Gary Neville has made bold Premier League title race predictions after watching Aston Villa beat his beloved Manchester United after Arsenal and Manchester City’s wins at the weekend
Gary Neville believes it’s a two-horse race for the Premier League title and has dismissed Aston Villa from contention.
Unai Emery’s outfit sit just three points adrift of Arsenal after 17 fixtures, but the former Manchester United defender remains sceptical about their ability to sustain a title challenge – despite them dispatching his old team 2-1 on Sunday thanks to an inspiring showing from England midfielder Morgan Rogers.
The Midlands club have secured seven consecutive Premier League victories, including a triumph over Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal. However, Neville expects the Gunners to finally capitalise on being Christmas table-toppers – something they have done on four previous occasions all without winning the title.
The former Valencia manager predictably suggests Manchester City will present the most formidable obstacle to the North London outfit’s championship ambitions, reports the Mirror.
Pep Guardiola and Erling Haaland are ‘very special’ and will guarantee Arsenal encounter a substantial test, he believes. Nevertheless, Neville thinks an injury to Declan Rice could prove more damaging during the campaign’s latter stages.
The 50-year-old has indicated Arsenal’s capacity to sustain their momentum through April and May will also be pivotal. “I’m drawing a line beneath the top two,” Neville said after Villa beat United.
“Aston Villa are there and should be respected but they’re not going to win the league. I would be amazed if that happened. A lot would have to go wrong for Arsenal and Man City for Aston Villa to win the league.
“The league is bizarre, I mean not the top two, but beneath it. You’re not quite sure what to make of the other teams.
“Man City are obviously [very good]. They’ve got Erling Haaland and Pep Guardiola, someone very special on the pitch and someone very special on the bench.
“That’s the biggest threat to Arsenal other than them getting injuries to [Declan] Rice and a couple of other players. I wouldn’t be too worried about Arsenal scraping through a few games, that’s going to happen at some point in this season.
“They weren’t great at Everton but were they ever going to be amazing there? I think they’re in a good position. What’s going to be really interesting is how they handle it once they get to March, April, May.
“That’s going to be really interesting. But I actually feel like they’re going to extend their lead in February and March and get a five or six-point cushion again.
“I think it’s their year even though they’re getting closed down a bit. I might be embarrassed because I know City fans are getting confident and think they’re close and Arsenal will bottle it. But I’m not sure that will happen this time.”