Gary Neville is on the same side as Arsenal fans when it comes to the Premier League title race, but not about another subject.
Neville is convinced that Arsenal will win the league this season, having backed the Gunners to win the title since the 2023/24 campaign.
So far, there’s reason to believe that the Sky Sports pundit might be right, as Mikel Arteta’s side will sit top of the pile on Christmas Day.
Arteta deserves credit for what he’s done for the Arsenal squad; however, in Neville’s eyes, it’s not been enough for the Spaniard to be regarded as one of the best.
Gary Neville suggests Unai Emery is a better manager than Mikel Arteta
Discussions about the best manager in the Premier League right now tend to begin and end with Pep Guardiola, who has won the title six times in nine years with Manchester City.
Arteta and last season’s winner, Arne Slot, could also be in the discussion, but Neville thinks another figure joins Guardiola to make up the two best.
Speaking on The Gary Neville Podcast after Aston Villa’s win over Manchester United, Neville forced Unai Emery into the spotlight.
“The manager is top class, the difference we’re talking about,” Neville said, going on to mention Arteta, but not in the way some would expect.
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“The reason that Villa are up there, and the reason that Arteta is up there is he’s built a squad over five years.
“Then you’ve got the two best managers in the league in Pep Guardiola and Unai Emery, and managers make a massive difference, and Unai Emery is a difference-maker.”
Neville shared his opinion that the two best managers in the Premier League are Guardiola and Emery, a view that Arsenal fans would rapidly contest.
Arsenal fans will disagree after Emery’s last season at the Emirates
Emery is a great manager; there’s no arguing that, just look at Aston Villa’s position in the table.
There is, however, an argument to be had regarding him being ahead of Arteta in terms of the best in the league, with Arsenal fans having dreadful memories of Emery’s time in N5.
When did you realise that Unai Emery wouldn’t cut it at Arsenal?
Emery’s last season was abysmal, seeing him depart in November following a seven-game winless run.
Arsenal sat eighth in the table at the time of Emery’s dismissal, having conceded 34 goals in 20 games in all competitions.
To compare that to Arteta’s record this season, conceding 11 goals in 25 games, there’s really nothing to compare.
In the Premier League, Arteta is a love him or loathe him type of figure, but following Neville’s latest take, are there grounds to suggest the Arsenal manager is underrated?
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