IAN HERBERT’S VERDICT ON GARY NEVILLE
In the superb Best of
Enemies documentary about his rivalry with Patrick Vieira, Roy Keane revealed that he was defending Gary neville when he challenged the Frenchman during the legendary Highbury tunnel bust-up of 2005.
Keane thought Vieira was picking on players less likely to fight back. ‘Pick on someone your own size,’ he told Vieira.
The evidence of what can only be described as ‘Gary neville v Arsenal: The Rematch’ demonstrated that the former Manchester United right backturned-analyst no longer needs anyone to fight his corner. neville, whose almost emotional evisceration of ‘spineless’ Arsenal in last Sunday’s Carabao Cup final was even more memorable than the match, dived straight in among the fans outside the Emirates last night.
He wanted to see if they thought he had gone too far and he was diligent enough about the task to make sure that he found someone who did.
It was a genius piece of television production, capitalising on the storyline of neville’s own creation with levity and wit.
‘You don’t like me any more? How do you mean, you don’t like me? Did you used to like me?’ neville asked an Arsenal fan who said he was right to slaughter her team but that she had gone off him because of it.
How Sky must wish that Thierry Henry was a broadcaster in the same class as neville and Jamie Carragher in a period of catastrophic Arsenal decline like this.
Carragher was so much the better of last night’s studio analysts that he was asked to discuss the 3-0 half-time scoreline first. It was another pitiful night for Arsenal but neville’s view of the team was more tempered, less angry. The mortal offence he took at Wembley had gone, replaced by an acceptance that this time Manchester City’s vast superiority was playing a part.
‘He’s torn through Arsenal but I can’t be too critical of Arsenal’s defenders for the goal,’ he said of Leroy Sane after Arsenal’s second.
‘It’s a mess this,’ neville said after the third. ‘ The fans can boo from Arsenal but the football is absolutely amazing, honestly. This is a bad, bad night. It’s toxic in here.’
Imagining how he would deal with Sane was more interesting than examining how Arsenal had failed to do so.
neville found some good in the plans laid by Arsene Wenger. ‘I do like the shape of Arsenal — the front four — a lot more,’ he said of the two runners, Danny Welbeck and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. In the very brief time before all hope was extinguished, that pair did test City.
He expressed more satisfaction with the way they ‘played it through midfield better, taking that risk, playing it into the player who is closely marked and trusting them.’
There were most certainly periods in the second half when Arsenal were committing that cardinal sin for which neville had castigated them on Sunday — walking. nothing was said on the subject this time.
The empty stands told the really significant story. neville was first to point out the significance of the thousands of empty seats. ‘I don’t think it’s all down to the weather. There’s an objection going on. When (those in) the directors’ box look around and see those empty seats, it will be stark for them.’
Sunday’s mauling by Arsenal’s critic-in- chief was born of an expectation that the side could give more. The truth this time was that Arsenal operated within the range of expectation. And still got thumped at home.
DID HE go too far? Ian Herbert on Neville in Wednesday’s Sportsmail