"It’s offending me every week" - Gary Neville says Arsenal coach is 'overreaching his importance' as he doubles down on criticism

Gary Neville has once again taken aim at Arsenal's set-piece coach Nicolas Jover, accusing him of 'overreaching his importance'. The former Manchester United defender, now a pundit, had initially branded Jover "the most annoying bloke in football" after Arsenal's 2-0 victory over Manchester United in November.

Jover, who moved to the Emirates in 2021, has received praise for significantly improving the team's effectiveness in both attacking and defending set pieces. Arsenal's record in this area has been among the best in the Premier League, with several goals coming from well-orchestrated set plays.

While Jover’s contributions to the team might have been lauded by the Gunners faithful, Neville believes there is a fine line between celebrating success and overshadowing the players' achievements.

Speaking on the matter, Neville said (via Metro):

''I called him the most annoying man in football. Do you know something? I’m cementing my position, I’m doubling down. It’s offending me every week. I’m going to say this really calmly, I think he’s overreaching his importance."

The former England international elaborated on why he finds Jover’s behavior problematic, citing examples from other areas of coaching:

''If a goalkeeper makes a good save, I don’t see the goalkeeping coach on the edge of the touchline. I don’t see the other coaches going up and getting the glory for it. ‘The manager is at the front, he can’t communicate from 50 yards away to players who know what they’re doing. I think he’s overreaching his importance, I genuinely believe that.

''I see goalkeeper coaches and brilliant coaches who work on other aspects of the game, I don’t see them pointing to themselves and overreaching their importance. That’s how I feel. I get he’s important and he’s doing a great job but I do genuinely think he needs to sit back a little bit."

Neville also warned that Jover’s behavior might not sit well with Arsenal’s players in the long run, adding:

''I think the players will start to look at him as well and think, 'hang on a minute, come on.'"

''We were sensational'' – Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta sends message to Liverpool on the Premier League title race

Mikel Arteta was pleased with the performance of his players after their 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby on Wednesday, January 15. The Spaniard described his Arsenal side as ''sensational'' and subsequently sent a message to Liverpool over the Premier League title race.

Arteta said (via Mirror):

“I am very proud of the team, we were sensational. The attitude we played with - not feeling sorry for ourselves - was phenomenal.”

When asked if Arsenal were in the league title battle, he said:

“Yes, we are. There is so much to play for and we can see how difficult it is to win. When you have opportunities [to close the gap] you have to take them. We are on a really consistent run in the Premier League.”

The Gunners are currently in the second position on the Premier League table with 43 points after 21 games, trailing Liverpool by four points, who have a game in hand.