Pep Guardiola made a mistake for his Manchester City tactic in Arsenal, as Gunners send the title message to Liverpool, says Gary Neville | Football news

Gary Neville believes that Pep Guardiola made a mistake of making his choice of a team in Manchester City against Arsenal-Prigorating that he had contributed to their collapse of the second half in a humble defeat of 5-1.

The city was in the game only after halftime, as Erling Haaland canceled the early Martin Odegaard opener-but Goli Thomas Partyy, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Kai Havertz and Ethan Nwneri saw that City acknowledged four or more goals for the fourth time this season – Most ever in the Guardiola campaign.

City was without a few key players – with injured Rodrod, Ederson and Ruben Dias, and Kevin de Bruyne on the bench – but Neville believes that Guardiola was supposed to respond better to these types of blows.

“I think the moment you play against Manchester City now and raise the intensity level, they are really fighting,” said Podcast Gary Neville. “They really, they really fight. They no longer have energy as a team, they are poor in transition.

“I have to say that I think I would think that Pep Guardiola would deal with much better and he was much better deal with loss of Rodri, I really did.

“If this is the second manager, he would have sat there: are you sure that Bernardo Silva and Mateo Kovacic will work against Arsenal, who received Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice and Thomas Party?

“I think you actually give them a chance, you may be packed with that midfielder with three or four players inside, and maybe they are numbers – and then add that.

“But he played Phil Foden on a wide right side, Savinho on the left, which I thought he blocked Josko Guardiol going ahead of the whole game, and Omar Marmoush, which I actually thought he was playing really well last week from the left Parties against Chelsea against Chelsea against Chelsea against Chelsea against Chelsea, making those races in a position outside Erling Haaland where there was no space.

“So, I just thought that maybe today Pep Guardiola was wrong with his choice of team.”

‘Man City now has a scary February’

City was unrecognizable from the first minute, according to Neville, with the mistake of Manuel Akanji, while after only two minutes he played from the back that was given by the Odegaard opener.

The Guardio’s side was lucky that she was not 2-0 at halftime, because Havertz missed the golden opportunity to double the lead after Mateo Kovacaci gave the ball to Declan Rice in similar circumstances.

Such bad performances mean that City needs summer renovation, according to Neville, but they have a “scary” February that first fights.

“Today, one of the biggest problems was their greatest strength, Guardiola almost transcribed football rules with playing from the back,” Neville added. “Still, today it was their decline in the sense that they had just caught up with so many straight passages in the middle and Arsenal, which was at the top.

“They were architects of their own fall for most of that game, and that told us where the city is currently, that they need that renovation, they need that reconstruction that Guardiola obviously know, and I’m sure they think about a big summer window for transfer.

“But they have a hell of a month in advance: they have to play Real Madrid twice, they have to play Liverpool, Newcastle, Spurs.

“Now they get a week of rest, and then FA is a tie on Leyton Orient, but beyond that, February is a fear for them.”

‘Arsenal showed what they were capable of’

Neville was extremely impressed with Arsenal’s performance and encouraged the side of Mikel Arthte to “go to her” as they try to hunt Liverpool at the top of the table.

“What an effect from Arsenal. I supported them to win the league at the beginning of the season and I didn’t change my prediction,” he said.

“Liverpool is in an incredible position and you have to say that they are mass favorites and you should continue to win it, but when you are chasing, you have to win the statement, you have to inform the other team that you do not go and you have to be there if it slides.

“The crime is not there if it slides, so this is all Arsenal can do. This game was a big challenge for Arsenal, he had to win the game, but is Liverpool who won yesterday.

“Liverpool are going very well and look like they have all the types of weapons and tools you need to win the league so they have some battles.

“I feel like they are climbing the mountain every week, Arsenal, just to stay inside and almost reach the point where there is a race of the title, but I believe there is.”

He added: “I can frustrate me, Arsenal, and they actually frustrated me because of the big parts of that match.

“Sometimes you can pick up and think you’re okay in the game and you can let the game fall apart and you can sleep a little, they did it. But they reacted.

“What Arsenal showed after recognizing Haaland’s goal is what they are capable of, and takes me back to our locker room when you showed what you are capable of.

“Don’t fall below that standard.

“Why do we need the goal of The Haalanda to get to the level we can reach, where players run forward with real intention, moving into pockets with real fresh passes like Declan Rice for Lewis-Skelly?

“Don’t wait, you have 14 games, there is the title of the Premier League, don’t wait, go to it.”

‘Gabriel celebration is disrespect’

Neville, however, was impressed by Gabriel celebrating in Hauland’s face after the early Odegaard goal. Later, Myles Lewis-Skelly could see him imitating the Norwegian celebration.

“It happened to me here, in Highbury many years ago, many years ago, where the player came and screamed in my face,” Neville said. “In fact, we won the 4-2 game that day.

“I don’t really like it, I think it’s a little disrespect. I get the fact that Haaland is a pantomime villain here today, but something I didn’t like.

“I was a lot of things, but I never did it, I never left and screamed in the player’s face. I just didn’t.

“It’s something I’m thinking I felt a little uneasy. It was a bit of a disrespect.”