Gary Neville tells Spurs star he “has to do better” after hesitancy

September 15, 2024Ligue 1

Gary Neville was not impressed by Dominic Solanke’s lack of conviction when presented with a golden opportunity to open the scoring for his side.

Although the Gunners will be cursing themselves after their unfortunate international break which saw two key players Martin Odegaard and Ricardo Calafiori pick up injuries, Spurs on the other hand had an opportunity to rest players.

The break allowed Mickey van de Ven and Dominic Solanke some much-needed time to recuperate after they both picked up knocks at the start of the season.

It was the English striker who was presented with the best opportunity of the game early on when after a nervy attempt to play out from the back, the ball found its way to the feet of Solanke.

But the 27-year-old was unable to let loose his strike quick enough as Arsenal players smothered him with the ball being prodded away.

Gary Neville on Solanke’s hesitancy

Speaking on Sky Sports, commentator Neville criticised the new Spurs man for his attempt with the home side still seeking a breakthrough despite their relentless early pressure.

“He has got to do better than that,” Neville exclaimed after the opportunity was wasted.

“Solanke had about six or seven metres to himself and he takes so much time. You just don’t get that level of time and he got it stuck between his feet.”

After weathering the storm from the home side, with David Raya producing some high-quality saves, Arteta will be hounding his side to get control of the ball in midfield with Odegaard’s composure clearly missing from the squad at the moment.

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