Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has been praised by Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville after his side fought hard to draw 0-0 with rivals Chelsea on Sunday, a game the Gunners could well have won.
Alex Iwobi and Danny Welbeck were drafted into the team to replace the injured Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez who was dropped to the bench – something that angered Arsenal fans before the game.
However, the duo played well during the game and Neville was full of praise towards the duo, saying that their attitudes and disciplined performances will have given Sanchez and Ozil some food for thought.
Wenger has been criticised a lot during the season for some of his decision making, but former Manchester United skipper Gary Neville says that the Frenchman got it spot on against Chelsea.
“Arsene Wenger made a difference,” Neville told Sky Sports. “He chose attitude and hard work over talent.”
“Iwobi and Welbeck did what Ozil and Sanchez didn’t do at Liverpool. They attached themselves to the two central midfielders. When I saw Xhaka and Ramsey in this team today, I thought they would get bulldozed in midfield, however, Iwobi tucked in, making Chelsea go wide and Welbeck did the same on the other side.”
He added: “When you think about Ray Parlour and the job he did for Arsenal over the years of course there would have been more talented players than him but he put in the hard work and showed the right attitude.”
Neville used his former club as an example, sighting how Sir Alex Ferguson would pick certain players in big games due to their attitude rather than individual talent.
“In big matches at Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson went with Ji-sung Park and Darren Fletcher, why? Because they were the most talented players at the club? No, but because they needed to show discipline and respect for the opposition.”
“Wenger chose a hard-working attitude over talent. They got into the shape and did the job that we’ve been demanding from them over the last few years.”