Gary Neville reckons that Mikel Arteta will win Premier League manager of the season - even if Arsenal slump in the second half of the campaign and fail to win the title.
The Gunners currently sit top of the Premier League table at the halfway stage, boasting a five-point lead over reigning champions Manchester City. But a statement 3-2 victory on Sunday over his former team, Manchester United, still isn't enough for Neville to think Arsenal will go all the way and claim a first title since 2004.
Recently, the ex-United captain took a pounding from Gunners fans when he declared that his old club would pip Arsenal to second and City would be crowned champions again. Jamie Carragher, on the other hand, reckons that Arteta's men will win a first league title in 19 years and was left stunned by Neville's prediction, urging Gunners supporters to keep trolling his fellow pundit on social media.
"How can he be manager of the year if you've put them third?" Carragher laughed on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football, as the duo made their mid-season predictions. "You think he is manager of the year if he finishes third?"
Firing back, Neville replied: "The reason why he is manager of the year if he finishes third, second or first is because at the end of the last season I thought he was in significant trouble." Presenter Dave Jones then interrupted and noted to Neville: "You pretty much wrote him off on [an earlier episode of] Monday Night Football, didn't you?"
The former United defender promptly added: "[Jamie] said the same by the way, let's be clear. We both said it." Carragher quickly interjected by claiming: "The whole point of football is that you watch something happening, and you can change your view!"
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Neville was steadfast, though, affirming: "Third, second or first… I would say that is still a great season. I know Arsenal fans from this position and maybe even Mikel Arteta would say that would be disappointing – but it would be a great season. It would be."
When tensions cooled in the studio and Jones was wrapping up the show, Carragher turned directly to the camera and hilariously pleaded: "Keep going at him, Arsenal fans! You’re really getting to him on social media. Keep going at him."
Earlier in the show, Neville explained why he didn't think that Arsenal would win the league, despite being on track for a joint-record 100 points. "I get asked this every 10 minutes at the moment. Even Arsenal fans, they must get tired of asking these questions," he bemoaned.
"It's too far out to be thinking about the title. Going back to my own experience, I think City are still messing about, they haven't really started this season yet, when they start to purr they will hunt Arsenal down.
"That doesn't always work. Blackburn held us (United) off, Newcastle didn't. The run in doesn’t start until nine games in.
"I've done three Arsenal games since the World Cup and I've been impressed every time.
"Forget the first half against Tottenham, they managed it really well in the second half. On Sunday, they responded to going a goal down and persisted with their football all the way through.
"I've been massively impressed with them, but with young players I won’t believe it until the end of the season. I am amazed they're in the conversation."
