In our exclusive interview, the former goalkeeper discusses Arsenal's Premier League title win, England's hopes of winning a second World Cup and reveals some penalty shootout secrets.
Visit Betway’s World Cup betting page for all the latest odds, markets and specials.
After a great season and a long-awaited title win, how would you sum up how you feel about this Arsenal team?
I’m so excited about this team because of what they’ve achieved. It’s taken a long time and it has been steady progress, finishing second three times in a row, and a lot of people were trying to turn that into a negative. People are trying to do the same with the Champions League final defeat, but we won the league and that is a big bonus.
It’ll be interesting to see how we play next season because that pressure’s now gone. We’re Premier League champions, and one of the biggest and best bits about that is that now every Arsenal fan has seen us win the league, which is such a relief.
Were you always confident Arsenal were going to get over the line?
When you get a gap like that and then all of a sudden you see it chipped away, everybody was focusing on that game at City. You lose that, and the gap is suddenly really close. But I was always aware that we weren’t playing our best football, but we were playing effective football.
Everybody has always moaned about us playing too much flair football and having a soft underbelly. Now we’ve totally changed that around, we’re tough as nails, and we’re playing football that suits us. It might not be attractive, but as we’ve just seen, it wins trophies. That’s exactly what we did under George Graham. We played a lot of long-ball football, but we were really good at it. You’ve got to find what you’re good at.
Obviously we are brilliant at set pieces and there’s no doubting that was a massive part of the season. And we’ve become really hard to beat. There always seems to be an excuse with Arsenal critics, and sometimes it annoys me.
Are you expecting a period of dominance for Arsenal now?
When you look at what’s going on at other clubs and how settled we are with our manager – and the fact we’re improving every season – we’ve got a chance to really make a mark.
That’s what we used to do. If we didn’t win the league, we’d win a trophy – an FA Cup, or a European Cup Winners’ Cup. There was always something to go for, and that’s where we are now.
Now we’re the champions, and we need to push on and start winning more. Don’t just leave it at that and be satisfied, you’ve got to see how good you can be, and this squad has everything it needs.
Mikel Arteta has said Arsenal need to make tough decisions now and be ambitious. Do you think they’ll be ruthless in moving some players on?
It does sound like that, but we’ve got a really good squad. There are a couple of players who haven’t played as much as they’d expect, but when you’ve got a squad like this, you don’t really want to let too many go – you want to keep trying to add to it.
Where would you strengthen the squad?
Sometimes when Odegaard isn’t in the team, we lack a playmaker in midfield. I know Eze can play there, but he plays a little bit further forward than Odegaard. When Odegaard gets on the ball, he’s always got a lot of options.
So do you add another playmaker, or just stick with what you’ve got with Odegaard and hope he has an injury-free season and shows how good he is?
Striker-wise, you’ve got Havertz and Gyokeres. Gyokeres struggled a bit to start with, but then started scoring and ended up with 20-odd goals, which is exactly what we wanted from our striker. And he didn’t even start every game, Havertz came back in after he was injured.
Can you go out and get a guaranteed, out-and-out striker? It’s tough, and that’s why Mikel has said that – there are really tough decisions to make. There is not a huge amount of talent that’s needed to add, it’s just little bits, but then you run the risk of upsetting the squad. The players are all happy at the moment, and you can tell that.
Reports have linked Arsenal with Morgan Rogers. Could you see him fitting into this squad?
As a player, he’s fantastic. But in terms of fitting into the squad, is he in the same mould as Eze? He is, really. So what do you do with that? It’s Eze’s first season at the club, you’ve got to give him a chance to really settle in, and it looks like he’s settled in already. It always takes a while to get used to team-mates and play at the Arsenal level where you’re contending for big trophies.
I would feel like we need more of a playmaker, and Rogers is more of a No. 10, an Eze-type player. It’s tough, but that’s why I’m not the manager!
You experienced losing a European final on penalties before a summer tournament. How did that affect you, and how will it affect these Arsenal players?
It’s disappointing for a few days, but having something else to focus on straight away is perfect. It gets it out of your mind, and the lads who were involved are now focusing on the World Cup, which is the perfect way to move on from what happened in the Champions League.
Penalties are a lottery. As much as I used to love them, when you’re on the receiving end it’s tough to take.
But their focus now is on an even bigger tournament – the World Cup – so I think that they’re going to be OK.
Were you able to go to north London for the parade?
No – I was working on Soccer Aid. I was doing goalkeeping coaching with Joe Hart, Joe Marler, and Paddy McGuinness, so there was a bit of difference in techniques there, trust me!
I coached Thursday and Friday, then flew to Budapest on Saturday to watch the game, flew back Sunday morning and went straight to West Ham’s ground for Soccer Aid.
So I stayed away from the parade, but from the pictures I’ve seen it looked absolutely amazing. I’ve done a few open-top buses in my time, and to be fair that one looked absolutely mega.
Who would get your vote for PFA Player of the Year?
It’s really close for me between Declan Rice and David Raya. Goalkeepers don’t normally get it, but I would imagine that it’s going to be close between Bruno Fernandes and Declan.
With David, though, he’s been unbelievable again this season. He’s made massive saves at really important times. I remember the Brighton save he made, which was unreal.
The thing is, he’s not having a lot to do in the games, and then suddenly he’s called upon, and that’s what it’s like being an Arsenal goalkeeper. You have to be at your best, and he’s been doing that for the last few seasons, but this one has probably been his best.
With three straight Golden Gloves and a Premier League title, is he breathing down your neck as Arsenal’s best-ever goalkeeper?
He’s getting closer, let’s say!
To be fair, the Golden Glove award, for me, was about me and the defence. The one I really liked was when the players voted you as goalkeeper of the year, because that’s a real mark of respect.
He will get that, and for me that is an accolade he deserves.
Do you think he’s the best goalkeeper in the world at the moment?
You can’t say that yet, because he’s not Spain’s No. 1 yet. He’s got the shirt, but he won’t start for Spain. You can’t call him the best in the world until he becomes Spain’s actual No. 1 goalkeeper.
I think once he gets in for Spain, that’ll be it – he’ll be in for a long time.
Do you think individual awards should go to players from the title-winning team?
Yeah, I do.
Bruno did well, but Manchester United weren’t good at all at the start of the season. It’s easy for someone to stand out like that when the rest of your team is rubbish, and they were.
But with Raya, Rice and Gabriel, the whole team is performing well, yet they’re still standing out. And then they went on and won something.
For me, that’s where Player of the Year should come from – the winning team.
How do you think Arsenal players heading to the World Cup will be feeling? Will they be riding a high?
They would have been so looking forward to meeting up with their squad. That moment of going into the squad as a Premier League champion is such a buzz, trust me.
All of the lads congratulate you, and it’s such a great feeling. In terms of fatigue, they’ll have had their rest and will get everything they need. The sports science side now at Arsenal is incredible, and I’d imagine at England it’s just as good.
Is there any concern about fatigue going into next season with so many games and a World Cup?
It depends how it’s managed, and how far they go in the tournament. We don’t want the England players to be coming back early, obviously, but if they do then they get more time off.
I remember I only got eight days off before a World Cup, and then I had to go back in, but Arsene still gave me a lot of time off and I didn’t go straight into the games. He made sure that every player got at least three weeks off.
Arteta has been criticised for overplaying players like Saka. With a big squad, could we see more rotation at the start of next season?
I think so, but that’s what our squad has been about this season. We’ve had big injuries to big players, but because of the size and quality of the squad, it’s taken care of itself and you haven’t really noticed. Players like Odegaard and Havertz have been out for quite a while, but I’ve said it’s definitely the best squad I’ve ever seen for Arsenal.
How are you feeling about England heading into the World Cup?
It’s a strange one, because I was really confident and then when I saw the squad I was like, “wow, look at all the quality that’s been left at home.” That was a big surprise for me.
For Foden and Palmer, for me it was about which one would go, if not both. You’d definitely think one of them would go. The Trent one baffled me, because of the qualities that he’s got. And then the biggest one for me is Maguire. I don’t get that at all, when you’re leaving out a leader like him, who is bang on form for his club at a top level.
United are in the Champions League next season – that’s how good they’ve been. So to leave Maguire out, with his leadership qualities, is a really strange decision.
Is it a positive sign that the manager is being ruthless?
Hopefully he knows what he’s doing!
Anybody can make these sorts of decisions, but at the end of the day he’ll be judged on what happens at this tournament.
If it doesn’t happen, those decisions will be highlighted, and the players that he’s taken will be under more pressure.
But that’s what he’s been brought in for – to take that next step from the level that Gareth set. Trust me, that’s a high bar, but he’s now expected to win trophies for England. I really hope he does, because I want to be around when England win a trophy.
I’ve been involved in squads who have got close, and those that have got nowhere near, and it’s just a thing we’ve been so desperate for.
You’ve played in summer tournaments a long way from home in hot conditions, particularly in 2002. Were they tougher to play in?
Not for me, really, as a goalkeeper, but the hardest thing for me was training. That’s where most of your energy is taken as a goalkeeper, because in games you might not have a lot to do. In training, though, it was really tough.
For the outfield players, though, I remember we played Nigeria in Japan in 2002 and it was ridiculously hot.
It will be a factor, there’s no doubt about it, but they will be acclimatising now. They will be pushed in training to the levels that they will face in games, but if they go to extra-time then it will be tough.
Who are you backing to win the World Cup? Do you fancy England?
I do – we just need a bit of luck. We’ve been so close in the last few tournaments, and I will always back England.
When I look at the European teams, a lot of them are really strong – France, Spain in particular, and Germany often turn up for tournaments. Argentina will always be tough.
I think a European team are going to win it, but I’ll always back England.
Eberechi Eze missed a penalty in the final for Arsenal with a stuttered run-up. Did you like facing those run-ups as a goalkeeper?
I was at the game, and when I saw him run up and he did his stutter, I noticed his timing wasn’t right. He got too close to the ball, and that’s nerves kicking in when the pressure is on.
He was trying to watch the goalkeeper, and then he’s realised he’s too close and pulled it a little bit too much. Even with Gabriel, he went for power and when the nerves kick in and the adrenaline, you end up hitting it too hard.
Thankfully, England have won a shoot-out since we beat Spain when I played, but you can’t replicate the pressure. People always think it must be so nerve-wracking as a goalkeeper, but I couldn’t wait because it’s a great chance to be a hero. You don’t even get blamed if you should have saved one!
As a goalkeeper, you don’t approach every penalty the same. You take your timing off the taker’s run up.
Most takers with the stuttered run up look down at the ball just as they’re about to strike it – and that’s when you go. Then they don’t know where you’re going.
The hardest ones are those who don’t look at the ball when they take it. Ivan Toney is brilliant at it, and Eden Hazard was as well. If they’re doing that, as a goalkeeper you’ve got to let them make their mind up, stand up, and make them beat you.
If England get to a shoot-out, would you want Eze to step up again?
That’s a tough one. You’re thinking of Stuart Pearce in 1996. I was there as an injured player when he missed in 1990, and honestly, when he stepped up at Euro 96 I’ve never wanted anyone to score a penalty more. He scored, and then screamed “come on” right at me.
For Eze, he needs to get his confidence back because it’s a big miss. He will take penalties in the future, though. I’m not sure whether Gabriel will.
It’s an interesting one, though. Will they put their hand up again? Hopefully Eze changes his run up!
How do you feel about England’s goalkeeper situation?
Jordan is our No. 1 by a long way, but my only worry is if he gets injured. That could be a problem, because the goalkeepers behind him – Trafford and Henderson – haven’t got a lot of caps.
That is a big step up in pressure from what they’re used to. I know Trafford plays for Man City, but he has only played in the cup games. That’s my only worry with Jordan, so I’ll keep everything crossed that he doesn’t get an injury.
He also doesn’t get the credit he deserves, because he’s been producing for a long time.
Any dark horses for the World Cup?
Morocco and Egypt could be tricky. They’re both used to the heat, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they could cause a few upsets.
People are thinking Scotland have got a good chance to qualify from Group C, but they’ve got Morocco to play and that could be tough for them.
