Gary Neville claims one glance at the Manchester City team sheet last weekend made him believe for the first time that Arsenal can win the Premier League.
The Manchester United legend has routinely predicted that the Gunners will fall short this season in their bid for a first title in 19 years. That is despite Arsenal sitting five points clear of City at the top of the table with a game in hand on the defending champions.
Many suspected Neville was beginning to be proved right last Saturday, when the north Londoners were beaten 1-0 by struggling Everton. However, City failed to close the gap on their title rivals as they also fell to a 1-0 loss, with Harry Kane firing Tottenham to victory on Sunday.
Neville feared for City's hopes against Spurs as soon as he saw the team news at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Pep Guardiola raised eyebrows by leaving Kevin De Bruyne - regarded by many as the best midfielder in the world - on the bench, alongside the likes of Ilkay Gundogan, Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte.
The Spaniard opted for an unconventional 4-4-2 formation with Julian Alvarez deployed alongside Erling Haaland and Jack Grealish forced to do plenty of defensive work as the left-midfielder. Neville has accused Guardiola of "messing around too much" and is starting to believe his relentless "tinkering" means City will not catch Arsenal.
"Do you know something, we were at the City game on Sunday and when the team came through, I thought for the first time that Arsenal could win the league," Neville said on The Overlap. "And that's not looking smart after the event because City had lost, but I just thought he [Guardiola] is messing around, he's tinkering far too much.
"I don't know why Kevin De Bruyne isn't playing, I don't know why Ilkay Gundogan is not playing, I don't know why Ruben Dias is not back in the centre of that defence with Aymeric Laporte to make them solid. I saw the team and I thought, from the point of view of my prediction – which is that City will catch Arsenal – I was less sure on Sunday than I've ever been.
Do you agree with Gary Neville? Have your say in the comments!
"I was pretty certain two weeks ago, I was actually certain on Saturday afternoon. I thought, 'Right, City will do it proper tomorrow, this will be a proper champion's performance, he [Guardiola] won't mess around'. But if he carries on doing what he's doing..."
Neville concluded by reaffirming his prediction that City will win the league, but only after confessing his doubts had grown over the last two weeks. The Sky Blues host Aston Villa on Sunday before travelling to Arsenal for a titanic clash next Wednesday, while the Gunners are in action against Brentford on Saturday.
