Gary Neville has hit out at Arsenal manager Nicolas Jover again, claiming he is “exaggerating his importance” with his antics.
Arsenal have enjoyed huge success from corners and free-kicks over recent seasons and Jover has been credited with adding a new dimension to Mikel Arteta’s side.
The Gunners benefited from his expertise again last night when Gabriel headed home Declan Rice’s left-wing corner before slotting past Spurs striker Dominic Solanke to level in the north London derby. Arsenal then won with a goal from Leandro Trossard to move within four points of Liverpool, who are first in the table.
Dominic Solanke’s save from Gabriel’s header means Arsenal equalize in the north London derby 🤩
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And while Neville is happy to credit Jover for his work, the former Manchester United and England full-back believes he needs to rein in his exuberance.
Speaking on Stick to Football, Neville said: “I called him the most annoying man in football. do you know something I’m consolidating my position, doubling down.
“He insults me every week. I will say this very calmly, I think he is exaggerating.
“If the goalkeeper makes a good save, I don’t see a goalkeeper coach on the edge of the off-line. I don’t see other coaches stepping up and getting the glory for it.
“The manager is forward, he cannot communicate from a distance of 50 meters with the players who know what they are doing. I think he exaggerates his importance, I honestly believe that.
“I see goalkeeper coaches and brilliant coaches working on other aspects of the game, I don’t see them pointing to themselves and overestimating their importance.
“That’s how I feel. I get that he’s important and he’s doing a great job, but I honestly think he needs to relax a little. I think the players will also start to look at him and think ‘wait a minute, come on’.”
Wright says Neville was harsh
Neville’s co-hosts had mixed opinions about the stance, with Jamie Carragher admitting he “couldn’t disagree with it”, while former Arsenal striker Ian Wright thought it was “very, very harsh”.
Gabriel also scored the winner when Arsenal won the reverse fixture at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September, with Arteta hailing Jover’s work afterwards.
Asked if Jover is the best in his field, he said: “In his field, in other fields and as a person. And the relationship we have – that’s why I made the decision to bring him [Manchester] City when I was there then to Arsenal.
“He and the rest of the staff have instilled the belief in the players that there are many ways to win football games. This is really powerful and has given us a lot. So a big compliment to all of them.”
