Gary Neville says ‘the last few years has been a struggle’ for Arsenal (Picture: Getty)
Gary Neville admits he thought Arsenal’s failure to finish in last season’s Premier League top four could have been ‘terminal for Mikel Arteta’.
The Gunners have failed to reach the top four the the past six seasons, finishing fifth in 2021-22 after a late collapse handed the final Champions League spot to north London rivals Tottenham.
Mikel Arteta’s side were thumped 3-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on May 12, which put Spurs one point behind them with two games to play.
But the Gunners would go on to lose to Newcastle four days later and despite victory over Everton on the final day, it was not enough as Tottenham held their nerve with wins over Burnley and Norwich.
‘I’ve always had a respect for Arsenal as a football club,’ Neville told The Overlap.
‘They’re one of the great traditional clubs in this country. However, the last few years has been a struggle.
‘I remember at the end of last season, me and Jamie Carragher thought that it could be terminal for Mikel Arteta.’
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Neville, however, lauded Arteta for turning things around at the Emirates, with Arsenal top of the Premier League after their opening nine games of 2022-23.
‘I was at the Emirates stadium for the first time on Sunday against Liverpool,’ Neville added.
‘I watched Arsenal away at Old Trafford and at Brentford, and they played well at Old Trafford – even though they lost – and they were brilliant at Brentford, but the atmosphere felt a little bit different on Sunday – it was unbelievable.
‘I want Arsenal to do well. I want Mikel Arteta to do well because he’s a young manager. The managers he’s up against – Antonio Conte, Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel, before he got sacked, they’re animals to be up against.
‘You’re talking about machines and even though there’s been a lot of investment, to break into that group of managers is just difficult to do.
‘That’s why it didn’t surprise me at the end of last season that Conte did what he did, in pipping Arsenal to fourth place, purely because of his experience.
‘I remember being harsh on Arsenal fans – the protest against Arsène Wenger around that time was toxic, it was awful.
‘On Sunday, it just felt a million miles away from that. Arsenal’s ground has never really been that hot bed of an atmosphere, but even Liverpool must have felt that on Sunday because the noise was absolutely off the scale.
‘You can’t not like [Mikel] Arteta from a respect point of view, as a person and the way he handles himself.’
Gary Neville was speaking on The Overlap, in partnership with Sky Bet.
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‘Me and Jamie Carragher thought that it could be terminal…’