Man City “will need something really special” to beat Arsenal in the race for the Premier League title, but Pep Guardiola, Erling Haaland and Gianluigi Donnarumma could give them the motivation to do so, says Gary Neville.
The trio played a huge part in Man City’s epic 2-1 victory over Liverpool on Super Sunday, reducing the gap between City and Premier League leaders Arsenal to six points and opening the door for City to reduce the gap to three with victory over Fulham on Wednesday night.
That will put pressure on Mikel Arteta’s third Premier League runners-up at Brentford on Thursday.
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Highlights of the Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester City.
Neville, who recommended Arsenal as champions at the start of the season, believes the Gunners remain England’s best team, but warned that City should not be taken lightly, especially as they have three winners at the club.
“It’s going to take something really special for Man City to win the league,” the Sky Sports pundit said on the Gary Neville Podcast.
“Let me just say this once:[They are]not the best team. Arsenal are the best team and have the best squad. Arsenal are playing the best football, the most consistent, the most solid.”
“But what you can never do is ignore players like Pep Guardiola, Donnarumma and Haaland, because they have it.
“They’re doing everything they can to create something. They know how to go around the block and they know what’s going to happen in the last five or six games.
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The Super Sunday panel reflected on Gianluigi Donnarumma’s crucial save from Alexis Mac Allister in the closing stages, with Man City manager Josep Guardiola re-enacting his stop on the touchline.
“So it’s those three big characters that Arsenal have to look out for.
“I know City have more than that. They have Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, Rodri. They have great players. But there are three people who I think can beat Manchester City in this league: the goalkeeper, the centre-forwards and the manager.”
“Guardiola’s presence, his ability to win things and win and keep winning. He is a winning machine.
“Then you have Donnarumma and Haaland, just huge physical presences. They are dominant and world class in their positions.”
After City’s win at Liverpool, Bernardo Silva told Sky Sports that he and his teammates would have “probably” ended their title hopes had they lost at Anfield.
Rather, Neville believes their victory will create an interesting conflict.
“The remaining 13 games will be interesting,” he said. “We haven’t even entered the home straight yet, but if City continued like this they were in danger of not being able to get into the home straight.
“But a win at Anfield will reignite their fire. We have to reignite their fire. They can’t let it go and they can’t make a mistake against Fulham on Wednesday.”
