Gary Neville says Arsenal have secured a statement win over Aston Villa and are a force to be reckoned with under Mikel Arteta | Football News

Gary Neville believes Arsenal’s win over Aston Villa can be seen as a statement as the Gunners showed steel and style to continue their perfect start to their Premier League campaign.

Mikel Arteta’s side put an end to the chaos against Villa, who beat the Gunners twice last season thanks to goals from substitute Leandro Trossard and Thomas Partey. However, they were reliant on the heroics of David Raya, who made a world-class save to deny Ollie Watkins a lead and keep the scoreline goalless.

Neville believes Arsenal’s ability to adapt to different game situations makes them a “powerful” team as the Gunners continue their unbeaten run of 10 Premier League away games.

When asked if Arsenal’s win over Villa was a statement, the Sky Sports analyst said The Gary Neville Podcast: “I think so. What happened in these two games last season has been well reported before and we thought it would be a brilliant game.

“We thought it would be tough, a real test for Arsenal because Villa are a good team.

“What you can’t deny is Arsenal’s defensive record. It’s not all down to David Raya, but if you get past that very, very good defence, the central defensive pairing, the midfield, then the form of the team is fantastic as well.

“Whether they’re pressing high up the pitch or defending deep, I think what Mikel Arteta has done is really great. They don’t say, ‘we’re a high-pressing team’. They can do that, but they can also play deep and they can adapt to the style of play with the way the game is going.

“Arteta has a strong team in Arsenal. They were put under pressure in the last 25 minutes by set pieces and they handled it very well. They are now a powerhouse team.”

‘Arteta responded to Man City and Gvardiol with left-back situation’

Neville was particularly impressed with the way Arsenal and Arteta have responded to the club’s left-back dilemma.

The Gunners started Oleksandr Zinchenko – who has been the club’s first-choice left-back for much of the past two seasons – for the season opener against Wolves last weekend, but Jurrien Timber started against Aston Villa, while £42million summer signing Riccardo Calafiori came off the bench to make his Premier League debut.

Calafiori is Arsenal’s only new arrival this season, although Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino is set to join the squad next week.

“One of the most successful transfer windows is when you keep stability in your squad and add one or two who are the last two pieces of the puzzle. In the two games against Villa last season, left-back was a problem,” Neville said.

“We saw what City did, in the last 10 games of the season, Josko Gvardiol’s impact at left-back was immense. Not just from a defensive point of view, but from an attacking point of view – his power, strength, height. Arteta has responded to that.

“He knows Timber is coming back, but he also has Calafiori. He’s a big guy, powerful, strong, can play in different positions. So that’s a clear answer to what he needed last season.

“You talk about those small margins of one goal or two goals that can swing the title race your way. That could be today. I like what Timber did, he kept a close eye on Leon Bailey. He’s a difficult guy to play against, but Timber was confident on the ball, he looked good when he came into midfield and he’s still doing what Zinchenko does. And Calafiori looked really strong when he came in, ready to fight. He’s got that spirit in him.

“Zinchenko will still play his part against the bottom six or 10 teams, when you have a lot of possession at home and you have to find the ball in tight spaces. Zinchenko will be fantastic in those games.

“But when you play against a really top team and you need to keep a clean sheet, and you need someone at the back who can defend and you need six big guys, you need Timber and Calafiori. He’s got that now, Arteta – it’s a good way he’s adapted.”

‘Players like Trossard are needed – they have 36 cup finals’

Neville also enjoyed Trossard’s performance against Villa, the Belgian winger coming on just after the hour mark and scoring with his first touch of the ball in the 67th minute.

Trossard was also heavily involved in freeing up the Villa defence for Thomas Partey’s second goal, and was instrumental in Martin Odegaard missing a big chance to make it 3-0.

“He’s a very good player, a very intelligent player, a clever player,” Neville said of Trossard. “A very important part of Arsenal’s squad.

“It’s great that in a squad of 21 or 22 players you have players with so much quality and professionalism, and that you understand that it’s going to be a long season, that they’re going to play their role – not just as a substitute, but there will also be games where they start.

“That’s always the case with teams that have been successful and Arsenal are on the cusp of success. They’re not where they want to be yet. But they’ve got the Champions League games, the FA Cup, the Carabao Cup and they’ve got games in the big leagues.

“They’ve got 36 left and they’re all cup finals, the way Man City play league games these days, every game is absolutely vital. You can’t take a month off, or a week or two off.

“They will all do their bit. If Arsenal want to be successful this season and win the league, they know they all have to do their bit and do their job. It’s difficult when you’re offside, but Trossard seems to be coping very well.”