Gary Neville revealed his ‘controversial opinion’ about Arsenal’s midfield as the Gunners beat Manchester United 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium.
Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey and Declan Rice started in a three-man midfield against Ruben Amorim’s United at the Emirates on Wednesday night.
Arsenal, bidding to win their first Premier League trophy since 2004, failed to break Manchester United down in an uneventful first half.
But the hosts scored twice after the break – both goals coming from corners – to chip away at Liverpool’s lead at the top of the table and hand Amorim his first defeat in English football.
Neville watched Arsenal vs Manchester United on a live watchalong on The Overlap and revealed during the game his ‘controversial opinion’ about Gunners midfielder Jorginho.
Jorginho has largely been a bit-part player for Mikel Arteta since his £12m move from Chelsea in the summer of 2023 but Neville believes Arsenal are ‘better’ when he is in the team.
‘Controversial opinion but I think Arsenal are better when Jorginho plays in midfield instead of Thomas Partey,’ Neville said on a live Arsenal vs Manchester United watchalong on The Overlap.
‘We saw it last year when he [Mikel Arteta] brought him in to that holding position. He gets Arsenal playing in that role.
‘I like him in there. I think they’re a better team, football-wise, when he plays. He knows how to play that position and [Declan] Rice has got the legs to cover in and around him.’
Arsenal legend Ian Wright appeared to agree with Neville’s assessment, saying: ‘Because he [Jorginho] was so good, you could have started him and brought Partey on when he ran out of steam.’
With Liverpool only able to draw 3-3 with Newcastle United, Arsenal’s win over Manchester United saw them close the gap at the top of the table.
‘That’s all they can do [chip away at Liverpool’s lead in the Premier League], with the way Liverpool have started,’ ex-Arsenal defender Lee Dixon told BBC Radio 5 Live.
‘Sometimes, with a runaway train, you have just got to let it go a little bit and hope that you catch it up at some point.
‘With the injuries that Arsenal have had, they have fallen behind a little bit but Wednesday was a really good performance.
‘It was a difficult one in the first half. I thought Manchester United got their tactics absolutely spot on in the first half, they really frustrated Arsenal.
‘You can see what [Ruben] Amorim has done, you could see a shape to United. It wasn’t the prettiest thing to watch at times in the first half, but they set up really well and really disciplined and they made it really difficult for Arsenal.
‘After half-time, they came out with a bit more zip in their passing, a bit more energy in their set pieces.
‘But they [Arsenal] are off the charts. They change games and they certainly did that.’
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