Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville believes Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola risks gift-wrapping the Premier League title to Arsenal if he continues to tinker with his team.
City missed out on the chance to reduce the gap on their title challengers to just two points on Sunday afternoon, losing 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Harry Kane netted the only goal of the game to seal all three points for the home side, leaving City to reflect on yet another defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Had City have ended their bleak run in that particular corner of north London and scooped maximum points, they would have been hot on the heels of the Gunners after they suffered a 1-0 defeat of their own just over 24 hours earlier, losing to relegation-threatened Everton at Goodison Park. The two results mean they remain separated by five points ahead of this weekend's fixtures.
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The two sides, of course, go head-to-head for the first time in the league this season at the Emirates Stadium next Wednesday evening, in what could be a defining contest in the race for the title. However, Neville, who has frequently backed City to bridge the gap and retain their crown this season, believes the Blues risk handing Arsenal their first league crown since 2004 as a result of Guardiola's constant chopping and changing with his starting line-up.
"I looked at Manchester City's team on Sunday before the Tottenham game, and that was the first time I thought that Arsenal can win the league this season," said Neville, speaking on The Overlap Live Fan Debate, in partnership with Sky Bet.
"Pep Guardiola is playing around with his starting team far too much – I wasn't sure why Kevin De Bruyne or Ilkay Gundogan weren't starting, why Ruben Dias or Aymeric Laporte weren't back in defence to make them more solid.
"Seeing their team against Tottenham, was the first time when I wasn't sure that they'll catch Arsenal. After Arsenal's defeat to Everton, I thought that Pep would put out his strongest side against Tottenham, and that's when we'll start to see the City resurgence, but if he carries on playing around with the team, then they won't catch them.
"From Arsenal's point of view, it was a good weekend of results for them. I imagine Arsenal fans may have been worried on Saturday afternoon after their defeat, but I think they come out of the weekend in a better place psychologically."
Guardiola, who will watch his side face Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, has regularly tinkered with his starting line-up in recent weeks, with the likes of Kyle Walker, Bernardo Silva, Dias, Laporte and De Bruyne all struggling to keep hold of their places. It has perhaps contributed to City's indifferent form since the World Cup, where they have won four, lost two and drawn one in the league since the restart.
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