Newcastle's Season and Relegation Battle

Well, welcome along to the Gary Neville podcast, which today comes to you from the Emirates, where we've just witnessed Arsenal going back to the top of the Premier League table, but it was a mighty close victory over Newcastle, Gary . Yeah, it was. It was uh I think the word is exhausting. Uh the Arsenal fans, I mean they're enjoying it now, they're relieved, but I mean for the last twenty, twenty five minutes it was uncomfortable for them and you felt that discomfort didn't you? I mean they're right next to us here. I don't know if you know you can spin the camera just towards so the fans right behind you hear every single shout. Um but But they didn't play with urgency in the first half. Um they got in front and you're thinking then okay, was it ten minutes, eleven minutes the goal and I thought Newcastle started the game quite well, but then you think okay , back players, less touches on the ball, play it forward, two midfield players, don't drop back into your back four and sort of end up getting it deep, and then when you end up playing it long, you disconnected. So a lot of things they did in this game weren't great from a point of view of tactically. I mean they're very good defensively and they really work hard this Arsenal team. One thing that you can never say is and it's worth you know noting they really do sprint like crazy to get back into their shape and they defend really well and they're compact and they're so well organized and there's a lot of respect needed for that because we always there's a lot of um teams that you watch and they leave lots of spaces in between them everywhere. But I actually think this Arsenal team to be fair they get back into their shape really tight every single time and that is something that you should be really proud of and it can win you a title. You know, clean sheets . You know, back in the day, we weren't really a one-nil team. But if we got a one-nil, that was almost like the ultimate test of your concentration and your endurance and your resilience. Because you know how difficult it is, you know you're one moment away from something being taken away from you in a trauma in a title race. So really got great respect for them for that. But what you want is that expression, that freedom whereby they play forward, they go forward, they run forward, and they do things a little bit more certain with a bit more certainty in their attacking play, and that didn't come at all today. I can't think of a really good chance at all. And there might be because we're at the end of the game and it feels like a blur. The goal comes from a set piece, and we'll talk about that shortly. But I can't think of other chances that they're created in open play because they get the ball into the final third , and then they do tend to recycle it quite safely at times, and that's been a criticism of mine of them for a couple of years now. What's your idea? I understand by the way, uh recycling the ball around the edge of the box if you two-nil up, if you three-nil up, try and draw them out, let them get frustrated, you know, work them, move them from side to side. But they're not doing that. And when they're moving them from side to side, they're not doing it quickly. So sometimes you might move it from side to side and recycling it so that the team have to sprint across and you're wearing their legs out and you're fatiguing them. That's not what we're seeing. We're seeing them we're seeing them sort of almost amble from side to side with the ball where someone takes a touch and then another touch. And you know, Newcastle's players are not really move having to move at all, they're just standing in front of you like this. If you move it quickly, then the Newcastle players have to sprint across. Now that's not happening, and if you're moving it from side to side, you're working it so that you can get a 1v1 in a wide area on the opposite side, so that a wide player like Madweki or Reze can go and do something. So I I don't see the idea sometimes and they're not positive enough and they're not building up sometimes to get to a point of a cross where you can say well the players get into that channel over there sometimes think de Bruiner at Manchester City, they'll move it across, they'll move it across and all of a sudden De Broadway will put it and all of a sudden you know there's going to be three players at the back post and he'll whip it in like that. I'm not even seeing that. So they've got to somehow build some simple ideas in this next few weeks. I'm not sure that's going to happen in open play of what they're going to do to be able to start creating chances more in against teams that played deep like Newcastle did at times. So yeah it was a really frustrating day for the fans brought anxiety brought, nerves, really uncomfortable, but they got over the line and they do deserve real credit for that. Quality goal uh in terms of the finish, but you mentioned set pieces. We used to see Arsenal score goals from corners, but it was a different kind of day from that perspective wasn't it because we saw one go short led to nothing groans second one go short led to nothing groans and then the third one which went a little bit longer leading to the goal I mean we Yeah, I mean I mentioned that what they need that they need credit and respect putting on them for their defensive resilience and how they get into their shape every single time and work hard. But they also do deserve massive credit for what they've done with those set pieces today. Because I reckon 99 out of 100 teams, when your fans are groaning after the second one, you're definitely playing it into the box on the third one. But they did it again. And the only way I can describe it, it was almost like uh, and I've never boxed in my life, I've never thrown a punch in my life, so I don't know why I'm giving boxing lessons all of a sudden, but it was almost like uh a a sort of a fighter going sort of punch to the ribs punch the ribs and almost like the other guy then all of a sudden goes over the top it was almost like that they were almost like prob ing with one area but then coming in and then what we were trying to do is work out that space of how they got it into that pass into Havertz. And Eze was obviously the key at the edge of the box. I mean it's an exceptional finish. It is an absolute beauty of a finish that from Eze . It really is. And he's the one that looks free he's the one I mean Madwake he looks a little bit free sacker when he came on the rest of them do look a little bit sort of what would be rigid whereas actually Eze looks like he's got a little bit of the sort of the confidence, and there's a bit of a swagger still about him. Um, and yeah, that that really well worked. We know Arsenal are obviously the best in the league at set pieces. You're right, we're expecting those drifted balls in, aren't we? With Gabrielle and the others moving across the near post and one of them getting a flicking and scoring but Newcastle had Chow, Botman, Byrne, Asula , four big big lads. Um Volta Marder came on as well. So the six foot four, three or four of them. So I think they thought it's gonna be difficult for us to be able to get the sort of run on these types of lads. They're good in the air, they really are so what we're gonna do, we're gonna try and sort of draw them out and pull them away from and create more space and then play a short one. So it look well done to them for their analys is. Well done to them for their more than the analysis, it's been identified, but then the players have had the nerve on the pitch to carry out the instructions through pressure from a lot of fans behind that goal and behind us here because they were like they were groaning like crazy, and I think it was even a whoo when they went short on that second one. So they've done brilliantly with that, and set pieces are a big part of this Arsenal team, and it's meant that they've basically come up trumps today because of it again. It is the strange thing, isn't it, about this place where they haven't been champions yet, that you get all that pre match atmosphere with the song that they sing here and yet from the first whistle and even after they've they've scored the goal, you can still feel that real edgin ess all the time. Yeah, you can. You can. You can feel the edginess. You can feel the It's a crowd that haven't seen it for so long or haven't seen it at all for a lot of them and that comes across but it's a group of players that haven't seen it before either and that comes across the whole thing is going to be like you say for the next few weeks just uh if they get over the line they,'re gonna have to be wheelbarrowed over the line. They are. They're not gonna sail over the line without a shadow. They're just gonna have to be carried, crawl, almost like you know , get me there. If they get over the like something, it it's gonna be a real They're just not gonna all of a sudden hit form, I don't think, in this next couple of weeks. Um they've got quite comfortable fixtures. That that I mean we said before the game today, maybe it's a little bit disrespectful to Newcastle because they played really well in the game. That is the perfect team. They're not involved in a relegation scrap, they're not involved in European race. They're almost, if you like, thinking about the summer and next season, and sort of Eddie How's probably thinking about what the plans are for transitioning this team and squad. Um they've got World Cups quite a few of them as well so they're probably not getting injured. It's the perfect team to play against but then what that means is that they're quite relaxed. And so they come out there today and look, I do want to mention the midfield. I mean look, I I do like Newcastle's midfield. I think Tanali, Gimeraish, and it was Willock today. Um they're they're bloody good. They're good players. They could play in any team by the way. You could put Gimaraish in any team in the Premier League or in Europe. You could put Tanali in any team in the Premier League and in Europe and they would not be out of place and they'd sing and dance in there, I'm telling you, because I actually think I thought at the start of the season Zuba Mendy was a great sign and I think he's been a very good player for Arsenal. But right now I was expecting this is where Zuba Mendy would really sort of, if you like, be the pla yer. What's gonna be the difference player? I thought Yokares would be that player that would get the goals for them in these big moments and get to 2-0 and his bit of lack of quality at the end was poor on that counterattack so he's got to do better than that. But I thought you think of what Pelo is or a Skulls or uh uh a Rodri, the player Bernardo Silva, the player who can dictate play in a game like this, a player who can get Hassel on the ball, who can organise, who can get them with authority, and he's not demonstrating that. He's struggling in the games, and he has done for a few weeks now. So I don't know whether he can somehow I mean Erdegaard does it better. I think Erdegaard went deeper and but the problem is when Erdegaard goes deeper and then Rice goes deeper and then Zuba Mendes already deep you've got three players back there certainly two in deep areas and you can't really have that you want them to obviously be rotating with each other and you want one of them back there to make a link play with the defensive uh side of things and and the full backs. But yeah, it just felt to me like Zuber Mendy today, Rice and Erdegaard. I thought they actually got outplayed by that Newcastle midfield. I don't know what well the possessions here. There you go. 55% to Newcastle, 45% to Arsenal . Surprising. Very surprising. But not surprising in the sense of how I saw that midfield for Newcastle play. I thought Tanali and Gimarais were far better than the Arsenal midfield play. So yeah, a bit of thinking to do for Mikhail Arteta around the midfield in terms of how they can get control of games, how they can show authority , keep the rhythm of the passing. The back players, the two centre backs are a little bit . They're a bit wooden aren't they on the ball. They're very good defenders. I like them a lot. But they're just a little bit wooden on the ball. Sometimes when they run out it looks like you know they could they could hit someone as they sort of like like a charging bull, aren't they sometimes when they sort of run out, uh s uh Gabriel and Saliba. So I think just how do they simplify it and get Zubamendi on the ball a lot more in these areas and let him thread the passes through? It's not happening, but look, Newcastle's midfield are good and I'll repeat it myself there. But they got over the line Arsenal. If they hadn't got over the line, and by the way, this is chance from the Volta Mada pass . I mean that was the title there, wasn't it? Yeah, he lifted it over. The the one save, a big save of the game that um David Ryer had to make uh which has helped him to keep yet another clean sheet this season was that first half one from Sandro Tanali. I mean they've got a fantastic defensive record this season anyway, haven't they, Arsenal? They they've uh they've got the best one in the division. Is that going to be key to them seeing this through? Yes, because it looks like they're not gonna score a bag full of goals, which brings the the the the sort of the um if they end up level with city I think city are gonna win the title. I think City are gonna have to drop points somewhere it would look like. I mean Arsenal can keep clean sheets but, I can't see where they're gonna get more goals than Manchester City. I think currently now City have got two more, but City are in far better form right now, um , from an attacking perspecti ve. So look I think it's something that um they're gonna need to keep clean sheets, they're gonna need to win every single game. They've got a chance for the title. The opt to stats pre-ameg today was 63% still to Arsenal. I'm not sure what they're seeing that I'm not, but That's a computer for you. It's a computer, and computers sometimes are more they can predict better than I can. So yeah, I just I just think the the the the defensive work is absolutely outstanding. Um but they need goals as well. They need goals and I think that's something that ultimately look is a long way to go yet in a sense of four games, three, four, five weeks . So it'll still play out quite a bit in this next few weeks. But they've got a big game here next Saturday against Fulham. Can they get two or three? Can they make this crowd relax at least one weekend? And how do they balance the demands of this with the Champions League because today we've seen Havertz go off and we've seen Ezra go off injured and that that's always a concern when you're building up the games and the Madrid one even though Atletico's league form isn't good, that that's not going to be easy, is it over two legs? Oh no, that'll be a big struggle. Um a team that suffocates you really in terms of the way in which they play a manager and a crowd when they go there will be intense. Look, I think the only way I mean that there's definitely going to be no prioritization of a competition because they're in the two biggest competitions, you have to go for both. The only way this works for Arsenal is to keep momentum, keep winning, they have to go for it. They have to somehow take the sort of what would be the reins off and just go for it. Whilst that defensive balance stays in place, whilst that set piece sort of what would be organization stays in place, they've got to be more free in their attacking play. They've got to get more free. They've got to sort of think about the fact that they can go and w they can if you think about it at glass half full and you can go and be a Champions League winner and a Premier League winner in the season rather than thinking you know I think at the moment they're thinking we've got to win a league. I do think they're thinking that. I don't think they might be thinking right now we've got to win a Champions League. They don't know how to win a Champions League um a lot of these players but they're been so close in the title ra ce and they'll be so desperate not to fall short in that. I do think that Mikel Atas has to go for every single game and not prioritize any over the other, but he knows that the Premier League is the one that's easier to win than the Champions League right now, I would say. It is. I just think the Champions League, I just think there are better teams in there than them and look, it's a cup competition. They've got three games left and they've only got four left in the league. So you could argue that basically it's So a word about Newcastle then because uh you've already said how highly you rate their Oh it's a really disappointing season. Obviously the transfer business at the end of the window in the summer was a real problem for them, wasn't it? Because they ended up with Volta Marder and Vissa and that's just not paid off yet at all . And that's the difference right now. I think full faith in Eddie Howe, full trust in Eddie Howe, that's the way to go. They've got a really, really good manager. Um, so where at some clubs it's easier to say, well, let's shift the manager and let's keep the players because they've got five-year contracts, they've got six-year contracts, but absolutely the other way around at Newcastle, I would think. I would think they'd be thinking, no, if we lost him, you know, we've lost uh we've lost an eight and a half out of ten manager, someone who's a real solid performer, reliable, consistent, someone who's got a great attitude. So I think that basically now they've got a sort of what would be you know I'm sure hope they're sitting down with Eddie Howe and I hope they're going through with basically a sort of like right these the players I want you to shift for me. And these the players I'm gonna buy into for next season and I wanna get these four or five in and I want our business done early. You know, whilst everyone's thinking about the World Cup and everyone's sort of what would be planning and I want these players in. I think I'm hoping they're in a really sort of what would be sure peri od behind the scenes where they're really getting themselves sorted for next season already 'cause for Newcastle to be where they are, they're a really good side. I actually like watching them. I mean th I really do. There's a lot there to like about that. They obviously didn't have any cutting edge today. But they could have had them in Vissa should have scored. You know, if that's if that's Isaac, he does score, doesn't it? You know what I mean? He he does so they're gonna need to basically sort of back their manager properly. I think buy into him, back him. They do buy into him, obviously been there a long time, but almost like you know, go again with him, lean in sort of really make the manager the guy that you believe in and say to the players right who wants to be on this bus um and that's what I'd do if I was Newcastle uh because I think they've got one of the very best there and I think he'll get them back up challenging for Champions League next season. Uh Newcastle are on forty-two points, and it's a strange kind of season in the relegation battle, isn't it? Because Wolves and Burnley are down. But when you look at the others, I mean we we could this season have a scenario where a team gets to the magic 40-point mark and and still goes down because Forrest must have thought they'd done themselves a power of good with their remarkable victory at Sunderland, but then West Ham and Spurs follow them by winning as well. It's an extraordinary uh race to avoid the drop. Yeah, and I watched the first half of the game last night and uh I mean Sunderland helped Nottingham Forest but then they helped themselves. It was a brilliant performance and you're absolutely right. I don't know how they would have travelled back to Nottingham. But they must have travelled back thinking we're okay. I I went to bed last night thinking Nottingham Forest are okay . Still think they're okay, but less okay than twenty-four hours ago. Um and then obviously we were watching on these little screens here, weren't we, the West Ham and Tottenham stuff, and that was yeah, it was I mean imagine what's gonna be there. That that's I mean we talk about the title race because that's where we are here today, but that West Ham Tottenham forest dynamic in this next few weeks could be where the real thrill um and excitement lies because Tottenham down there. I mean that lead table when uh West Ham scored and Tottenham were nil-nil and they were four points clear. You thinking, oh my god, if it finishes like this, and then obviously Tottenham get that goal. Um Doherty stays in. I don't know what he's doing back there, but he stays in thankfully for Spurs fans and they get that goal and then all of a sudden you're thinking right okay and then I think Everton equalised didn't they? Yeah pretty quickly and then West Ham score again. So look absolutely thrilling day in the relegation race and probably more more thrill than probably um the the title race right now uh with obviously Manchester City playing in the in the FA Cup this weekend. Um yeah I I've no idea what's going to happen. No idea whatsoever. It's a it it's a flip a coin job. I mean you mentioned the FA Cup leads as we talk haven't played their FA Cup tie, but they're on forty points and probably thought they'd done enough and maybe they I thought Leeds were out of it . Let's have a look. Here we go. Well Spurs would need two wins to level their their points. Yeah, new but I think Leeds fixtures, you know, are quite good. Let me have a look. Well they one of them actually is against Tottenham. Yeah, I think Leeds fixtures overall. They got Burnley at home, Leeds. They've got Tottenham'.ve got They Brighton at home. They've got West Ham . Yeah. I think look, I think they'll beat Burnley at home Leeds, which would then take 'em to a point whereby I don't think that they'll get caught then. So I think Leeds are okay. Um, I think Nottingham Forest probably need one more win, but I think they're okay. I do think it's West Ham or Spurs uh now, and I think the way Nottingham Forest played last night and the sort of emphatic nature of their victory will give them confidence to think that they're they're okay as well and Leeds as well. I think Leeds once they went to All Trafford and won, I thought that was a point whereby psychologically they were going to survive from it because their fixtures going into the running were were more comfortable than the