It was a fascinating return of the partnership of Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville on Monday Night Football this evening, with the pair's discussion on Unai Emery's start at Arsenal particularly absorbing.
Carragher was firmly in the camp that following two defeats in the Premier League Emery should adapt his style to the players at his disposal, arguing that to make a slow player like Skrodan Mustafi play a high line was not a good decision.
Neville completely disagreed, and gave a thoughtful response as to why:
I think it's ignorant to suggest that he has to adapt.
Unai Emery is coming into this football club. He's had six weeks to work.
Unai Emery has been a coach for ten years, and been successful.
He has his idea the players have to adapt to him. And he has to find out over this season, which players can adapt to him and which players can't.
Neville went on to predict pain for Arsenal this season as their team transitions and backed up his point again about Emery sticking to his philosophy, by bringing up ill-fated stint at Valencia as an example of sticking to your guns. The former Manchester United manager explained that the minute he became more 'pragmatic' and changes his own philosophy, the players became confused and warned Emery not to do the same as they will 'walk all over him'.
Does Unai Emery need to adapt his style at @Arsenal?
Safe to say @GNev2 and @Carra23 aren't seeing eye to eye on this one! ?️
Watch live on @SkySportsPL as @CPFC take on @LFC at Selhurst Park in the first #MNF of the season or follow it here: https://t.co/Txl1OgVTqepic.twitter.com/IB4pLHRs2f
— Sky Sports MNF (@SkySportsMNF) August 20, 2018
Neville also took a cut at Sam Allardyce's recent dismissal of Emery's tactics by arguing that "Unai Emery is not trying to get eight points from five games to avoid relegation, He's trying to build a team to win a title!"
Carragher countered that Arsenal will have to get results, stating "I can't believe we can't ask the top level players in the Premier League to adapt in a football game."
Neville again was steadfast in his point of view:
GN: Walk into a dressing room for four or five months and try and do it and you'll find the difficulty in trying to tell players three and four different instructions for the same role.
JC: You can't coach players like that no more the way we were coached?
GN: It's different! You've got to adapt! We've got to adapt as coaches. Education has changed people have changed!
The debate made for great television, and although Neville seemed to come out on top, Carragher's point was equally as valid and hopefully with the return of the pair to our screens it is the first of many engrossing debates on Monday Night Football this season.
