Manchester United icon Gary Neville has identified what he believes is the single area of concern for Mikel Arteta within the current Arsenal squad. The former England defender shared his view after Arsenal extended their lead at the top of the Premier League table to six points with a commanding 4-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby on Sunday.
Leandro Trossard found the net first for the Premier League leaders, before Ebere Eze delivered an outstanding performance by scoring a hat-trick at the Emirates Stadium. Despite Arsenal’s strong campaign so far, they have been forced to cope with significant injury setbacks affecting influential figures including Gabriel Magalhães, Martin Ødegaard, Viktor Gyökeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.
Neville suggested that Arteta’s team has depth across most areas of the pitch, but he believes there is one individual whose absence could dramatically affect the club’s title ambitions. According to Neville, Declan Rice offers a rare and irreplaceable combination of abilities that holds the team structure together.
He said it could prove costly for Arsenal if Declan Rice is injured, as the England midfielder brings a unique skill set to the team.
“The interesting thing is they’ve got [Riccardo] Calafiori and [Jurrien] Timber at full-back. Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ben White are probably better going forward, although there’s not much between White and Timber,” he said on The Gary Neville Podcast.
“They’ve got real options at full-back, real options at centre-back.
“The only player you’d be worried about losing for a period of time would be Declan Rice because you can’t replace that.
“That’s your Roy Keane, that’s your Rodri, the player that holds you together. There’s only one of them.
“You’d never be able to replace his ability to be powerful on set-pieces, his running, his tackling, his impact on the game going forward.”
Neville’s remarks add to a growing narrative surrounding Arsenal’s Premier League title credentials, squad strength, squad rotation, and resilience as the season progresses.
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