Gary Neville says he would be happy to see Arsenal win the league.
But that it won’t happen because they’re too small, not fast or strong enough and are a bunch of pushovers.
The Sky Sports pundit, writing in his Telegraph column, has followed on from last Monday’s criticism of Arsene Wenger’s side. Prior to the Gunners’ goalless draw with Liverpool, Neville said the club wouldn’t end their 11 year wait for the Premier League title as they don’t possess “players of power”.
Neville said a failure to sign such a player, over the past 10 years, made Wenger either “arrogant or naive”, and has today expanded on his argument.
“Arsenal are a great football club with an illustrious history,” Neville said. “Roll your eye down the list of league champions, though, and you see, in every instance, ingredients that are Arsenal are running low on.”
“Championships are not won by a front six, who are blessed with great technical skill, but lack a counter-balance of big personalities, big characters, power and pace.”
Neville says there are “no exceptions to this rule”, and that Wenger’s failure to compromise, and sign powerful players to compliment the technical footballers already in the team, will continue to cost Arsenal.
The former Manchester United defender also says if the Gunners were to win the Premier League title this season he’d “happily concede defeat”, but he thinks such a scenario is unlikely and unprecedented.
“When the screw really begins to turn I expect them to come up short on strength, power and pace.”
“To see a team out-football everyone for a whole season, and never have to rely on grit or determination four or five times to keep them in contention, would be an amazing breakthrough.”
“Precedent suggests it will never happen. To win the league with the front six he played against Liverpool would require history to be redefined.”
H/T The Daily Telegraph.
