Gary Neville highlights the ‘big question’ that could cost Arsenal the Premier League title

Gary Neville says there is so much to ‘admire’ about Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, but there remains a ‘big question’ over their capacity to play expansively and score the goals needed to win the title.

The Gunners have finished runners-up in each of the previous three seasons in the Premier League, with Liverpool topping the tree to end Manchester City’s sustained period of dominance last time out.

And while Arsenal have undoubtedly evolved into a defensive force under Arteta, the lack of a major trophy since their FA Cup triumph in 2020 means the Spaniard finds himself under mounting pressure to deliver the goods.

With that in mind, Arsenal’s hierarchy have given Arteta significant financial backing across a busy summer, in which Martin Zubimendi, Viktor Gyokeres, Cristhian Mosquera, Christian Norgaard, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Noni Madueke have all arrived through the doors.

Eberechi Eze looks certain to become the seventh signing of the transfer window after Arsenal hijacked Tottenham’s deal at the 11th hour. The Crystal Palace midfielder is set to sign for a fee of £60million plus add-ons over the coming days.

The weight of expectation on Gyokeres, in particular, though, has been a hot topic of conversation at the start of the campaign, with the Swede tasked with scoring the goals required to lead the club to silverware once again.

It proved a difficult first outing for Gyokeres away to Manchester United last weekend and the striker will be eager to silence his doubters when Arsenal return to action against Leeds in two days time.

Asked about the Gunners’ title chances on the Unfiltered Soccer podcast, Neville said: ‘There’s a lot to admire about Arsenal.

‘Remember that period where we were all criticising them a good few years back, when they were quite flimsy and they’d concede goals and they’d give leads away?

‘Now, they’re probably the only team I can think of in the league – and one of the few and rare teams in world football – that really you can trust when they go a goal up.

‘It’s an old principle of teams maybe 15, 20 years ago that they could defend leads and they could be really focussed and concentrated on the defensive side of the game.’

For a third year on the spin, Neville has backed Arsenal to finally end their long wait to lift the Premier League trophy.

But while Neville has confidence in Arsenal’s defensive solidity and set-piece nous, he believes there remain ‘question marks’ over the side’s firepower up front.

‘They’re like a bit of a throwback to an old Italian team at times with the long throws, set-pieces, compact, don’t give a lot of space away,’ the legendary ex-Manchester United and England right-back continued.

‘They’ve also got the dark arts of the game where the manager is trying to waste time and the players are going down feigning injury. They’ve got a bit of that going on so they’re wise.

‘Carra [Jamie Carragher] actually said something interesting, that they remind him of that Rafa Benitez Liverpool team that had those qualities, but they didn’t have the star quality and flair up front to score the goals and win the league over a 38-game season.

‘It started to play on my mind a little bit because I’ve gone for Arsenal again this year [to win the title].

‘I’ve gone for them the last three years and they’ve finished second and I’ve gone for them again just because of the fear of missing out if I didn’t go for them and they won it! I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself! [laughs]’

Neville added: ‘There’s part of me that looks at them and thinks: [Gabriel] Martinelli has dipped a little bit, [Martin] Odegaard is a good player but is he going to score the goals that they need? I think Gyokeres will do okay, but is he going to score 20 goals? [Bukayo] Saka’s obviously got to stay fit.

‘So there are question marks up top about them and that’s the big question: can they get the goals and can they be expansive enough to win games and do what Liverpool and Manchester City will do, which is go and outscore teams and times?’

Arsenal supporters are nervously awaiting updates on Kai Havertz’s fitness after it emerged that the German had sustained a knee injury which could keep him sidelined for a significant period.

Arteta is likely to provide some clarification when he faces the media on Friday afternoon ahead of the Gunners’ second match of the season at home to newly promoted Leeds.

Daniel Farke’s men will be looking to pick up where they left off on their return to the top flight after a late Lukas Nmecha penalty saw them edge out Everton on Monday night.

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