Gary Neville Podcast: Arsenal still lack composure and missing the right forward after North London derby draw with Tottenham

Gary Neville believes Arsenal still lack composure in games and lack a striker who can anticipate where the ball will end up in the penalty area after an eventful 2-2 draw against Tottenham in the North London derby.

Both Bukayo Saka and Heung-Min Son scored for their respective sides in a heavyweight match Super Sunday Clash, although a point won’t give either team an early advantage in their bid for the Premier League title.

Despite the pulsating encounter, Air sports Pundit Neville believes Arsenal need to improve their attacking options, with some chances not being taken at key moments.

He pointed to a moment in the second half when Eddie Nketiah stood still in the penalty area as Saka’s inswinging corner was fired towards the far post, and another before half-time when Gabriel Jesus pounced on James Maddison on the edge of Tottenham’s area but fired wastefully . about.

The former Manchester United defender explained to The Gary Neville podcast: “I’m not a fan of attackers who just stay in the six-yard box and score a goal, there aren’t many of those around anymore anyway.

“I like strikers – not attackers – the ones who can move, are flexible and can play both left and right. But you still need to have a few players in your team, at least one, who has that smell of where the ball will land .

“No poacher, gone are the days of poachers who just play with another striker and two up top. We are not in that moment anymore.

“If you think of the strikers we saw at Barcelona all those years ago with David Villa, Pedro and Lionel Messi, none of them are real strikers like goal sniffers. Sergio Aguero was, but we don’t even talk.” that’s what we’re talking about, someone who knows where to be.

“What I didn’t like as a defender, but also listening to Sir Alex Ferguson over the years, the coaches and the England coaches, it always had to be that attackers had to run over the defender. That when it is on, the other side of the pitch and it’s crossed to the back post, you make that run against the back post.

“On a corner, on that second ball when it’s tapped, you have to get in at the back post. In the end it just hit me because I think about Ian Wright starting in and around the six-yard box because I was marking Ian Wright on the corners and he was a nightmare.

“He would always crawl to the back post to make sure that when the ball was looked at, whatever that does, you were there and he wasn’t there. He hung around and didn’t make that run.”

“And Jesus, when he robbed Maddison, these were big moments in the game and big things. You have to be on the move and sniff, smell, anticipate, and Arsenal don’t have that.

“I really like this Arsenal team and they could win a title or finish second, have a great season and win trophies without that type of player, but it was clear in this game that that was missing.” Alan Smith pointed out on it. also on commentary and he knows a lot more than I do.”

‘Arsenal still lacks composure’

Just a minute after Arsenal took the lead for the second time with a Saka penalty in the second half, Son equalized again at the other end to put the Gunners back.

Neville described it as a lack of ‘composure’ from Arsenal, saying the side’s senior players should have kept the team focused on the pitch.

He said: “I want to see composure in this Arsenal team and that’s difficult because the manager is on the touchline jumping around like you wouldn’t believe it.

“I want to see passion, but I want to see calm and coldness, and that feels like a contradiction. But I want to see it at the right times at the right times.

“When they scored that second goal, Saka’s penalty, which was a beautiful penalty, celebrate it, give your fans something because they want to see that it means something.

“But there should be two or three senior players in that group who say, ‘Okay, come on. Switch on now, we’re ready and we’re going to see this through.’ Your mentality starts when you know when a match starts. Danger.

“Rice had left at half-time and that was a danger. Should Jorginho have remained there almost as the last man with the ball for Son’s second equalizer? Maybe, maybe not.

“Of course he should have done better himself, but if you concede a goal a minute after a goal, that’s what I’m talking about, that mentality. They were not reset.”

Neville on Rice, Saka injuries and Man City without Rodri

Arsenal are just two weeks away from taking on Manchester City in the Premier League, with the two teams expected to battle for the title again.

However, this weekend’s matches have thrown a spanner in the works for both teams. Rodri was shown a straight red card against Nottingham Forest, while Declan Rice and Saka were both injured on Sunday.

All three players are vital to their respective sides, and their absence could be crucial to the outcome of their encounter. Air sports.

“I think Rodri has been sensational for City for a few years,” Marcel said. “The development in his game over a period of three, four, five years was special and he is by far the best in his position.

“And in two weeks without him it will be interesting to see if Arsenal will be able to cope without Declan Rice.

“The biggest problem for Arsenal is not dropping two points, but if Saka and Rice have four or five weeks of injuries because they are two very important players.

“Rice is a monster there and I think they beat Spurs with him for the full 90 minutes. He’s the type of player who just drives Arsenal forward and with those corners at the end you get something. He’s got that. ” in him to turn on a team and get that result.

“Rodri is a great player, a leader for Manchester City, and I don’t know what he did on Saturday, it was absolute madness and I understand why Pep Guardiola is furious with him.

“Rodri will not play against Arsenal now and will take this game to the next level because City have no one who can easily replace him. But they can have no excuses, they have a strong squad and they have enough talented players.” Enter.

“But apart from Haaland, because he is irreplaceable, the two most important players in that game are Rodri and Declan Rice.

“So it will be big that Rodri will be missing, but Arsenal have to get Rice fit for that match in two weeks.”