Nigel Winterburn talks exclusively to William Hill
Former Arsenal & England defender Nigel Winterburn talks to William Hill about England’s qualifying campaign under Thomas Tuchel and then shares his view on Arsenal’s transfer window, the start to the season for his former team and what they need to do to be successful this season.
Looking at the start to Thomas Tuchel’s campaign, what does he need to do to get the best out of the team?
Nigel: I am not a Coach and don’t have the experience, but from what I see, it’s a case to Tuchel trying to get the players to perform the way they do for their club and replicate this on the international stage. This is something many England managers have suffered with in the past and Gareth managed to do a very good job of creating a group of players who were able to perform for their country.
So if the players can be comfortable in an England shirt, perform as they have been doing for their clubs, England can look to finish the qualifying campaign on a high with some optimism for the World Cup next year.
Share your reaction to Liverpool defeat for Arsenal
Nigel; I thought Arsenal controlled the game well. Liverpool weren’t a threat for most of the game, but ultimately a world class free-kick won them the game. A sign of a Premier League winning side getting the job done when not playing well. For Arsenal, I would have liked Arsenal to show more aggression during the game, they seemed to lack the will to really push forward and look to score In the opening half when they were on top. But ultimately, who I am I to tell Mike what to do and how to do it when I’ve never managed a game of football. It’s so difficult when its fine margins that decide a game and it looked for all afternoon, that it would end 0-0 and all fans from both sides would have been happy.
Is Arsenal’s inability to win some of these crunch games a serious worry? Lack of mentality?
Nigel: I wouldn’t say a serious worry. Arsenal have had a superb record of going unbeaten to the top teams in the Premier League in recent years so the mentality is fine, and it shows the consistent level fo the team to perform well against the best in the League. It’s now up to Arsenal to make a statement soon to show they are really title contenders this season and want to win the League. The squad is filled with hugely talented players and you look in the Champions League last year when Arsenal won in Madrid. This most definitely didn’t show a lack of mentality so we’re on the right track and with new signings bedding in now, it promised to be a big season where Arsenal will look to show on the road they can win big games.
How excited are you to see more of Eberechi Eze?
Nigel: He is a game changer, he is a player who lights up the stadium, he gets fans off their seat. This is a great signing for Arsenal, to further Strengthen what is already a packed squad of highly talented footballers. This is what you need to complete in all competitions and Eze brings a winning mentality to the team, having won the FA Cup, so it’s very exciting wear the number 10 as well which is famous for Bergkamp and Eze can show his skills on the pitch which we are all excited to see after the international break.
Arsenal brought in eight new players in the summer transfer window and had the highest net spend of any Premier League club – does Mikel Arteta absolutely have to win the Premier League title now? Can there be no more excuses?
Nigel: The pressure is higher than ever, but it would have been anyway this season. I think it will be harder to win the League this season given Liverpool’s spending and also Chelsea and Man City have also invested a lot. Arsenal have added a much deeper quality to their squad and with injuries already occurring, the squad is being stretched. But you saw the debut of Arsenal’s new defender at Liverpool and he looked impressive, so the quality doesn’t fall if one of the top players are injured. This is the same for Liverpool who add Isak to their squad and he will really make them hard to stop. So in terms of excuses, it’s always pressure but for me any trophy can be good for the team this season.
Riccardo Calafiori has usurped Myles Lewis-Skelly to become first-choice left-back again – what does Lewis-Skelly have to do to get back into the team?
Nigel: I think Mikel will rotate them all and can even play Myles in centre midfield when needed. He is so versatile, there is an option of right back as well for him. Same with Calafiori, who can play at centre back or right back. But, I have to say Calafiori has impressed in the opening three games. Scoring a goal was great, but he has looked assured defensively, gave Salah nothing and goes forward with the ball very well. He is always looking to drive forward and never lets his defensive duties slack off, he is always in the right place.
