Gary Neville supports Mikel Arteta’s decision to mostly stick with his current players, advising him to make only one adjustment for their upcoming match against Manchester City next weekend.
Neville feels Arsenal should maintain their core group of players. He suggests that Declan Rice’s return should be Arteta’s sole change to the Arsenal lineup, citing the positive impact of stability within the team.
Rice missed the north London derby on Sunday, with Jorginho stepping in and performing well as Arsenal secured an away victory. This win sets the stage for a significant week, including a Champions League match and a visit to Manchester City.
Arsenal are likely to be without Martin Odegaard due to an injury sustained during international duty. Neville has recommended against major changes, advising Arteta to rely on Rice’s return as the only adjustment.
On the Gary Neville Podcast, he commented, “I think he [Rice] will come in just for Jorginho and then leave it as it is. I think Trossard did well in that role – the number 10 – so I don’t think he’ll change that. I think he’ll keep it simple. I don’t think Mikel Arteta is doing anything nowadays that is surprising us and I say that in a positive sense and a complimentary sense.”
“He’s got such confidence in his own team and how they play he doesn’t need to try and think of fancy different systems or shocking anybody with the team selection. He’s got stability. When you’ve got stability and an 11 that works together well and you can just change one or two then there is no need to do anything clever.”
Arsenal have found success with a consistent starting XI, though they might need to make some adjustments for the midweek fixtures. A loss at the Etihad would put them five points behind the champions after just five games. Neville suggests potential changes in the forward line but believes Arteta will continue to rely on a limited group of players.
“Declan Rice will return after his suspension,” Neville noted. “You can trust the 12 or 13 players that are his best players. He might bring in [Gabriel] Jesus and [Raheem] Sterling on Thursday night but I don’t think he will be doing mass rotation. You can’t afford to do that and I don’t think you should do that. You have to trust that these players are capable physically of handling a Sunday-Thursday-Sunday [schedule].”
