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Boxing Talking Football With…. Mikael Silvestre: Arsenal’s Title Chances After Liverpool Win
We sat down with the former Manchester United and Arsenal defender, Mikael Silvestre to discuss all things Premier League. Mikael was quizzed on the improving fortunes of his former English sides. We quizzed him on United’s top four chances and whether Arsenal can push Manchester City for the title after back-to-back wins over Tottenham and Liverpool.
United bounced back with a win over Everton on Sunday and Casemiero’s performance was loaded on his first Premier League start. Do you think he makes that midfield stronger?
Yes, he does. He does with his experience. He’s very calm on the ball, off the ball. He reads the situations well. Look at the number of years and how many seasons he spent at Real Madrid. These clubs don’t wait for players to underperform and bounce back. They need consistency, especially in that position. He was the one that gave the platform for Toni Kroos and Luka Modric to perform at that level and to have the freedom.
It was only a matter of time before he was going to express the same qualities at United. It’s been a slow start for him but we had some confirmation of what Casemiro is about and what he can bring to the team.
Another new player, Antony, he’s become the first Manchester United player to score in his first three Premier League matches. What do you make of his start to life at the club?
He was involved not long after joining the club and scored in a big game against Arsenal. He got his first start. He scored and since then he’s been performing, scoring. He is delivering what was expected of him, linking up with players. His adaptation is very fast and promising. It’s a promising start for sure.
A player that also played well in the game was Victor Lindelof. He made his first start of the season in the Premier League. He had the best pass completion percentage of any of the players that started the game. Do you think he’s pushing Varane and Martinez for a starting place? What did you make out of his performance?
I think Victor, since he joined United, has been consistent. Despite having different partners or managers, he’s maintained his level overall. Passing is one of his qualities. His vision, trying to find the interval, break the lines.
In terms of challenging the other centre-backs, he’s making a case every time he plays. It’s good for the team, good for him as well and obviously very good for the manager. He can count on four solid centre-backs, which hasn’t been the case for a long time.
Luke Shaw came in at left-back. Do you think he’d be the preferred left-back despite Malacia’s strong start or do you think it’s more of a horses for courses, pick the player to suit the game?
I think in the manager’s vision, there is there is no number one in that position. I believe that’s his vision for the entire squad, except for the goalkeeper. There will be rotation based on form, fitness, injuries, and suspensions.
It’s good to have replacements at that level. Whether it’s Luke Shaw or Malacia starting, I think the manager two very good options. They are both capable of playing the way he wants, overlapping and playing forward and being an asset going forward.
Obviously a big improvement for Man United. Since that Brentford game, they’ve won five of the last six in the Premier League. They are now sitting fifth at the table. Do you think a top-four finish could be achievable?
That should be the target. You know, one step forward. Instead of playing Europa League next season, being involved in the Champions League and progressing towards competing one day, to get back in the title race
It should be the target. I think there’s enough depth in the squad to be able to compete in the league in the Europa League and the FA Cup coming.
What do you think has been the biggest improvement from that time in this Man United team under ten Hag?
I think the belief is back compared to the end of the last season. Everybody believes in the project again. Belief in the way that the manager wants the team to play offensively, defensively. Things are getting in shape, slowly. But I think that’s the major change.
What do you think they need to do to make that next step up to start challenging? Pushing for the top two, pushing for titles.
It’s to be consistent. When you look at the games won and one blip against City, if you want to build something sustainable in any type of business, you need consistency. And those types of games bring you back so you have to build game after game on the successes. Even if you draw or lose, it’s the content and the attitude has to be spot on every time.
I think that everybody has to pull in the same direction and be demanding of each other. You can’t relax at this level. You can’t relax at Manchester United. This is the beauty of the beast. That’s the only way to go back to the summit.
area they’ve been inconsistent is upfront. Anthony Martial has played well when he’s come in but seems to be struggling with a few injuries. Cristiano Ronaldo and the whole situation with him. Do you think United, in order to get that consistency, they need to look for a permanent striker in the transfer market? Maybe even in January?
The club was looking for an additional striker but it’s a very tiny market, a difficult one. That could be adjusted probably next summer. January is only for opportunities and I don’t think there are going to be many.
I think next summer, that would be an area where a club should invest and look for reinforcements. To bring competition, to bring quality and to bring players who are fit enough to play the entire season. It’s very important.
Lisandro Martinez has been criticised for his smaller stature compared to some other Premier League defenders. Do you think that Premier League defenders have to be a certain size? Or do you think that shorter defenders like Martinez have a place in modern football and show that size doesn’t really matter?
Size does matter but not to the point where it’s impossible to play in defence. Even playing in goal, there is the argument that you have to be 1.95 metres to be in goal. But if you have the right jump, it can work. Obviously, your spring needs to be above average but it’s all about desire.
When I had to defend against Peter Crouch, I won headers without using a ladder. I had to jump at the right time. It’s a challenge but I don’t think it’s an issue. I am sure he will prove the doubters wrong.
Arsenal obviously had a fantastic win over Liverpool at the weekend. What do you have to say about the turnaround of the club under Mikel Arteta? Does he serve as an example of sticking with managers through tough times considering how poorly they were playing even a year ago?
It’s impressive. He’s rewarding the trust put in him. The players are fighting for him because they believe in what he is trying to do. It’s not perfect and it might be difficult at some point, given the lack of depth in the squad.
They will need some luck to go through the season without major issues and losing players through injury. If that’s the case, they could be in the title race for a long, long time. Until the end. And that is due the incredible striking force with Jesus, Martinelli, Saka, Odegaard, plus the midfield going forward sometimes, Xhaka.
These guys are extremely dangerous and they play well together. They enjoy their football for Arteta. He put the team together with Edu who must be satisfied. It’s only at the end of the season that you get the proper reward if you are there.
They’ve had a couple of statement wins over Liverpool and Tottenham now. Do you think that they are title contenders, the closest challengers to City?
Right now they are superior to those teams in many aspects. I didn’t expect Spurs to be – I don’t want to use negative – but they lacked entrepreneurship in the game. They were playing on the safe side during the derby. But that wasn’t the case of Liverpool, and it was a great game back and forth.
The table doesn’t lie. Nine games in, they are cruising, picking up a lot of points. They play away from home like it doesn’t matter to them, which is a big change compared to last few seasons. So it’s a big improvement.
So, Kieran Tierney was fit for the game at left-back. He played in mid-week in the Europa League, but Mikel Arteta chose to play Tomiyasu at left back, the right footer. He played really well against Mohamed Salah and shut him out. What did you think about his performance at left-back, does it help having a right-footer there?
I believe that Ben White is doing well on the other side, even though he’s not a right-back. Having Tomiyasu on the left, you could think that straight away the idea was to stop Salah to come inside. To come with a better reaction time and anticipation than a proper left-footer at that position.
I think that was the right choice. Salah didn’t threaten as much as he does in most games. It was a good decision. He also had fresh legs coming in, so physically he was ready to battle and I think he won that challenge.
You mentioned Ben White. It doesn’t look like he will be going in the World Cup as things stand. Do you think he deserves a little bit more credit for his performances this season?
I think he should be in the squad given what he is doing. He had a torrid time adapting to the demands of Arsenal. But he coped well and now he is showing his versatility.
When you go into a tournament and you have a centre-back who can play as a right-back, you have two players in one. Who can compete and do well in both positions. I think he should be there. For me, that is obvious.
One player who has had some criticism for Arsenal is Gabriel Magalhaes. He’s been called a liability after a couple of errors he has made. Do you think there is any truth in that?
He has shown sometimes that he can lose his temper or make to rash challenges, like that penalty against Tottenham. That is a part of the game. I think he needs a little bit more experience. What is he? 25 or so? He had a couple of seasons in Lille.
Now, I am sure that the staff at Arsenal will try to improve this side of his game. It is hard because, his mental state, his determination is key to winning challenges. He has to find the balance, it is within him. He needs to stay calm, and hopefully, that will improve.
Bukayo Saka scored a couple of goals against Liverpool. He had a bit of a slow start to the season but seems to have picked it up in the last couple of weeks. What do you think he needs to improve on to take that next step, maybe to even become a world-class footballer?
The problem for Saka is that he is facing two players most of the time. They double up on him. Against Liverpool, he had more freedom or more space. So it is almost like a 1v2 most of the time for him. He is being watched because he is a real threat and all the Premier League players know that.
So for him, he needs to move a little bit more on the pitch. To go central, go to the other side of the pitch, keep moving. If he stays in the same area, it is easier for everybody to pick him up.
And then, I think he has got the ability to score more goals. He has done that this weekend. He needs to be more of a presence in the box with Jesus and Martinelli. He has responded well, and we can see he is enjoying himself.
Martinelli was the man of the match on Sunday. He has had a fantastic season, what do you think he has improved compared to the last season?
Decision making for him. He is 21 so it was about gaining experience and becoming a bit more mature in his decision making. The way he is reading the game, I would say it is much better. Also, I believe he is fitter and he is getting a run of games. But in the past, this was always an issue because he would get injured. Now I have my fingers crossed for him, that he will continue.
He has an electric pace. He’s tricky and on top of that, now he is making the right choices at the right moment in the right areas of the pitch. His defending for the team is also getting better.
A lot of players have improved at Arsenal. Perhaps none more than Granit Xhaka who has had a fantastic season. What do you think about him?
I go back to the Euros with Switzerland. They knocked out France but in the game and in the tournament, he has shown a lot of leadership and other qualities. I think his self-belief is even greater than when he joined Arsenal, when, I would say, everything was going well for him, and he was the captain.
And now, he is obviously doing a great job at shielding the defence and linking the play going forward. He is rushing into the box because that is one of the things that he can do and is allowed to do with Mikel Arteta.
I think he is a big, big part of what Arsenal is doing at the moment. So Arsenal need Xhaka fit if they want to stay up there at the end of the season.
He didn’t score at the weekend but how much of a difference has the signing of Gabriel Jesus made to Arsenal and how are they approach games like this?
They signed Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus who are Premier League winners and have that attitude. What they transmit to the other players is serenity and belief. That’s on top of the qualities that they have. They are very good players.
For Jesus, he was one of the guys at City and now he is THE GUY at Arsenal. And he loves that. He wants more, he is so hungry for every game. It is very impressive.
A video emerged in the media of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang criticising Mikel Arteta, claiming that he “can’t manage big players or big characters”. He’s since apologised but what are your thoughts on that?
I didn’t see the video, but it is good that he has apologised. He had a great time with Arsenal, he was club captain. It is just that the end wasn’t great. And when you are very low, very down, sometimes you say silly stuff.
But, I am sure that he has fond memories of his time at Arsenal. And that is why he came out and it was a sincere apology. That is good.
So have you seen Anthony Martial has been in a deadly form on some limited minutes on the pitch for Manchester United. If he is fit for the World Cup, should he be able on the plane?
He should be on the plane because he can play all of the positions. As a forward, on the wing, in the middle. With players like Griezman, Benzema, Giroud potentially. So I hope he will go back to full fitness, and maintain the form he has had.
He is excellent in front of the goal and unpredictable. For Anthony, it’s about getting the consistency I think right now, with the new manager, it is so much better for him. It’s about how his body is going to cope with maintaining that level of fitness.
With the way William Saliba is playing, do you think he is pushing for a starting place in the French national team for the World Cup?
He could be. I think he is proving he could be a reliable partner for Varane. When you are playing for the team that is at the top of the Premier League, it is a statement.
And I am sure that Didier Deschamps is taking notice of him. He has had a difficult game with France but I think he will be there whether he will start or not. It should be close.
