Reflecting on title winning celebrations

With Cadbury, win for your squad. You can win football prizes to share with your friends, including a hangout with me, Ian Wright. There's loads we can do. Throw some darts, stick a film on, have a cupper if you fancy, or even chill and listen to your favourite tunes. Just don't forget to bring your friends. Cabri, win for your squad, buy and scan a pack to enter. 18 Plus ends 20th of July 2026. For full TsCs and prize details, visit winforyoursquad.cabarry.co.uk. Well, welcome everyone to the latest edition of the Gary Neville podcast, which takes place as Arsenal complete their lap of appreciation after a one-nil win against Burnley, which takes them Gary, two within, one more win of being the champions. How have you seen it tonight? They got the job done in a typical Arsenal way this season and like you say I think it what they put their well the what they put themselves through but they seem calm right the way to the end I have to say they're very comfortable defending a one-nil lead. I I just never I mean we did win 1-0 at times but I never played in a team that was ever comfortable at 1-0 because it was not sort of our DNA or our sort of feeling to do that. But this team are really patient. They're solid, they're reliable defens They trust the goalkeeper, the centre backs, Declan Rice in front of them. Um and right now they're a very, very, very, very strong defensive unit that are difficult to break down. You said before the game is it's got 'cause it's one goal in five or six. Yeah well it's it's more than that actually. Yeah so that is their thirteenth win by a one goal margin. Yeah, thirteenth goal by a one it's just really difficult to play that way, so there is admiration that I've got for them, but they don't have to make it pretty hard for themselves. I mean they play Burnley at home. And the things that obviously look it's not a time for talking about this because it'll come it'll come again, I suppose in pre-season but the urgency and the ability to play forward quicker and sort of make sure that you drive outcomes towards sort of what would be in two nil up. Two nil's fine, then you can start to play and rela x. But one nil, I just think that you're asking for trouble, and tonight Burnley weren't able to cause them a problem . Um , and I think that will be enough to get them over the line. I mean the sensational news that's breaking about Pep Guardiola, I can't get out of my head. I mean that's like a game changer for English football, the impact that he's had. But yeah, for Arsenal, they got the job done and they can now relax and watch Manchester City tomorrow night go to Bournemouth and that's tough for Manchester City. Tough because they're coming off the back of sort of what will be a cup final but Bournemouth are a very good side. Iriola's last game at uh at Bournemouth at home and they can still qualify for the Champions League. So there's a game where they've got a lot on it at Bournemouth. So yeah, I think we could be seeing the champions out there tonight and they may already be champions when we get to Tellers Park on Sunday. They have what is not unique, because you've been there, but very, very few have, they have this situation where their next two games are trophy games yeah you know one for the Premier League and one and barring a city defeat tomorrow but one for the Premier League one for the European Cup. Yeah I mean how does that feel? How will they deal with this week Yeah, I mean look the momentum that they've got and the excitement and anticipation should just be just it is. You can see it in them out there on the pitch on the lap that they're doing round the ground. And this has been five years, six years in the making. This is not about just this season. This team them this coach have been waiting and waiting for this moment whereby it's in their hands with one game to go. They've had it pulled back from them and two or three times in the last four seasons, whereby they're just fallen short. And the big question that I've been asking, and many have been asking for the last two or three years, can they get over the line? Because if they don't, trust me it becomes a big problem, it'll define you and define what you are and at your legacy. Become a champion, Mikhail Arteta become a champion manager, and it's a game changer. All of a sudden the authority that they have the, fact that they can go the distance, they can beat a Pep Guardiola and Manchester City team to a title, which is no mean feat. And they're within, they're on the brink. They're right on the brink now, and I can't see how they're going to waste this opportunity. And he is getting it right, isn't he? Nobody could argue with that. Havertz came in for Yokare today. Havertz is the match winner. He shifted things around in midfield. Erdingard came back. People felt Louis Skelly was undroppable, but he found a solution for a particular game and and it all seems to be working at the moment. Yeah, uh and look uh the coach rotates I can't disagree with coach rotating. We played in a team that rotated all the time and a squad that rotated all the time and, many managers say I trust my squad, but then they don't go and use the players in big matches. This was a big match tonight. But I think Mikel Arteta will have wanted more goal threat. I'm sure he'll have wanted more goal threat. And they just have this habit of playing sideways and backwards. And Calibra and Gabriel, who are excellent defenders, I couldn't speak highly enough about them , but they should be on the ball as little as possible, not just necessarily a little as possible in terms of passes and touches, but the time that they spend on the ball should be limited. You know, and I was like that. I played a service game for 20 years of my career. My job was to get the ball to the most talented players on the pitch as quickly as I possibly could. And sometimes I see them just sort of dilly dallying on it at the back. Sometimes Declan does it in central midfield, he can pass it by the way as well. And I think come on, it just drives me crazy. It's a different way of operating. They're trying to draw the opposition out rather than sort of what would be you know push it around them and shift them from side to side and probe and they do it sometimes and they do it effectively particularly in this right channel with Erdegaard and Saka when they combine with Moscara today, but sometimes it's better when it's with White and Timber. Um, but yeah, they just don't do it enough. Yocharez, I think when he came on showed some urgency, he's got a real threat. It looks like he's physically very good in this moment I'm sure he'll play in the last two matches and obviously saving uh Louis Skelly and Jocharez and their legs for these last two huge matches has been a wise move because as you say, Mikel Arteta, his timing is run . And he's had experience now of these last few years of title run-ins, and this time it looks like he's getting it spot on . We have to address the one contentious issue, the one really contentious issue, around that Kai Habert's challenge, which you said at the time you thought was probably worthy of a red card. Yeah, I I thought it was a red card. Um from a professional footballer's perspective, and I'm not being arrogant there, dismissing what fans would view it as or what anybody else would, but you know what you're doing when you put your studs onto a standing leg at that height You're looking at ankle breaking, you're looking at leg breaking there. That's that's a challenge that can sort of really danger endanger an opponent and really cause them harm. And it's vicious and it's nasty. It's a nasty one. And people might say, oh, it's nothing. It's just a but honestly, trust me as a player, if you have that time of time of trying kind of challenge against you, you you think you you know what I mean? That that could have been in the 80s a challenge like that and they've been fighting. You know you've been fighting because you you you're trying to harm someone. Um nowhere near the ball, no intent to play the ball, not sort of case the ball's there and it's gone and then you end up going over. It was just a clear wasn't a trip either one of them ones where you just leg someone up like you do in your school playground with legged up. No it wasn't that one it was one of them ones where and no I didn't like it. Um so I thought it was a red. And do you know something? That could have caused Arsenal a big problem in this last 20 minutes. And Mikel Arteta did the right thing and got him off straight away. Because if he's looking at his monitor, which his coaches will have been down there, they'll have said , one more little altercation with Averts and he's gone. So they couldn't take that to me. That was the only risk that they had tonight. Um Yeah, I don't know what's going on down there by the way. Is it a big group photo that they're having with all the families and the players? Yes. Alright, that's nice . So Gary, um let's just read the last few days of the season then. Or the the three personal matches. We've got Bournemouth Manchester City, Crystal Palace Arsenal, Manchester City, Aston Villa. How do you see it playing out? Yeah, look, I've got huge respect for Manchester City and what they've achieved over the last 10 years and what Pep Guardiola's done. And honestly, if they were to go tomorrow night to Bournemouth and win, that would be that would be really big that because you know something they must be sort of thinking now it slipped away from us but we always used to say keep the opposition honest keep arsenal honest and Pep Guardiola will be saying, Look, you've seen them against Burnley. By the way, when they go to Crystal Palace on Sunday, there'll be no favours there. As much as if Crystal Palace are playing in a conference league game, and that's what all the talks about. Sometimes it can you know if it's one nil at Crystal Palace with five minutes to go and those home fans are there and they get them behind the goal and there's a corner and before you know it the league can just come away from you and Manchester City have won it in that way obviously in the past . So it's about Manchester City doing their job tomorrow night and that's a big big big ask because even at their best Manchester City it's a tough place to go Bournemouth but obviously they can win there. They've got fantastic players. But that's the big one. I I see both teams winning on Sunday. I really do. Um but the big question is whether it goes to Sunday and whether City can beat Bournemouth in twenty four hours. Okay, and that of course will be um resolved one way or another tomorrow. Live on Sky Sports. When you can also, by the way, choose to watch Chelsea and Spurs, which has its own agenda. If Spurs win, they're safe and West Ham go down . We are obliged to uh look at your Monday night football awards, Gary, and compare them with Jamie Carragh's um which will be done sort of digitally, face to face. I beat him on the predictions for this season. I know that. Yeah, he's not done that well again. So I've got a list in front of me. You can give your uh your winner in each category and explain it. And where it differs with Jamie, I suppose I'll have to put Jamie's point of view or try to. Please do. I won't be as good as him. But there we go. So your player of the year was the player of the year for me was Bruno Fernandez. Um just going level with Thierry Homri and Kevin De Bruyne on those 20 assists. I know people all of a sudden have started saying well assists mean nothing and all that sort of stuff, but it's only been done by two players before, and those players are pretty good. And I think just Manchester United's rebirth in this second half of the season and it's largely down to him. Just the way in which he plays, his confidence in a team that have struggled for the first four months, five months of the season, that I' lllisten to lost a manager. Um and I think he's just been a standout player and someone who I think has shone . I I think there have been really, really but I mean Patrick Vieira said before the game, and I don't disagree with it, that David Rey should be the player of the season. I probably probably that's my thinking in some ways, historically, that you know the goalkeeper for Arsenal is probably their most important player along with the two centre backs and rice. And you could give it to any of those four because they've been really solid, but we tend to just look towards the more creative players don't we and uh the other one is Bernardo Silva's been outstanding at Manchester City um Ti ago special mention for what he's achieved at Brentford, not necessarily saying he's been an amazing player, but the achievement's big. You've got to say that's a big achievement at Brentford to do that. Haaland, obviously, golden boot again. So yeah, look, I I think Brunet Bruno in a season where it's not been a show stopping season for Premier League in terms of standards, you know the points are down and everybody can beat each other, which is good for us and it's been competitive, it's been interesting. But I think Bruno Fernandez for me is the player. Who's Caro's by the way? Caro was Declan Rice. Okay. Who might be a European champion in a couple of weeks and you can see his point covered? And I can't disagree with it. I'm going to serve around and say, Oh, you're wrong, you're out of order. I mean, we're we're talking about fine margins here, it's a personal preference and you know I can't argue with the sort of selection of Declan Rice thing, particularly if they go on and win the league and go and win a Champions League. Then you know I may look a little bit stupid because that at that point you'd be saying that is an exceptional achievement. You uh came to the same answer when it was uh down to young player who is Nico Riley because what a player. Um I still can't get my head around um you'll remember it, Peter. A moment in the Carabao Cup final over in that far corner where I think he skipped through about No, no, it was it, it was against um Arsenal Ed the Eti ad over in that far corner where he skipped through about two or three players. I still can't get my head around that. And then the Carabao Cup final, the two goals. You don't do that. Honestly, I've been a fullback that's broken through at the age of sort of eighteen, nineteen, twenty into the first team and played for England. So I've been on that journey that he's on exactly where I've gone straight into the England first team after thirty games, twenty-five thirty games, but not like that. Not in the way in which it's like a Rolls Royce when he he's like Gareth Bale when he goes forward and like Pilo Mide Maldini when he defense. It's not bad. No, I honestly, and yeah , I was I just can't envisage how fullback has changed that much when you've got this such this presence and this confidence and this belief in such a young player, and he's been magnific ent to watch. Um, yeah, and definitely for me the young player of the year. Best signing . Best signing. I went for Shaka at Sunder land. Um Impact. Big big impact. I mean there's been a number of decent signings for clubs and that have done well, but you think of how hard it's been for clubs that have come up to stay in the Premier League and he's had an enormous influence on that Sunderland team. So for me, I went for him. What did you carry go for? Ryan Cherky . I think I'm right there. Well, you're coming from very different directions, aren't you? Yeah, look, I love Cherky. I think he's been He's comparing apples and pears really. He is, yeah, and look, he's Cherky's been wonderful this last few months. I don't think he played for a large part of the season though, did he? Not as much as he has in the second half of the season, no, no Your most improved player . Most improved player I named I always have bias towards fullbacks. And I nearly put him in my team. I think Kara did put him in his team of the season was Mateus Mateus Nunes . Mateus Nunez . I thought he looked like a I'm gonna be quite disrespectful here, but I think City fans will know what I mean. He looked like a bit of a flimsy midfield player that didn't really have the presence. And then when he went to full back, you're thinking, oh, they're trying to shoe Horman into fullback. The classic sort of a midfield player can't play midfield, so put him at fullback. I've seen it before. And when I saw him in his first few months, I saw him last season there, and I thought I tell you what, he then'll give you a chance, City. And then when you watch him this season and with the growth in him , he's athletic, he looks stronger, he's obviously got his confidence, which comes with playing. And Pep Guardiola has a habit of getting performances out of players that you think maybe are not as good as they look. And this season he looks like a brilliant right back. Someone who's aggressive, who goes forward, who actually at times understands the position, defends his back post reasonably well for someone who's probably not played there his whole career, and for me, there's been big improvements in him. So for he was the one that you know I had him down here in terms of the standards that City are at as a fullback. You think what Kyle Walker's done there for years? And Zabaletta before, two absolutely outstanding full backs and Mateus Nunes has done brilliantly so yeah I'm putting him as my most improved player even though I did pick Timber in my team of the season as the right back just felt overall and though he's not played the last month or two that he was been fantasti c. And Carrow went for Jeremy Docu . Most improved. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Fair. Yeah. Again, very different types of players. So manager . Manager of the year . I think I went out at it, didn't I? No, Jamie did. Oh, who have I gone for? You've gone for Daniel Farker according to the list I've been given. Manager of the year? Yeah. Is it most improved manager ? Just says manager. Oh, I think no, I that wasn't the question. It was best coaching performance or something like that. There's another one that says coaching performance for which you've gone for a Iola. Oh, right. I think I've got my stuff mixed up. Oh dear Well um Well tell us who you think the manager of the year is . I'm looking I'll stick with Farker. I think I've probably misunderstood the questions as it's been sent to me. Do you know the reason I put I thought there was a most improved manager? No. No, I'll tell you what I did. I know exactly what I did. It was most improved and I put player Mateus Nunes and Farker manager. So I've put the most improved manager and most improved player is Nunez and Farca. Farca because basically he was done and he's been relegated a couple of times before so for him to keep Leeds up and I remember going back to leads sort of in those games middle of the winter and they were near they were on the brink of sacking him so for me yeah that's why I've got mixed up there I've meant most improved manager and most improved player of Farca and Nunes and then on the manager coaching performance I put Iriola just, losing his three defenders and then getting them to where they are, but manager of the year, I think, is Arteta . So I look you can work out that Cara. He can whinge about my answers if he wants. And in amongst all of that. Um and this could play into any conversation about manager of the year actually, you're overachievers . You've come with the same answer, the two of you on this. Bournemouth. Or Brentford. Brentford, yeah, Brentford we went for I went for, yes. So for what Keith Andrews has done, and from well what I thought they would do. Absutolely they,'re my overachievers, and they've had a sensational season and deserve great credit. And your underachievers? I think everybody's under achievers are Spurs, aren't they? Except Jamie. He's not gone for Spurs. No, you won't surprise you to hear he's gone for Liverpool . Yeah, but he had his ambition or his aspiration for what he thought they would be was too high. So he started I mean I I had them as potentially missing out on the Champions League. It's a calculation against expectation, isn't it? Yeah, and I didn't have them winning the league. Um, I think I did have them just in the Champions League, but I I'm not surprised that the in fourth andh and fift that type of position, so no, I d I mean that's not right. Tottenham have got to be the underachievers in in everybody's book I would imagine. Although they actually have had a very similar season to last year as it as it I know, but they're serial underachievers. They they're really good at underachieving. Um okay, your goal of the season. I think I went shoperslider kick against Arston. Yeah, it was just just it was a special strike that. Um I'm I'm trying to think of others. Can you challenge me on that? Well because I haven't I I'm doing this blind so I haven't really had any thought. I like JB's one. He's gone with Harry Wilson's goal against Crystal Palace for four which was great. I find very often in these things, Gary, it's scored in a game which we don't remember it. Not necessarily one of the big games, you get a brilliant goal, don't you? And and s you might have picked any of Soverslide's threeree mighty f kicks, might you? Yeah, but that one against Arsenal that just fell on that day. It was big, wasn't it? To beat Raya. I just think as well, I the one thing I thought of this morning was the the goalkeeper that you're playing against. I mean, you can't get anything past Raya. It's difficult. So to get it past him from there, I think yeah. I'm I'm comfortable with my selection on that one . And your favourite game? And oddly enough, both of you have gone with Manchester United wins. He has gone with a Manchester United win. Against here at Arsenal. And I went with the City one. You went with the Derby win at Old Trafford win. Yeah, I just that was the first one in Michael Carrick's um tenure, wasn't it, the City game at home? And then the second one was the Arsenal game. I just thought the city performance was breathtaking in a time whereby United had been knocked out of the FA Cup the week before, they'd think drawn at Burnley maybe and then obviously they had the desperation under Ruben Amring before that. Those those two games I just mentioned then um Brighton and Burnley were under Darren Fletcher. There was just no expectation that Manchester United would go and play like that. Forget the result . I mean, anything can happen in a game. You could win a game, but just the performance. And I just remember screaming when that second goal went in sort of very loudly and sort of being told off after the game. You never learn, do you? No, but I you can't help it. That's just a moment of absolute bliss. It was like, where's this come from? And it wasn't just like you say the 2-0 and the result, it was the performance that dead. I ri I thought was a brilliant it was it was the turnaround moment for Manchester United. So that was my favourite game for the season. I mean Carra's game here the week after where you think they come into Arsenal, let's see what they can do and then they win at Arsenal was fantastic, but for me it was the city game that really I enjoyed most. And f I wonder from the point of view of sort of crazy entertainment, whether you're four four Man United Bournemouth. Bournemouth yeah. They've been a very good watch, haven't they? Oh I mean that game was crazy and yeah, I mean that game was madness, but you what you were watching from United around that time was madness full stop. Uh yeah, but it was and Bournemouth have just yeah, they just got that ability to go and not care, and whoever they're playing they don't care who they're playing, they don't sort of what would be bow to anybody. And that's the way in which English football should be where teams think they can come and have a right go. And Burnley tonight have actually at Arsenal they've come and done the very best that they can. I think we've just seen the Burnley coach here now talking, and I think he'll be proud of the way in which his team have set up tonight and the way in which they've approached the game. I mean we can sit here and say be a bit more creative, but the Hannibal shot from 25 yards in the second half and then there was another one wasn't there that near the edge of the box where they had a sort of half chances then maybe from set pieces and corners that they had a couple that you think well we could have done better. But yeah , um Bournemouth do have a right go and that four four was pretty special to watch. Yeah it was. I wish I'd been better equipped to challenge you Gary. I'm sorry it wasn't you've had you've had a clear ride here. If you'd like to say anything else to abuse Cara, feel f I I've had enough challenge over the years, Peter, from people. I don't need any more challenge. We're we're past that. I think I mean at the start of the season you make predictions and you really haven't got a clue about a lot of things, but I did predict that Arsenal would win the league and I predicted that Manchester United would get into the top four with Liverpool. I think I did put Chelsea in there . Um which ends up looking like a mistake but for good reason. So I think I had Villa in there . Maybe. No, I had City, United, Liverpool and Arsenal, and then I had Chelsea rather than Villa. So but anyway, it's uh Yeah, we're on the brink of the end of the season now, and like I say, this is what really matters. This next few days will sort out the Premier League champions. And I think it feels right the right moment, doesn't it, for Arsenal? They've waited long enough, they've been on a journey of sta ges and steps and disappointments and ups and downs, but lots of downs at the end of the season. Of being mocked, of being laughed at, of being ridiculed, of told that they're never gonna get there, that told that they're sort of always gonna be the bridesmaids and never the bride . But this is a game changer for this football club, an unbelievable football club, twenty-two years without a Premier League trophy and uh on Sunday I think that they'll go and finish the job off if they've not already in their minds celebrated tomorrow night. There were many times where we won the league when we weren't playing and other teams dropped points and they were really good surprise nights those ones. Effectively it's a weekend off isn't effectively training was cancelled the next day all of a sudden we were all round in each other's houses or in Manchester, and it was yeah, the greatest nights of your life. And you know, if Arsenal tomorrow night, I just if their players are there, I know they've got a game on a week on Saturday, and they might do it differently than we used to , but we would go out, we would always go out and celebrate. How did you celebrate the one in ninety-nine when the Champions League final and the FA Cup final were still to come? Did you have a night out then? We went out that night with some form of curfew placed on us that wasn't adhered to. But we it was a Sunday and we had the FA Cup final the Saturday after. So it was six days, and he gave us the Monday off. So we were coming in Tuesday. So we did have a good night, but wasn't the blast that we ordinarily would have done. I mean if we were if you win the league, you don't go to bed. Fact. Simple as that, you don't go to bed if you win the league. Now Arsenal to be fair can 't do that unfortunately because if you drink for that length of time and then go and train two days later you are at real risk of injury and they can't afford that before a Champions League final . It wasn't quite a scientific twenty-seven years ago.