Gary Neville warns Mikel Arteta his Arsenal squad ‘could turn on Nicolas Jover’ – as Man United legend doubles down on claims the set-piece coach is the ‘most annoying man in football’
Gary Neville has renewed his criticism of Nicolas Jover, calling the Arsenal coach the ‘most annoying man in football’ and warning his behavior could cause friction within the squad.
Jover has received widespread praise for Arsenal’s remarkable set-piece success during the 2024-25 campaign. However, Neville has taken issue with Jover’s animated presence on the sidelines.
Neville has urged Jover – who shouted instructions from the touchline during Arsenal’s FA Cup tie with Manchester United – to ‘step back’ and avoid ‘his role’ within the team being overestimated.
Speaking of Jover in the latest episode of Stick to footballMarcel said: ‘I called him the most annoying man in football. Do you know something? I strengthen my position and double my position.
‘It offends me every week. I’m going to say this very calmly, I think he overestimates his importance.
‘If a goalkeeper makes a good save, I don’t see the goalkeeping coach on the edge of the sideline. I don’t see the other coaches going up there and taking credit for that.
Former footballer and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville reiterated his criticism of Nicolas Jover
He called the Arsenal coach (pictured right) the ‘most annoying man in football’
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher (left) couldn’t help but agree with Neville
‘The manager is at the front, he can’t communicate from 50 meters away with players who know what they are doing. I think he overestimates his importance, I honestly believe that.
‘I see goalkeeping coaches and brilliant coaches working on other aspects of the game, I don’t see them pointing at themselves and exaggerating their importance.
‘That’s how I feel. I understand that he is important and that he is doing a great job, but I really think he needs to sit back for a while. I think the players will also look at him and think: ‘Wait a minute, come on’.”
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher couldn’t help but agree with Neville. He said, “I can’t disagree! I thought it was a bit harsh, but I can’t really disagree with it.’
However, not everyone was on Marcel’s side. Arsenal legend Ian Wright said: ‘You’re very, very tough, Gary.’
Arsenal kept their title dream alive with a nerve-wracking victory in the North London Derby over arch-rivals Tottenham on Wednesday evening.
Leandro Trossard’s second-half goal thanks to weak goalkeeping from Antonin Kinsky gave the Gunners a crucial win as Mikel Arteta’s team cut Liverpool’s lead at the top to four points.
Arsenal came from behind after Heung-min Son’s deflected effort gave Spurs the lead, before Dominic Solanke’s own goal put the home side equal with Arteta.
Neville has urged Jover – who shouted instructions from the touchline during Arsenal’s FA Cup tie with Manchester United – to ‘stand back’
Jover has received widespread praise for its set pieces throughout the 2024-2025 campaign
After the match, Arteta said: ‘We are still in the title race, there is so much to play for, but we can see how difficult it is for any team to win. When you have opportunities [to close the gap] you have to take them.
‘This is a result to enjoy and now we will prepare for the next match. I’m very proud of the team, I thought we were sensational.
“It was a big test and we were not rewarded in the last two games in two different competitions. This was a test of our attitude and our courage.
‘From the first minute we were really working on it, very intensely. We played with a real purpose to hurt them. We have created an incredible atmosphere.
‘We know how important the game is. It is a gift that we can make the supporters very happy with.
‘The attitude we played with, without feeling sorry for ourselves, was phenomenal. Three days ago we played 120 minutes, but it’s how you react to that situation.”
He finished by saying: ‘We had some big chances and big situations. In the end, we had to suffer more than we wanted.”
