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Gary Neville Warn Mikel Arteta ‘The only player you’d be worried about..
Gary Neville Shares Declan Rice Worry After Arsenal’s Big Win vs Tottenham
arsenal declan rice
Arsenal, following their 4-1 victory against Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium to round off a frantic weekend of Premier League action, have now gone seven competitive matches unbeaten against their arch-rivals and Gary Neville, who was impressed by the Gunners’ imperious showing, singled out the one Declan Rice worry he holds over Mikel Arteta’s side.
Barring Richarlison’s worldie in the second half, Thomas Frank’s Spurs were a shadow of the team which beat Manchester City 2-0 in August – and conceding four goals in the fashion they did will be a concern moving forward. That’s especially the case with a visit to Paris Saint-Germain’s Parc des Princes on the horizon.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Throughout his Arsenal career as a player or manager, Mikel Arteta has never lost a home game against Tottenham Hotspur in any competition.
Sunday afternoon’s stroll in the park was dominated by Arsenal playmaker Eberechi Eze, who scored a hat-trick of strikes after Leandro Trossard drew first blood in the 36th minute. In the absence of Martin Odegaard, the summer recruit stepped up to the plate and became the first hat-trick hero in North London derbies of the Premier League era.
It’ll no doubt be Eze’s name basking in the spotlight after what looked a routine victory over their arch-rivals – but, truth be told, there were plenty of big performances that shouldn’t go unnoticed. Bukayo Saka was a constant threat on the wing, Trossard’s goal was the tip of the iceberg and Piero Hincapie looked comfortable at the back. Rice, too, was excellent.
Gary Neville Points Out Single Declan Rice Worry After 4-1 Win Over Spurs
declan rice
Now six points clear at the top of the 2025/26 Premier League table, it’ll take some doing to derail the Gunners’ title pursuit as their enviable strength in depth means that many changes are like-for-like replacements. At the time of writing, Viktor Gyokeres, Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Magalhaes are all out of action.
Neville, however, fears that Arsenal have one irreplaceable talent at the heart of their success and that’s none other than midfield maestro Declan Rice. The Englishman, 26, moved from West Ham United in the summer of 2023 and has since featured for the capital club north of 100 times.
“The interesting thing is they’ve got [Riccardo] Calafiori and [Jurrien] Timber at full-back. Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ben White are probably better going forward, although there’s not much between White and Timber,” he said on the Gary Neville Podcast. “They’ve got real options at full-back, real options at centre-back.”
Likening the 1999-born ace to Manchester City lynchpin and the 2024 Ballon d’Or-winning Rodri and former Manchester United captain Roy Keane given how influential he is to proceedings in north London, Neville worries about how Arteta and his men would fare without Rice in the engine room.
“The only player you’d be worried about losing for a period of time would be Declan Rice because you can’t replace that. That’s your Roy Keane, that’s your Rodri, the player that holds you together. There’s only one of them.”
“They have got options if he wasn’t there, but you’d never be able to replace the ability of him to be powerful on set-pieces, his running, his tackling, his impact on the game going forward,” Neville continued before adding, “I’m really happy with Arsenal watching them this season, I like watching good teams play football.”
Rice – and for very good reason, too – is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in world football after consistently brilliant performances for the Gunners and, this season alone, he’s registered eight goal involvements (two goals and six assists) in 18 appearances across all competitions. His influence moves beyond actions in the final third mind.
The perfect box-to-box presence, London-born Rice would be a sore miss if he was to pick up a long-term injury between now and the end of the campaign. Adding to that, Neville is also of the belief that Arsenal are the leading contenders for the Premier League trophy – and that’s despite them finishing runners-up three seasons on the bounce.
It’s not only a squad that should go on and win the Premier League, it’s a squad that I can see winning the Champions League in the next two or three years,” he said before suggesting winning Europe’s top table will be on the horizon in the seasons to come.
“It might not be this season because sometimes when you go on to win your first Premier League you can get so consumed by that, you get done in a European game in midweek in a two-legged tie. But they’re getting to that level of performance and resilience and stability and consistency.”
Arsenal extended their lead over Premier League title rivals Manchester City to seven points after a narrow 1-0 win against Brighton, with Bukayo Saka’s ninth goal of the season proving decisive.
Mikel Arteta’s side claimed another hard-fought three points despite creating no big chances and registering just seven shots on goal, only two of which tested goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.
While Arsenal’s defence once again drew praise for a resilient display, with Cristhian Mosquera impressing in the absence of the injured William Saliba, the Gunners’ midfield showed little spark.
Martin Zubimendi’s display was a particular concern among supporters, who appeared far from pleased with the Spaniard’s struggles at the Amex on Wednesday night.
Arsenal Fans Tear Into ‘Ghost’ Martin Zubimendi

Zubimendi was the subject of heavy criticism from Arsenal supporters for Thursday’s display, with some even labelling the Spaniard a ‘ghost’ following his uninspiring performance.
One fan said: “Zubimendi is basically a ghost in these games man, this guy offers absolutely nothing defensively.”
Another added: “Zubimendi shouldn’t be a guaranteed starter next season.”
A third commented: “Zubimendi really struggling with the pressing intensity in this league. Takes forever to let a pass go and gets dispossessed as a result.”
Another suggested: “Zubimendi has been shocking for 3 months, Rice clearly injured. Play Prem-proven Christian Norgaard who’s been excellent every time he’s played for us? No hermano.”
One supporter questioned: “What has Zubimendi done to Arteta to not take him off?”
Another observed: “Zubimendi is nowhere to be seen in this game and Eze.”
A fan concluded: “Zubimendi is actually a disgrace. He’s hiding from the pocket of space when we have a clear superiority in our own third.”
Zubimendi has been instrumental for Arteta ever since his summer arrival from Real Sociedad, missing the starting line-up just once in 30 Premier League games this season.
No Arsenal player has logged more minutes across all competitions than the Spaniard, who has also contributed nine goal involvements in 2025/26.
Arsenal Extend Lead Over Man City

Wednesday’s Premier League action saw Arsenal extend their advantage over main title rivals Manchester City, who dropped points at home in a 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest.
Although Pep Guardiola’s side have a game in hand, they now trail the Gunners by seven points after failing to turn their dominance into three points against Forest.
Arsenal return to Premier League action in 10 days, when they host Everton at the Emirates, while Man City visit West Ham, also on March 14.
The Gunners face Mansfield in the FA Cup fifth round on Saturday, before travelling to Bayer Leverkusen for the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16.
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He’s been linked with a move to the Gunners, but was also spotted talking to Pep Guardiola after full-time
Newcastle Have Obvious Sandro Tonali Problem After 5-1 Man City Thrash
Arsenal fans are making the same point about Sandro Tonali after Manchester City’s 5-1 rout of Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup semi-final on Wednesday night. The midfielder looks to have outgrown his current surroundings as the Eddie Howe project stalls, with it seeming increasingly likely he could be on the move sooner rather than later.
Wednesday night’s contest was effectively over before it had really begun. Omar Marmoush struck in the seventh minute and added a second before the half-hour mark, while Tijjani Reijnders made it 3-0 on the night before the break. Anthony Elanga’s consolation goal just after half-time did little more than momentarily distract from the fact the Magpies have slipped into a rut this season.
Sitting 11th in the Premier League after winning the League Cup last season – their first major honour since 1955 – points to a clear lack of progress under Eddie Howe. Add to that just one win in their last seven matches, plus a gruelling run of four straight away games following this weekend’s visit from Brentford, and it’s no surprise supporters are feeling uneasy under an ownership that has the money to aim for much higher.
Sandro Tonali Transfer Interest Hots Up After Man City Rout

The former Gunners’ target was seen deep in conversation with Pep Guardiola (watch the incident below) following a dispiriting performance from his teammates. But those of an Emirates Stadium persuasion are keen for the club to reignite their interest in the Italian midfielder and try beat their title rivals to his signature.
“No wonder Tonali was begging his agent to get him a move to Arsenal. They are absolute trash,” one X user remarked, as another continued: “No serious player is going to Newcastle again. Tonali welcome to Arsenal.” Elsewhere, a third added: “Newcastle squad getting ripped apart this summer. Welcome to the Arsenal, Tonali…”
Man City Want Him: Newcastle Star Spotted in ‘Deep Conversation’ With Pep Guardiola
“Don’t worry, your star players will leave this summer, and we’re taking Tonali,” another Gunners’ supporter warned, as a fifth concluded: “I can see why Tonali wants to join Arsenal. Newcastle are s***.”
How Tonali Performed Amidst The Chaos
With Mikel Arteta already stacked in midfield, with the likes of Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi, and club captain Martin Odegaard looking irreplaceable, the Spanish boss’ insatiable desire for better means he will likely find it difficult to ignore just how calm Tonali looked in an otherwise messy performance from Newcastle in midweek.
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In his 90-minute display, the 25-year-old completed 93 per cent of his passes, created a big chance, and managed to get a shot on target. In defence, he won both of his two tackle attempts, won four of his eight ground duels, and made seven recoveries. It’s the kind of performance that would have any manager’s attention, and could see him get his move elsewhere in the summer.
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Commentary by Oliver Yew and Nick Wright at the Emirates
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