"Arsenal NEED to MAN UP!" Martin Keown and Simon Jordan CLASH over Bernardo Silva's HARSH words!

Added: 2026-05-18

[00:00:01]It is Jim White and Simon Jordan and it's Martin Keown. We're live on talkSPORT with Selco Builders Warehouse.

[00:00:07]It's where the trade go.

[00:00:09]Sure you want a busy Monday morning it's been. We haven't even spoken about the cup final at the weekend. And Manchester City completed the domestic cup double following their League Cup victory by beating Chelsea 1-0 in the FA Cup final at Wembley. In a broader sense, it completes Pep Guardiola's 20th trophy haul in 10 years at Manchester City. So, where are we at with Pep? He's got 1 year left in his current deal. Yet speculation about whether or not he leaves this summer abounds. And whether Simon likes it or not, Enzo Maresca the favorite to replace Pep should he leave.

[00:00:47]Now, Pep wasn't in the mood to get out of Wembley after they'd won the cup. And why wouldn't he be? But Alex Crook got in front of him and albeit briefly put it to him, "What about your future?"

[00:00:58]We know how much the FA Cup means to you. Just finally from me, will you be back in January to try and defend it?

[00:01:03]>> Will we be here? And for sure we play the Community Shield. And you And you personally?

[00:01:08]>> That's for sure. Thank you.

[00:01:10]And you personally? Thank you. So, he leaves. Um what's your gut feeling, Simon? Well, the man keeps on saying he's staying.

[00:01:18]I mean, I don't understand. I mean, he keeps on saying to everyone that asks him a question, he will be here. He was asked after the FA Cup by repeated journalists same questions. He keeps on saying he's going to be here. So, I assume he's going to be here. Yeah, I mean, he does that and then does stuff like that.

[00:01:33]You know, le- leaves you hanging, literally. That you don't really know.

[00:01:37]He's done that in a few other interviews. Why not just say, "You bet I'll be here."

[00:01:41]Let's go on for the 21st trophy win. Well, maybe he's fed up with being asked the same question. So, he thinks he he thinks he'll throw a little bit of a different answer into somebody to liven them up a little bit.

[00:01:49]>> I personally can't imagine Manchester City without Guardiola even going into next season.

[00:01:53]>> Well, first of all, for everything he's done, let's say massive congratulations to to them for winning a domestic double, Jim. Not never easy to do that.

[00:02:00]You'd like to congratulate them? Yeah.

[00:02:02]Go on. Of course, cuz that's right that's right and proper to do that. And they might get a treble. You know, and it's um I I think actually he's created an uncertainty within his group, which they they seem to have thrived upon. Because people Sometimes you need to reassure people, "No, no, I will be here." They this group don't seem to need that.

[00:02:20]Cuz they don't really know. You ask the players, they don't know either. Is he going to stay, isn't he? We've seen many great managers before, Jim, announce their leaving. Klopp did it, didn't he?

[00:02:28]You know, some Moyes's left at West Ham and then the But this guy's like, "Oh, let's keep it hanging there." He doesn't really We don't really know. It's difficult to pick it up from the body language.

[00:02:38]While he [snorts] is there though, why don't we do something special? And I think I get the feeling that's how they are as a group. Let's just go and win something. While we've got him here, let's learn from him. Yeah. Uh he looks as if he's just as motivated as he's always been.

[00:02:49]He doesn't look [snorts] like somebody that's going to jump or he's going to he's going to leave the football club.

[00:02:54]Uh you know when he does go, that's going to be not going to be a good day for them, and I imagine they've already got contingency plans in place.

[00:03:00]>> [snorts] >> But while let's enjoy him while he's here, Jim.

[00:03:03]And you know, I don't see him going anywhere. That would be my It's Bernardo Silva is the one that I find strangest of all that he's leaving now at the age of 31 because he still has a great deal to offer. Yeah. You see it on the pitch. He's like the I call him the SOS player. If you're at the back, you don't have a pass, he comes running to help you.

[00:03:21]He just gets everybody out of trouble the whole time, particularly the players who've not won things in the past. I agree with you on Bernardo Silva, but Bernardo Silva's been talking about your beloved Arsenal. I don't think you're going to like that. Let's hear from Arteta because Arsenal going against Burnley tonight is live on talkSPORT.

[00:03:36]And of course, as we know, City play Bournemouth tomorrow night. What's the situation at the top? Arsenal on 79 points, City on 77.

[00:03:45]This is Arteta going into the match against Burnley. Well, the team is is really present. It's just um he's living the moment. It's uh It's emotional really good estate, I think. The energy level is is the right one.

[00:04:05]We have most players available now.

[00:04:07]Okay, we lost Ben the other the other day, but the other ones are coming back as well.

[00:04:11]So, yeah. And everybody obviously is so enthusiastic and so positive about uh the way that we can finish this season.

[00:04:22]Where do you at with your team at the moment? Because I tell you where Bernardo Silva of Manchester City, Martin, is at with Arsenal. He says, "They've been growing and it's it's a team that's been together for what, 5 years now? So, it's only natural that they would man up a little bit and start challenging for titles."

[00:04:39]He says, "I do believe our main rivals were Liverpool by far. I also believe, and I know this is very subjective, that if we were not in a transitional season and if we didn't make so many mistakes, we would have won this league."

[00:04:53]I thought last year was a transitional season for Man City when they didn't win the league and Liverpool did.

[00:04:59]So, I'm not sure what he's saying there.

[00:05:00]And you you rightly say he wants to defend his his own club.

[00:05:04]Um I think Arsenal the last three seasons, Jim, the last year that City won it, I think Arsenal won 16 out of 17 games at the end of that season and and City just kept going. They won 17 games on the bounce. Yeah, quite remarkable.

[00:05:15]You have to look at what and respect your opponent and what you've been up against. There's no doubt that Arsenal are emerging and keep going and that's the whole point.

[00:05:22]>> him, though, was it? I mean, I don't think last season was a transition season for them.

[00:05:25]>> I don't think he's being totally disrespectful there. What have he What man up?

[00:05:28]I don't I don't I don't see it as that.

[00:05:30]I don't I don't see that he's really having that much The only reason they're going to win the league >> Maybe it's about time they said they they took the gloves off and started >> Short of saying short of saying the fact that they've been crap most of the season, Man City, and they've handed you the Premier League. I'm not sure entirely how much more difficult Well, I don't think that I think that's I don't think that's true, either.

[00:05:44]>> I don't think I don't think I don't think Man City >> So only natural they would man up. And he also says, "No, I'm not in love with Arsenal." Well, you wouldn't expect him to be.

[00:05:51]>> no, he wouldn't say that.

[00:05:52]>> there saying it.

[00:05:53]>> Yeah, but he said it was at Liverpool with the team that they really were >> the transitional season. I think you're wrong, Martin. I think last season was a season of decline. I think Man City were in decline last season.

[00:06:00]>> They still bought I They may well have done, but they were they were they fell off a cliff. They did not traditional signings. That doesn't make any difference. We're talking about what the transition period was. They went into decline last year. This is the transition season. A better Man City side would have chased you down in my view.

[00:06:13]>> if they don't win it this year, it'll be 2 years without a Premier League win.

[00:06:16]I'm I'm delighted for that.

[00:06:17]>> Which would be unprecedented.

[00:06:18]>> it if Arsenal were going to win the Premier League rather than Man City cuz who wants that monopoly?

[00:06:21]>> We don't know who's going to win it yet.

[00:06:22]But let's call let's call things for what they are. I I think he's absolutely right. I don't think he's right to say Arsenal should man up, but I do think he's right to say that if we hadn't been in a transition season, that there would have been a better Man City. This is not the Man City side that chased down teams before. This is not the Man City side that came over the hill and finished the season like a like a express train. This Man City side were dreadful against Everton. The FA Cup final weekend was a as poor a spectacle of a of a global football match as I've seen for some time because it was dreadful. So this Man City side is nowhere near what they were once before. So I think he's right, but it doesn't alter the fact that Arsenal have been the best team in the league and deserve to win it.

[00:06:56]>> think, Martin, if Arsenal do end up winning the Premier League title, they would indeed have been seen to have manned up?

[00:07:02]No, they've won it on their own accord, not just because somebody from another team told them to man up. Do they they've been working towards success?

[00:07:09]I'm trying to say the last three seasons they've been working towards this. Do you know? So this this will be the this will be the fourth season. It's not the first time I've heard >> been in the first two observations.

[00:07:17]Remember Kevin De Bruyne came off the field when they beat them 3-1 at at the Emirates talking about this side, "Yeah, maybe one day. Maybe one day they'll come along and beat a team like us." But not yet. But but but all those guys were still there, weren't they? The De Bruynes, you know, all these Walkers, they were all still at the club last year.

[00:07:32]>> fully expecting Arsenal to beat Burnley?

[00:07:35]Of course Arsenal Are you fully expecting Manchester City to go to Bournemouth and beat Bournemouth?

[00:07:40]>> win that. So we're looking at a final day that sees Arsenal travel to Palace and City host Villa. Yeah, and Villa would have obviously uh this three days after a a European Cup final as well, which they play against uh Freiburg on Wednesday night. So you know And Palace have a cup final three days after us.

[00:07:57]>> Yes, so which one of those is worse?

[00:07:59]Which one of you know which is one is more favorable? I think going to Palace I think playing at home is more favorable. Yeah, without doubt.

[00:08:06]And obviously Sky, whoever put that together, assumed that that you know procession trophy was going to be at home ground for someone and not for Arsenal, so let's see what happens. It'd be interesting to see it happen. I don't think it would have I think outside of the fixture this came out at the start of this >> Well, no one obviously thought Arsenal were going to win it on the last day of the season, did they? But you do.

[00:08:22]I certainly do, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Okay.

[00:08:25]And that that individual you were speaking to in the last break, this unnamed member of the the team out there who said quite innocently, "Be quite good to go to the last season. Be good if the whole thing goes to the last day of the season."

[00:08:36]>> No, no, no. What he said He was also part of the fixture committee that drew the fixtures. It'd be great, yes. He said it'd be great if Arsenal lose to Burnley.

[00:08:43]Thought it'd be great if it And you saw that as great. And I thought, "Okay, that's >> We'll get to the bottom of this before we go at 1:00. It's 12:30.