Gary Neville explains why Man Utd & Chelsea wins convinced him Arsenal will win the Premier League title again
Neville has thrown his weight behind Arsenal to reclaim the Premier League crown, citing a defensive foundation that he believes is far superior to anything their rivals can offer. While Manchester United and Chelsea enjoyed winning weekends, Neville remains convinced that Arteta’s tactical focus on the backline has created a gap that even the biggest spenders in the league are struggling to bridge. Chelsea nearly surrendered a three-goal lead under manager Alonso, while United relied heavily on Bruno Fernandes to outscore their opponents in a 5-2 thriller.
Neville was particularly vocal about the recruitment strategy at the Emirates, which has seen Arsenal amass a staggering number of high-quality options at the back.
"It’s incredible what Arsenal have done really, to sign Ezri Konsa, because they’ve got [Jurrien] Timber, [Ben] White, [Cristhian] Mosquera, [William] Saliba, Gabriel [Magalhaes], [Piero] Hincapie, [Riccardo] Calafiori, [Myles] Lewis-Skelly," he said. "They’ve already got eight amazing defenders and now they’ve signed another really good centre-half.
"It’s almost like they’re doubling down and saying, 'We’re not going to concede goals, we’re just going to make sure we’re better than everyone else defensively by a million miles' - and they are. That will win them a title again.
"If you were to ask if you’d swap Arsenal’s front players for United’s, Liverpool’s, Chelsea’s, you might actually keep the front players. From a defensive perspective or in midfield, you’d swap all of them."
Concerns over rivals structures
Despite Chelsea’s victory over Brighton, Neville expressed significant reservations about the stability of Xabi Alonso's defensive unit compared to the settled nature of the Arsenal backline. He noted that while other teams possess individual talent, they lack the cohesive identity that Arteta has instilled.
Neville expanded on this perceived lack of unity, stating: "They had to make the decision to bring in a new goalkeeper [Emiliano Martinez]. They’ve done that and brought in a big personality. It was [Levi] Colwill, [Maxence] Lacroix and [Wesley] Fofana that played there [against Brighton] and I just look at that… what I see are very talented defenders in a lot of teams but I don’t see units."
He continued: "But Arsenal, of course, when you think of Timber, Calafiori, Saliba and Gabriel, that’s a proper back-four with the goalkeeper David Raya behind them. That’s the only real team I look at right now. Obviously Manchester City had it when they were winning the league and I just don’t see it. Obviously Liverpool had it but there’s a real lack of units that are good, solid units now."
The pundit also raised concerns over Liverpool and Manchester United. Despite Liverpool assembling a formidable attack featuring the likes of Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, Neville criticised their failure to secure adequate full-back options for manager Andoni Iraola. Similarly, he questioned United's depth after Leny Yoro was forced to provide cover out wide instead of a specialist full-back.
Chance to go level at the summit
Arsenal have the opportunity to join Manchester City, Chelsea, and Hull City on maximum points when they travel to Villa Park on Monday night. Arteta's side will face an Aston Villa team desperate to bounce back from a heavy 4-0 defeat against Brighton in their opening fixture.
A commanding defensive display in the Midlands would further validate Neville's claims and send a strong message that the reigning champions remain the team to beat this season.
