Mikel Arteta’s Tinkering: Neville Unveils Arsenal’s One-Time ‘Experiment’ That Will Never Be Repeated

The Gunners secured a significant victory over Manchester City on Sunday, breaking a 12-match winless streak against the reigning Premier League champions.

Gabriel Martinelli’s late strike, deflected off Nathan Ake, earned Arteta’s team three crucial points, placing them just behind early league leaders and fierce rivals Tottenham, solely based on goal difference.

While the club has enjoyed a fantastic start to the season, Arteta initially deviated from the successful system that propelled Arsenal forward last year.

Defender Gabriel Magalhaes was omitted from the starting lineup at the beginning of the campaign, and numerous center-backs were utilized as makeshift left-backs in the absence of Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Thomas Partey even played as a right-back as Arteta struggled to accommodate summer signings Declan Rice and Kai Havertz.

However, Neville believes that the Arsenal boss has now discovered a winning formula, with Gabriel and William Saliba proving vital in stifling City’s attack on Sunday.

“Maintaining Gabriel Magalhaes’ fitness is crucial, and the experiment of excluding him from the starting lineup at the beginning of the season won’t be repeated,” Neville stated during an interview with Sky Sports.

“Those two center-backs – Gabriel and William Saliba – were exceptional in their battle against City, effectively silencing the world’s best player in that position, Erling Haaland,” he added.