Gary Neville, a well-known commentator on Sky Sports, recently commended Arsenal’s manager, Mikel Arteta, for a tactical substitution that played a key role in their 1-0 victory against Everton.
Neville shared his thoughts on this strategic move during one of his podcasts, praising Arteta for deciding to replace Oleksandr Zinchenko with Takehiro Tomiyasu during the match.
This victory held significant importance for Arsenal, even though they could have secured a more convincing win, given their dominance in possession. Throughout the game, players like Martin Odegaard, Fabio Vieira, and Bukayo Saka had multiple opportunities to score.
In the end, it was substitute Leandro Trossard who scored the decisive goal through a well-executed corner routine.
In contrast, Everton struggled to create meaningful chances in the attacking third, resulting in a relatively unchallenging debut for Arsenal’s goalkeeper, David Raya. However, as the game progressed and Everton pushed for a late equalizer, they intensified their direct attacking moves.
Neville stressed the significance of clean sheets for Arsenal, especially when dealing with a congested fixture schedule. He highlighted that defensive vulnerabilities and conceding goals had a detrimental impact on Arsenal’s performance in the previous season.
While he praised Zinchenko’s performance alongside Declan Rice in midfield, Neville also appreciated Arteta’s sharp decision to substitute him with Tomiyasu, foreseeing an aerial bombardment in the final minutes of the match.
Furthermore, Neville underlined that in a busy fixture schedule, rotation and tactical substitutions are vital to manage player fatigue and enhance performance.
He acknowledged that managing Zinchenko’s minutes was a sensible move by Arteta, especially considering his recent return from injury and limited preseason.
Arteta’s choices in player selection have faced scrutiny, especially following the Everton match. Neville acknowledged the ongoing discussions surrounding goalkeeping options, with David Raya and Aaron Ramsdale being in the spotlight.
He expressed curiosity about whether Raya would feature in the upcoming Champions League match and speculated on Zinchenko’s involvement throughout the season based on recent decisions.
