Gary Neville reacted to the action that the Premier League produced on matchweek 16, including Arsenal’s win over Wolves.
Arsenal looked completely uninspired against Wolves, playing in a way that bored fans at the Emirates and all over the world.
The Gunners’ complacency in attack also caught Mikel Arteta’s side out, as Wolves equalised in injury-time, only to concede an own goal four minutes later.
Though it was a win, it didn’t feel like a victory due to the performance level, which was only made worse by Manchester City’s dominance against Crystal Palace the following day.
Fill in the blank: I am feeling ______________ about the Premier League title race after GW16…
Gary Neville sets a task for Arsenal that could win them the Premier League
Man City are chasing Arsenal in the title race once again, and Arteta won’t like it.
Of course, the Arsenal manager will have confidence that his squad can go all the way, but his players need to feel it too.
Interestingly, the topic of mentality was a talking point for Gary Neville after the Wolves win, as he honed in on what Arsenal’s biggest task in the title race really is.
“Arsenal have got to get themselves mentally right for the next four or five months,” he said on The Gary Neville Podcast.
“It’s such a huge moment for the club, and I still think they’ll do it, but they’ve got to make sure that they step up.”
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  ArsenalArsenal | 16 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 30 | 10 | 20 | 36 |
| 2 |  Manchester CityManchester City | 16 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 38 | 16 | 22 | 34 |
| 3 |  Aston VillaAston Villa | 16 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 25 | 17 | 8 | 33 |
| 4 |  ChelseaChelsea | 16 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 27 | 15 | 12 | 28 |
Thierry Henry raised a concern he has about Arsenal’s mentality after the Aston Villa defeat, not being an admirer of how the Gunners reacted to the last-minute goal.
The Arsenal legend, just like Jamie Carragher, thought the reaction was telling of how much the title race is in the players’ minds, which is a problem so early into the season.
There’s so much football to play, and the title race shouldn’t be a thought until the latter stages of the campaign, giving Arsenal a task to keep their heads level before the business end of the season.
Mikel Arteta knows that quality won’t be enough to win the league
Neville’s take on Arsenal’s biggest task was spot on, as if anything is going to cause the Gunners to miss out on the title, it’s themselves.
What is your honest take on how Arsenal’s players reacted to Aston Villa’s winner?
Is Thierry Henry right that Arsenal's mentality needs to change? 🤔
We saw incredible attacking quality in the 2022/23 season, only for Arteta’s side to choke when things got serious.
The 2023/24 campaign was similar, as while being defensively solid, Arsenal were still beaten to the title by the experience of Man City.
Now, Arteta has a third chance to beat City to the title, and it has to be said that mentality holds the key to becoming champions; it’s just whether Arsenal are in possession of it when we approach summer.
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