Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has once again hit back at Arsenal fans regarding his Mikel Arteta prediction last season. Gunners supporters have taken aim at Neville a number of times this term after he continuously refused to change his Premier League title prediction, despite Arsenal's amazing form.
The ex-United defender admitted he thought Arteta would be sacked at the end of last season after the north Londoners missed out on a top four spot. The Gunners suffered defeats to Tottenham and Newcastle, handing their north London rivals a top four spot as Arsenal finished fifth with pressure mounting on the Spaniard.
The board stuck by Arteta and that decision has paid dividends this season as the Gunners now find themselves eight points ahead of Manchester City in the Premier League title race with 10 games left to play. Injuries could still derail Arsenal's title charge with William Saliba still absent from training, although Thomas Partey's return after the international break has handed Arteta a huge boost ahead of the clash against Leeds this weekend.
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During last season, Neville claimed that if Arteta was able to lead Arsenal to a fourth-place finish in the Premier League then that would be 'as good as it gets'. Speaking on The Overlap, the United legend said: "If Arteta finishes fourth this season (2021/22 campaign), it's almost in some ways as good as it can probably get - it's sad."
When asked if it would be a stepping stone in Arsenal's progression, Neville responded: "To what? Pep [Guardiola], [Jurgen] Klopp, United, Chelsea...where can they possibly go? They cannot compete!
"Mikel Arteta, for me, I think he's a brilliant coach. I love the idea that when I see a team and I can see the maximum is being achieved with that group of players.
"But, he gets to fourth and if he was really hard about it he'd probably say, 'right well that's the best I can do'. It sounds crazy!"
Arsenal fans have now reminded Neville of his bold prediction, with the Gunners on the brink of winning their first Premier League title since 2004. The United icon has hit back at jokes being made about his comments last season in a tweet as he wrote: "One year ago you lot were asking for him to be sacked!!!!"
There were indeed plenty of calls for the Arsenal boss to be sacked after a disappointing end to the 2021/22 campaign, but now he is proving those doubters wrong. The Gunners have an eight-point lead over City with 10 games left as Arteta aims to become the first manager since Arsene Wenger to lift the Premier League trophy with Arsenal.
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