Gary Neville has insisted that Arsenal would have beaten Tottenham on Sunday had Declan Rice played the entire game.
Arsenal entered the North London Derby as favourites to clinch three points, but a drab second-half performance let their fans down. Tottenham, through Son Heung-min’s brace, took a point off the Gunners. And along with their North London rivals, they remained unbeaten in the league. And Gary Neville has suggested Declan Rice was the difference maker.
The result was a big statement for Ange Postecoglou, who faced questions that he was yet to face a big team in the league so far. With the Australian duly delivering the message, the tables have turned on Mikel Arteta to answer some doubters.
Arsenal, before the game, had been missing a few of their key stars like Thomas Partey, Leandro Trossard, and Gabriel Martinelli. During the match, they lost Declan Rice, Fabio Vieira and probably even Bukayo Saka to injuries.
Rice and Vieira were taken off at half-time, but many expected Arteta to substitute the latter. Rice’s absence for the second half raised some doubts in the Emirates, as fans feared he might have sustained an injury.
🚨 Gary Neville has suggested that Arsenal would have beaten Tottenham Hotspur if Declan Rice had played the whole match.
“And Rice is a monster in there, I think they win that game with him out there until the 90th minute…. He’s that type of player that I just feel has that in… pic.twitter.com/yixiRvunCJ
— afcsphere (@afcsphere) September 25, 2023
Initial reports suggested Rice suffered a calf problem. But now the midfielder has sustained a back injury. As per the Daily Mail, it is not so serious, and the midfielder can return to face Bournemouth at the weekend. Arsenal could also welcome back Martinelli and Trossard soon, while Partey might accelerate his return.
On the game, Gary Neville, during a segment with Sky Sports, mentioned a few key points about the game during the post-match Gary Neville Podcast. Among an array of subjects, the Manchester United legend insisted that Arsenal would have won the game had Rice played the entire 90 minutes in the north London Derby.
Neville said, “It will be interesting in two weeks’ time when they’re [Manchester City] without him [Rodri] if Arsenal are without Declan Rice, as that’s the other big thing that’s happened today to Arsenal.”
The Manchester United legend added, “The biggest problem for Arsenal today is not dropping two points; it’s if [Bukayo] Saka and Rice have got four, five-week injuries because they are two very important players. And Rice is a monster in there; I think they win that game with him out there until the 90th minute.
“I think he’s that type of player that just drives them forward, that those corners at the end, he’ll get something. “He’s that type of player that I just feel has that in him to will a team on, just to get that result.”
What Neville said might have some element of truth behind it. Rice’s replacement, Jorginho, was the culprit behind Tottenham’s second equaliser, which they scored immediately after Bukayo Saka converted his penalty.
Hence, the Gunners had a stronger chance to take control of the midfield had Rice been there on the pitch. Unfortunately for Arteta, that was not the case. And after the scores went 2-2, neither side managed to score the ultimate winner in this big fixture.
