Gary Neville’s comment about Arsenal’s full-backs after the North London Derby was so wrong

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Gary Neville dissected Arsenal’s squad depth following the Gunners’ North London Derby win over Tottenham.

The 4-1 victory sent Mikel Arteta’s side six points clear at the summit, with Eberechi Eze stealing the show with a hat-trick.

Leandro Trossard was the other scorer of the game, but it wasn’t only those who put the ball in the net who deserve credit.

Mikel Merino, Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber got involved on the goal contribution front with assists, which made Gary Neville’s post-match comments rather surprising.

Gary Neville makes an interesting claim about Arsenal’s full-backs  

Neville thinks Timber has been one of the world’s best right-backs this season; however, the pundit isn’t sure that the Dutchman is Arsenal’s best attacking full-back.

Speaking in reaction to the North London Derby win, Neville speculated that Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ben White are better attacking full-backs than Timber and Riccardo Calafiori.

“I mean, the interesting thing is they’ve got Calafiori and Timber at full-backs, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ben White are probably better going forward,” Neville said on The Gary Neville Podcast. 

“There’s not much between Ben White and Timber. Myles Lewis-Skelly, I think, is obviously better than Calafiori going forward.”

Calafiori’s versatility is one of his greatest strengths, with the Italian often showcasing his attacking prowess; the same applies to Timber. 

It was an interesting comment for Neville to make after Arteta’s two favoured full-backs played a combined 13 passes into the final third against Spurs, but how do the numbers hold up?

The numbers suggest Neville is wrong

The simplest way to glance at how impactful a player is going forward is to consider their averages when it comes to goal scoring and creation.

In Neville’s eyes, Lewis-Skelly and White might be more impactful going forward than Timber and Calafiori, but the numbers tell a different story.

Comparing the four players’ goals and assists, and goal-creating actions per 90 averages, based on their last frequent-playing season, it’s clear to see that Arteta’s current two starters are the difference-makers.

What the numbers, most importantly, conclude is that Arsenal have four incredibly high-performing full-backs in their squad, giving Arteta a list of options.