Phil Neville was on the warpath on MOTD last night, as after lamenting how boring the Premier League had become, he also had a bone to pick with both Manchester United and Arsenal players.
After Mark Chapman correctly pointed out that the match was a strange one because it was so 'nice', Neville vented his frustration with what he saw in the tunnel pre-match.
After pointing out that Wayne Rooney was focused and looking straight-forward, which is seemingly the only acceptable thing to do in the world of these ex-pros, Neville hilariously suggested that Nacho Monreal looked like he was 'at a christening' by the way he greeted Juan Mata and David De Gea, his friends from the Spanish national team.
This is a nonsense for me. Look at Wayne Rooney, there: old school, looking forward, not hugging and kissing.
I think Monreal thinks he's going to a christening and not a football match. I can't imagine doing that to Martin Keown ten years ago in the tunnel at Highbury.
Martin Keown's take is about as Brexit as you can get, too:
This is what modern day players are like. I hated it when French players were like this with one another.
They have a point, to a degree, as fixtures such as Arsenal vs Man Utd have always been made by the intensity between both sets of players, but at the same time, the game has changed from when they were playing. The "focus" idea isn't really a goer when you realise that "proper", "old-school" Wayne Rooney was absolutely woeful, while De Gea and Monreal were essentially faultless in their performances...
The argument that they should have got their pleasantries out of the way before the tunnel, however, is a valid one.
Are you bothered by players being pally before the game, or could you not care less? Get in touch and let us know.
