Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has identified just one significant concern for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta as the Gunners establish a commanding lead at the Premier League summit.
Dominant derby display highlights squad depth
Arsenal's emphatic 4-1 victory over Tottenham on Sunday sent them six points clear at the top of the table, with summer signing Eberechi Eze scoring a memorable hat-trick on his north London derby debut. Leandro Trossard opened the scoring in what proved to be a devastating performance from the home side at the Emirates Stadium.
What made the result particularly impressive was that Arteta achieved it without several key players. Gabriel Magalhaes, Martin Odegaard, Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus were all missing through injury, yet Arsenal's strength in depth was evident with quality options like Myles Lewis-Skelly, Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinelli and Ben White available from the bench.
The one irreplaceable Gunner
Speaking on his podcast, Neville expressed admiration for Arsenal's squad construction but highlighted one player he considers absolutely vital to their title challenge. Declan Rice is the lone concern for the former England international, who believes the midfielder brings a unique skillset that cannot be replicated within the current squad.
"They've got real options at full-back, real options at centre-back," Neville stated. "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."
Neville elaborated on Rice's multifaceted importance to the team: "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."
Title credentials and European ambitions
The Sky Sports pundit went even further in his praise, suggesting that this Arsenal squad has the potential to not only win domestic honours but also conquer Europe in the coming seasons.
"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," Neville declared, though he cautioned that this season's European campaign might come too early as the team could become "consumed" by their Premier League challenge.
Neville's endorsement comes after Arsenal's comprehensive dismantling of their arch-rivals, a performance that showcased both their attacking flair and defensive resilience despite missing several first-team regulars. The victory establishes Arteta's side as clear favourites for the title as they navigate a crucial period featuring Champions League commitments against Bayern Munich and a Premier League trip to Chelsea.
