'Beat up' - Gary Neville issues stark Leeds United warning for Arsenal after Man Utd defeat
Leeds United welcome the Premier League title favourites to Elland Road on Saturday.
Gary Neville has warned a ‘disease’ could grow inside the Arsenal squad if they get ‘beat up’ at Leeds United on Saturday.
Arsenal remain top of the Premier League table but have now dropped points in consecutive games, drawing 0-0 at Nottingham Forest before a 3-2 defeat at home to Manchester United last weekend. They head to Elland Road on Saturday but having won the reverse 5-0, are set to face a completely different Whites outfit.
Leeds have Everton on Monday night to focus on first but welcome Arsenal to Elland Road in great form, losing just one of their last 10 games across all competitions. Numerous top sides including Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Liverpool have struggled with the physicality of Daniel Farke’s side since his switch to a back-three formation at Manchester City.
With questions being asked over their title capabilities and previous failures, Arsenal will be desperate to bounce back but at the minute, there aren’t many worse places to go than Elland Road. And Neville believes Leeds could really heap the pressure on Mikel Arteta’s side with a result.
"What they can't afford to do is go to Leeds and get beat up - lose there and all of a sudden... Then all of a sudden, there will be questions asked,” Neville told his Sky Sports podcast of Arsenal. "Everyone's going to be asking the question because that's the question that will get asked until you go and win the league.
“And those questions are going to come thick and fast, so get ready for Leeds next Saturday, make sure your heads are right, make sure you get back to clean sheets, go win the game - be solid. Do what you do, or else you're going to get more questions. Nip it in the bud, root it out inside a few days and don't let that disease that might just enter your dressing room grow, which it can grow if you get a few bad results.
“The disease of negativity and sort of the questions being asked. They need to concentrate on next weekend and make sure they're right for that match because Elland Road is a tough place to go."
Leeds will hope to return to Elland Road this weekend with momentum and three more points from Merseyside. The Whites have still won just once in the Premier League away from home but draws at Brentford, Sunderland and Liverpool highlight a recent improvement, while Farke’s side also deserved at least a point from Newcastle.
With West Ham and Nottingham Forest both winning over the weekend, the pressure has been put on Leeds who now sit just five points clear of the 18th-placed Hammers and ahead of Forest on goal difference. Victory would re-open an eight-point cushion on the drop zone while also drawing the Whites level with Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur.