Arsenal: Gary Neville gives damning assessment of Mikel Arteta's title belief and 'one-trick pony' tactics | OneFootball

Gary Neville has questioned whether the Gunners boss really believes he can win the title

Your matchday briefing on Arsenal, featuring team news and expert analysis from Simon Collings

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Gary Neville has given a damning assessment of Arsenal’s “one-trick pony” tactics under Mikel Arteta, and questioned if the manager really believes he can win the Premier League title.

It prompted criticism from Sky Sports pundits Neville, Jamie Carragher and Roy Keane, who accused the Arsenal manager of “leaving the handbrake on” once again in a big title race test.

Arsenal racked up 11 corners, to City’s one, and left their opponents with just 33 per cent possession, which is the lowest that a team managed by Guardiola has had in any top-flight game.

Eze and Gabriel Martinelli were brought on in the second half and combined for a 93rd-minute equaliser. Arteta claimed after the game that his team “dominated” the game, but Neville believes it will be City who left the stadium as the most disappointed after nullifying Arsenal’s key set-piece threat with ease yet still not winning the game.

Weak mentality: Mikel Arteta

AFP via Getty Images

“Guardiola has recognised that Arsenal are a one trick pony,” Neville said on the Gary Neville Podcast. “Set-pieces are such a large percentage of their chances and goals, that you end up in a situation where you just have to have big players in the box and the goalkeeper who comes and punches ... they did it absolutely perfectly.

He added: "We're talking about a really good coach who's done a fantastic job with a great group of players, who've put on a great show here now for four or five years and been second in the league three times on the run.

"It's a great achievement. Let's be clear, I'm not patronising them in any way, shape or form, but you've got to win a title, or else you will not be remembered. That's number one.

"My narrative with Arsenal was thinking 'is [Arteta] going to take the risk? Is he going to get is he going to send these players the message that 'I am going for it', that 'I believe in you'. And the team sheet comes through, and I see Trossard, who's a very good player, and Merino are on it.

"His actions at half-time were of a manager who got it wrong, because if you making two substitutions at half-time, it's not gone to plan and you know that the players that you started with are not going to be able to win you the game. So you've given away 45 minutes in a big match.

Does the manager and the players really believe that they can win the league? Do they really believe?

Gary Neville

"The job of a football manager at the absolute top level is to get the most talented players out on the pitch without compromise to the defence, not get your safest players out on the pitch and try and pinch a game. That's not what you do at a top club.

"Arsenal are not creating enough chances in these types of games, they are scoring lots of goals from set-pieces. Six out of their nine goals before this game have come from set-pieces, and one of them was a penalty. It's great that they're good at set pieces, but it's not good enough.

"But does the manager and the players really believe that they can win the league? Do they really believe? Are they really thinking it every single minute of every day, because that's what it is and what it takes.

"And the second bit is: do they know how to win a league? Does the manager know how to win a league? Does he know how to get the players over the line throughout the season? Did the players know how to get over the line?

"That's the doubt I've got about Arsenal, and it isn't going to go away until someone proves me wrong ... I like watching them play, but they've got to take the handbrake off."