'd like to cover before we're done? No, the fact that we've got, well the title race was never over, but the fact that we've got this sort of two-point gap now between I think the two best teams in the country is healthy and yeah I'm just seeing Eddie Howe's face here imagine tonight honestly for a football manager to go home and they put everything into the week and yeah but I think for Arsenal that's the story of the weekend what's just happened there that's that's that's

very very big for Arsenal. It's huge and the show goes on. Thank you. Thanks Gary. very very big for Arsenal. It's huge and the show goes on. Thank you. Thanks Gary. Thanks Peter. Well done. Thank you. Thank you.