welcome to the Gary Neville podcast from
anfield where we have seen Gary Neville
um a really really good game of football
haven't we yeah really good uh I think
that before the game we thought actually
I thought what happened let's start
again before the game what I thought
would happen did happen in the sense
that Liverpool just further ahead in the
development and their Journey as a team
and as sort of a group of players more
experienced and that Chelsea would find
it hard today but I think that I was
hoping Chelsea were going to do well in
the sense of the game and I think they
did I think they played some really good
football um I think we know where their
deficiencies lie probably and I don't
really want to call out Nicholas Jacks
because I think he's part I he can be
part of a very successful Squad that can
do well for Chelsea I just think if they
had a world class striker in front of
him and he would say the second Striker
that would probably more aligned with a
team that then could go on and
potentially win a title in a few years
time and catch Liverpool up I again at
the other end of the pitch with the
goalkeeper and then just that maturity
and the growth of the players CU
obviously some of the young so I think
there's a lot to work with they lost the
game the two games I've done this season
they've lost the first game of the
season against Manchester City and this
game now against Liverpool but I
actually thought there were good things
in both games which mean I you know
gives me encouragement for Chelsea and
the fans at the end of the game you know
the Chelsea fans were all clapping
behind that goal so I think that tells
you what that they liked a lot of what
they saw uh and the some encouragement
there really is the substitutions
because they've got so many players and
they're all you've got lots of players
haven't you so maybe there is an element
of moresa which then feels like he has
to make substitutions but I just think
maybe the the quality maybe the
performance deteriorated with the five
substitutions I thought Chelsea were at
the best with the starting 11 maybe you
could argue that you know Sancho going
up at half timee you know one way or the
other doesn't really you know count for
much but I just felt as though maybe the
substitutions didn't help them and
Liverpool were untroubled and really
managed and controlled the game well
they weren't at the best but
demonstrated their experience Liverpool
today and in the end I think deserved
the result just purely because of that
obviously over the last fortnite
International football's been the topic
uh England in particular and I was
excited to see today those three for
Chelsea Palmer madway K Sancho but
Curtis Jones actually on the other side
what a performance from him yeah
Liverpool have a habit of of getting the
absolute maximum out of their players um
and you look at that Midfield of subers
Li graen bers and Jones if you said that
that was playing against
cedo Fernandez Lavia Palmer you'd say
Chelsea should really dominate the game
there they should you know better
players cost more in the transfer market
more fancied by the top clubs you know
Liverpool tried to sign cedo and Lavia
remember but the two players that they
tried to sign weren't as good as the
players that they've ended up with who
were less money and that is down to the
stability in the club obviously the
performance of Jurgen klopp last year as
a coach but also the performance of Aris
lot since he's come in and Curtis Jones
has epitomized that today swash bookling
performance all action you know you
think about the two in Midfield that
were playing there grain bur and Curtis
Jones they didn't really play like a
holding Midfield to they were dynamic
they went and got the ball in wide areas
in deep when they were deep they went
and basically sort of then shifted up
the pitch and made runs forward it was a
really good performance from him he was
involved in everything in penalties in
in
goals um and that's what coaching is
it's what football should be that you
know through stability what Liverpool
have done is through stability and
giving players confidence the opposite
of Chelsea in some ways where they've
signed a lot of players and maybe
undermine players who are already in the
club um settling down a little bit now I
know but Liverpool have been the
absolute opposite they've missed the
Target in the summer that we're going
going to bring in in Midfield and Curtis
Jones might not have been playing today
but the fact that he is means that he's
played at a really high level and that
should give Liverpool and there
particularly I suppose people in their
boardroom in their sporting director and
their sort of other people who choose
the player
they've got patience it's it's a it's an
unusual quality in today's game and I
know that from owning a club myself that
you can be impatient so they have
patience here and there's a stability
Klo leaving the back five still in place
gives them that real foundation and then
in Midfield you've got basically two or
three players four players maybe to
choose from
who individually you would say would
they get in the the top of top teams but
when you watch them play as a collective
they're so willing they're like sponges
I can imagine on the training pitch
taking everything in
and the collective of them together is
better than their individual parts and
that's the sign of a really good team
and good coaching and good work and
Curtis Jones I thought was outstanding
best player on the pitch and actually
their only defeat this season Liverpool
came off the back of the last
International break and perhaps it says
something that that this time they were
able to rest their three South Americans
for the majority of the game and we've
done Curtis Jones but I mean Cody gakpo
instead of L Diaz that there feels as
though there's an alternative everywhere
even at the end of the game Gomez for
Alexander Arnold yeah well we've seen
that before from Jurgen klopp haven't we
at a point whereby maybe they're sort of
under the c a little bit defending deep
that Gomez is preferred up front we know
they've got fantastic options and
they've got five or six there that you
know can play across the front line and
they can always sort of change it up so
J A goes off like he did today or GPO
plays for Diaz um you know Nunes comes
on they're all of a high level they're
all a threat uh Salah is the one
constant that holds them together I do
you know he gets more and more important
an um I was talking before the game
about Cole Palmer you know Salah shocked
me in the sense of his just consistency
and his reliability of his goals and his
assists over such a long period of time
when he first came to Liverpool you'd
never have imagined he'd get to this
sort of Superstar level that he has in
this world class level and Cole Palmer's
doing that now 15 16 months in he's got
another six seven eight years to go to
get to that level whereby he can then be
deemed as being sort of a superstar
world class player like sort of mos Alex
when you do it over that period of time
and he's a great player for Cole Palmer
to look at but he holds that front line
together in terms of his composure Salah
he just hangs on this right and side his
his strength his quality um and
Liverpool have got a a lot of players
who have done a lot you know they've won
Premier Leagues they've won trophies in
cups they've won Champions Leagues and
that gives you a confidence and an
authority and I think that's helping
Arnis lot settling at this club so
quickly before we move on to the other
two of the top three um just just a sort
of final overview of a read of where
Chelsea are at in your
view a lot better place than they were I
think last season um I think the feels
like something's Building looks like the
players enjoy it um I go back to that
first game of the season against City on
Monday Night Football which is the one
that I did at the start of the season
the night after I actually took
Tottenham out of my top four and put
Chelsea in it because there was
something I saw against City even though
they lost that I liked and I feel the
same today still there's a lot to work
with there that you can like now
obviously you know that they they are a
little bit raw at both ends of the pitch
at times and you feel there is
development but you know that they're
young and I think they the owners will
be a lot happier I would say at this
moment in time there's some promise um
it looks like they're believing in sort
of the system and the coach and the way
in which things are going I think the
fans look like they're a lot happier
with it as well and I think today they
showed really good courage to play
anfield in the first half this is the
toughest Place toughest away ground to
come and play and I think they
demonstrated that they could come and
play and take the ball
they do still make mistakes in certain
parts of the game but then that's every
single team I would reiterate the two
most difficult positions on the football
pitch are Center forward and goalkeeper
they're the two most influential
positions also on the football pitch and
if they have someone world class in
those positions I do think they can
really be a threat to the top teams in
the next couple of years if the if the
rest of them can grow and continue to
improve okay so the biggest story of the
weekend actually never mind this super
game we just scene is probably Arsenal
losing to Bournemouth which from a
neutral perspective is lovely because we
talked forever about the
unpredictability of the uh the Premier
League um apart from obviously having a
player sent off where were Arsenal's
shortcomings well there was a big debate
wasn't there a few weeks ago when they
played against Manchester City which you
know I contributed to when when they sat
so deep uh against Manchester City um
and they obviously you know at the end
conceded that goal but I think that
they've had three games this season
where they've dropped points in three
time s I've obviously had a man sent off
what I would say is yesterday and
against Brighton I still think my
expectation of Arsenal in the way in
which they are obviously what they've
got to do is deal with the discipline
issues they get too many players sent
off just generally so that's got to
that's got to be looked at I'm sure Mett
now will say look this is going to cost
you if it carries on so let's attend to
it properly that's the first thing to
say but secondly if we go down to 10 men
you've got to still go and win and I
think Roy Keane said this a few weeks
ago and at the time you know it was
again after the City game which I think
that's the one game where you could have
some sort of sympathy but I think Roy
was talking about it with in relation to
the Brighton game and saying you know go
and win with 10 men I do genuinely
believe yesterday against Bournemouth at
nil nil with 10 men they should go and
win that match and I believe they have
to go and win that match and they can't
lose that match so for me that that will
be something that I feel after that game
you can lose any match in a football in
football we know that but I think that's
the most disappointing thing is that
they've not gone and won the game
against Brighton they've not g and won
the game against uh Bournemouth and I
think they should be with the quality
that they have still be able to win
those matches so two things one don't
get player sent off as much that sounds
really easy but sometimes teams go
through periods where they do get
players sent off and it costs them and
you've got to deal with it and you've
got to stop it the second thing is if we
do go down to 10 men we've got to go and
win you know you've got to go and win
out City take that one out because it's
Manchester City but the other two
Brighton and Bournemouth you know good a
team as Brighton are and your way at
Bournemouth a difficult game go and win
the match you'll take out of the game
the fact that you've gone and won and
you've basically won with 10 men and
everyone thinks who so look I think on a
general note of Arsenal I'd say still
very early in the season early enough
for them to recover early enough for
them to still be really dangerous and
win the league I believe but then you
know I was disappointed with them last
night I think they should be
disappointed with themselves in
mitigation no sacka no erard no Timber I
get that but then we're talking about
playing against Bournemouth aren't we
and we're a good side I know but you
know they've got squads of 20 to deal
with Champions League League football to
deal with a couple of injuries you know
we know that basically players will be
missing at certain points in the season
Liverpool have played today against
Chelsea without Allison their world
class goalkeeper without Diaz without
mallister you know they three players
that they played Without today that
would be really sort of if you like in
their s that happens for me I I I
don't sakur always plays as well you
know he always plays you're going to
miss him if you said you're going to
miss him at least once twice three times
in the season then Bournemouth away
would be one of the games you may say
well okay well that's fine we've got a
squad to be able to deal with it so yeah
I understand that but for me I would
expect arsal to have done better with 10
men yesterday and to obviously I think
the sending off was right so they've got
to deal with that I think it's the first
time s has ever been sent off isn't it
so you know that happens in football I'm
not going to criticize a lad for getting
sent off it's just that it's happened
three times now in seven or eight
matches as a matter of interest uh what
did you think of the decision to send
cber off I thought it was I thought it
was the right decision in the
end it was a long way from goal but the
goalkeeper I think speaking to Mike
about it before actually I think once
the goalkeeper starts to back pedal
there's an acceptance that he's not
getting the ball and then you know the
striker is going to get there so I think
that's the problem I mean the mistake
from trad's a bad one maybe hasn't been
talked about enough to pass back you
know what I mean the one that gets left
short so for
me these things happen but it's how you
react from it and I think deam Rice's
interview after the game was that you
know they'd fought hard and they'd
worked hard but yeah turn that hard we
know you we know you work work hard I
mean the Arsenal team they do work hard
they're reliable now they're at a really
good level and I think that Mikel artet
has built a team that we can trust but
not with not getting points yesterday
not winning
yesterday you can't just ow we down to
10 men so we can lose that's not the way
in which it is if you're a top side
which they are go and win that match and
go and win the game against
Brighton I don't know how much of you
you saw of it I didn't see much but
Manchester City at wolves I watched
quite a bit of it well clearly it was a
scare so um what what did you see I mean
wolves to be fair I have to say I've
thought I've watched them a couple of
times and I've thought they're in real
trouble I think that they're really
struggling but I think Gary O'Neal will
be I think he'll be enthused by today I
think he'll be happier with what he saw
but I think he' be absolutely devastated
at the end I did agree with the decision
that um Bernardo Silva wasn't
interfering with the
goalkeeper on the Jon Stones header so
that's we obviously came up here we
watched that didn't we with Mike and we
were looking at the screens and we were
thinking oh is he in front he's clever
Bernardo Silva he has that little lean
into him but then I think he leaves and
the goalkeeper has chance to reset
himself um and then I think that the
ball just basically you know obviously
goes past the goalkeeper a great header
from Jon Stones uh but it's two
important goals from Jon Stones isn't it
in the last month um incredible that you
know you just I always felt you always
feel maybe the that type of Team they've
built up that sort of feeling about it
remember the goal last year that they
scored at Newcastle lat on Oscar Bob
wasn't I think and I remember watching
that in January or February whenever it
was that they scored that goal and
thinking Here We Go Again they're going
to win the league here you it's moments
like that even this early which made you
just think you know because there are
the moments where you think well if City
don't win that game later on then they
dropped two points at wolves which I
would not have expected so I think they
they'll be absolutely ecstatic where
they were we saw them at the end
celebrating with the city players and
Pep Guardiola and the fans over on that
far side it's a big win for City because
I look we know they're brilliant we know
they're fantastic they've got a great
manager but still coming out for the
back of International Football having
been there at United all those years and
getting everyone back together I always
remember sir Alex would say you know get
your heads your heads are full of mince
when you come back from International
Football you've all been listening to
different instructions from different
managers in different parts of the world
you've all got on different planes come
back at different times and you're all
basically disconnected and so you'd come
back maybe for the Friday morning I know
city is playing on a Sunday today so you
have an extra day to prepare which is
important but sometimes you can get back
on a late Thursday or a Friday and you
can end up basically just training maybe
one session together before the match
and he would say each time that you know
it's difficult he would recognize that
in us and he say look I'm relying upon
you today to get your heads right you
know because he knew that there would
been distraction there has been
distraction of another set of football
tactics and style and teammates for the
previous 10 days so yeah I think that
what city have done today is get over
the line which is what they do uh and
you know well done to them for that yeah
and probably one of those will remember
in May if they're the ones walking up to
pick up the trophy remember remember
that Wolves game you do yeah I mean look
there was a mention I think today you
know would these two teams win the
title I don't think so but what
Liverpool are doing defensively at the
moment is interesting interesting but
I'd like to sort of assess it at
Christmas I still think that they're
short uh I I do feel like they're short
I feel like Chelsea obviously a short
they're not going to win the league um I
think that Arsenal are the only team
that can really sort of take on city um
but but you've got to be in front of
them you've got to get be close to them
and you you can't afford to fall too
many points behind which makes and let's
finish on this throwing it forward next
week's game Arsenal Liverpool and
absolute monster arsenal of course
without celba yeah without celba but
again I'm not we cannot ex you know we
had we had the excuse didn't we couple
of years ago when CA wasn't playing in
the final matches and sort of that was
seen and accepted that you know he's
he's a big loss but you've added players
to the squad to be able to deal with
that you can't be one player
away of of having a one match ban and
thinking you know basically the level
can go from here to here when you're
looking to win a title you have to
remain consistent and reliable if you do
get an injury we've seen City without
Highland and without de bruyne for you
know big parts of of seasons and and
theyve still got by we've seen them get
by and you know I know that they're a
sort of machine City at this moment in
time but I've got a lot of confidence in
Arsenal I've got a lot of love for the
way in which they've sort of developed
as a team over the last two years when
they came
here 18 months ago whenever it was when
they came here and they found it really
difficult and it started to fall apart
for all them in that title running and
they froze in that last part of the
Season there's no doubt about that
they're a different set of players and
they're a different level and a
different level of belief than where
they were and this is now next week
whereby we can't be talking about oh so
and so's not playing or he's not playing
we're not interested we're not
interested there's been a lot of money
there's been a lot of of improvement
Now's the Time to Go and show and
they're still in with a Chance a big
chance very early in the season so next
next next Sunday big test for Liverpool
and a big obviously well not question
about Arsenal but a big you know
question about Arsenal with without SEL
because he seems to have been ever
present for like an age now and that'll
give us something to talk about a week
from now looking forward to it than
Peter
.jpg)
0 Comments