"He was doing my head" - Gary Neville rips into Arsenal man for trying to act like Mikel Arteta in 1-0 Newcastle defeat
Gary Neville ripped into Arsenal’s set-piece coach Nicolas Jover for his behavior on the touchline during the Gunners' 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United on Saturday.
In a cagey affair, the north Londoners went down Anthony Gordon's scrappy goal in the 64th minute for the hosts. Following the strike, Mikel Arteta's men piled on the pressure, which saw a series of corners in favor of his side towards the end of the clash.
Leandro Trossard, who came on as a 79th-minute substitute for Eddie Nketiah was entrusted on corner duty from the left-hand side.
Referring to Jover's behavior towards the Belgian international while the latter was swinging in balls from the corner flag, Neville said (via HITC):
"It was driving me crazy. The set-piece coach down here, he was doing my head in as well."
“He was screaming on like crazy like he was the manager," he continued. "I am not sure that helps. He is screaming on at Trossard, who is taking the set-pieces. Sit down. He knows what to do. You have gone through it in the week. It’s up on the board in the dressing room before the game. And you have told him three or four times.
"For me, it felt like he was putting more pressure on Trossard taking the corners, which, to be fair, Trossard didn’t handle because his corners were appalling. They were really chances in a game that’s so tight. Set-pieces, no one needs to tell Mikel Arteta or any of the coaches in the league, but they are the vital moments. And Arsenal are good on corners."
The Gunners have scored from multiple corner situations this campaign, recently for Takehiro Tomiyasu's goal in the 5-0 win against Sheffield United last week. Most notably, Declan Rice scored Arsenal's winner from a corner against Manchester United on September 3 (3-1).
Who do Arsenal face next in the Premier League and where do they stand?
Arsenal will return to the Emirates to take on Burnley in the Premier League next Saturday before they break for the international window. Before this league fixture, the Gunners will face Sevilla in the Champions League on Wednesday, November 8.
Currenlty, Mikel Arteta's side are placed third in the league, three points behind leaders Manchester City. However, they could slip further down the ladder if Liverpool and Aston Villa win their respective matches today.
So far, Arsenal have racked up 24 points, having won seven, drawn three, and lost one, the defeat to Newcastle United on Saturday. Arteta and company would want to secure a win against Burnley before heading into the international break.