In our exclusive interview, the former Man City goalkeeper discusses the title race, the battle for the Newcastle No. 1 shirt and Emi Martinez's future.
Shay Given says Manchester City are right in the title race and will be putting the pressure on Arsenal at the top of the table.
City beat Liverpool 3-0 in their last game before the international break to move to within four points of first, and Pep Guardiola’s side are now 7/1 in the Premier League betting to win the title.
In our exclusive interview, Given discusses City’s title chances, new signing Gianluigi Donnarumma and the battle between Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale for the Newcastle No. 1 shirt.
How do you see the battle for No.1 shaping up between Pope and Ramsdale this season? Is Pope under pressure after a few mistakes?
I think the reason Eddie Howe went for Ramsdale in the summer is to push Nick Pope. Pope had a really good start to the season and just in recent weeks he’s made a couple of mistakes and went off injured against Brentford. Ramsdale came on and also played really well in the cup game against Tottenham.
Eddie might be thinking now is an opportunity to give Ramsdale a bit of a run in the team. I don’t know the answer, but I know Pope’s got a lot of credit in the bank for some of the performances he’s put in, not just this season but since he’s been at the club.
I think whoever he picks, he’s got two very good goalkeepers. But I’m sure Ramsdale has not gone to the North East just to take in the sights of the Tyne Bridge and the River Tyne. I’m sure he’s gone up there to cement a place in the team, especially with it being a World Cup year as well. He probably has aspirations of getting on that plane if he can be a regular No. 1 at Newcastle.
There will be a decision Eddie has to make. It will depend on Pope’s fitness as much as anything, but Ramsdale will be pushing every day.
With only three wins so far, Newcastle have been struggling for form away from home, what do you think they’ve been missing and how can they turn it around to start getting results?
The away form is a real concern. I think we all know how tough St James’ Park is for away teams, the atmosphere is very special there and the lads really respond to that. But when you win in the Champions League and then you go to Brentford on the Saturday away from home – where there’s no Champions League music or razzmatazz of the competition – it just seemed to be flat and we’ve seen that on numerous occasions. We saw similar with Aston Villa last year, they seemed to struggle a lot after midweek Champions League games.
It’ll be a real annoyance for Eddie Howe with the form being so different away from home. The performance levels and their energy seem to have dropped. But they have to get a result on the road because that’ll be in the players’ minds as well.
They need to try and get this right and the longer it goes on and the more you’re chasing European places for next season, the bigger the gap could be to make up.
Nick Woltemade has impressed since joining the club following Alexander Isak’s departure, what do you see from him that’s impressed you so far?
Isak is a different kind of striker. We’re not seeing much of him at Liverpool with his injury problems, but he always stretches defences and allows more space for other players. Woltemade comes to the ball quite a lot and links things up that way. We do have a lot of pace on the wings with all the different players Newcastle have, although the centre-halves are relatively comfortable because everything’s kind of in front of them.
But Woltemade has done really well. Eddie might look at that because I know Anthony Gordon’s played as a No. 9 before, so maybe away from home they go back to a more pacy approach with that position.
Eddie mentioned a couple months ago about a slight transitional period without Isak, but Woltemade is a different style of player so you will want more from your wingers. Maybe their job is to stretch the opposition with their pace and it’s just getting that balance right. But at the minute the balance doesn’t seem right away from home.
Do you think Newcastle need to push for more attacking players in the transfer window following the loss of Isak?
They did spend a lot in the summer and people shouldn’t forget that. There was Anthony Elanga, Woltemade, Malick Thiaw at the back and also Jacob Ramsey, but Isak’s headlines overtook a lot of the good work they did in the window.
I think any manager you who wants to keep pushing the team forward would probably try to sign someone and I’m sure Eddie would be the same if the money is there.
Emi Martinez looked to be leaving Villa before the season but has started to re-establish himself in recent weeks – how do you rate him and do you see him staying at Villa?
I think it was Man Utd who were heavily linked with him in the summer, and it felt like he waved goodbye in his last game at Villa. It looked as though he’d definitely be leaving, but he didn’t.
Once he played again it felt like everything was forgiven with the fans because he’s a top keeper. In the last game he saved a penalty and made a couple of brilliant saves as well. He’s produced those types of moments since he joined the club and of course with his country as well.
I think it’s brilliant for Aston Villa that he stayed because he’s got that personality and belief. He likes to wind up the opposition players and fans, but he plays to that and it doesn’t affect him at all. If anything, it spurs him on even more. I think it’s brilliant that he stayed because he’s a key part of what an Unai Emery is trying to do there.
After a bit of a slow start to the season, Villa are back in good form in recent weeks, what do you think their ultimate goal should be this season?
They’ll be looking to get back into the European places after being so close last season, there’s no doubt about that. But even after a poor start to this campaign they’re sitting in sixth, so they’re kind of ticking along nicely again. It seems like they’re back on track – victories are flowing again.
I think Unai Emery is a brilliant manager, even through the rough patches. He feels a bit old school in a sense that he’s the main man running the football club. It’s a club where he’s got a lot of say and I think makes it a really good fit. I think the fans love him as well.
Villa are in a really good position and if they can keep it going and keep pushing, then they’ve got an outside chance of Champion League, especially as they were so close last season.
What do you think their chances are like in the Europa League – especially with an experienced manage who has won it before like Emery?
He’s been there before and done it. He knows the exact balance needed between that competition and the Premier League. Even when he’s been at previous clubs and he’s maybe not had the strongest squad, he’s still managed to get his hands on the trophy, so he knows what he’s doing when it comes to European football. We saw it last year in the Champions League against the eventual winners, PSG. You shouldn’t underestimate having him in charge, both for the Premier and Europa League.
Going back to Newcastle, they had their first trophy in a number of years last year and Emery will be talking to his players telling them the Europa League is a big opportunity for them.
Harvey Elliott has struggled to break into the team since moving from Liverpool – what do you think of him as a player and what does he need to do to get into the team?
I think it’s a tricky one because I read somewhere that if he starts 10 games then Villa will have to pay a certain amount of money, and that’s already agreed. Maybe he’s not fitted in as well as Emery thought, and now he thinks he could maybe spend that money elsewhere. I never really liked those clauses for players because it can hold him back.
It’s not ideal, if I’m being brutally honest. But I remember last summer he was Player of the Tournament for England Under-21s. He scored some important goals last year for Liverpool when they won the league, as well, and I thought personally he would have played more games, especially in the earlier part of the season when Villa were struggling.
I don’t know what Harvey will be thinking but it’ll likely be about keeping his head down, pushing on and working hard in training.
He strikes me as the kind of person who is really dedicated to his profession, so it’ll be hurting him that he’s not playing more games. Harvey’s at the age where he should be playing regularly now in the Premier League. He’ll be frustrated, but it’ll be interesting to see if he doesn’t play between now and January he could go back to Liverpool, or maybe get loaned elsewhere where he’ll be used more.
Man City have switched away from Ederson to Gianluigi Donnarumma, who might be seen as less of a ‘ball playing’ goalkeeper despite Pep Guardiola’s style. What did you make of the switch and how do you see that impacting Man City?
I was at Donnarumma’s first game and there were times when the players could have played back to him, but they didn’t. It made you start to wonder how it was going to work in a Pep team. He would do something simple like clipping the ball out to a full-back and Pep would jump off the bench and start clapping as if it was the best pass he’d ever seen. Ederson could have done that with his wrong foot and his eyes closed.
But we’re talking about a different style of keeper. I would say in the last few games the players around him looked to keep the ball bit more. If the players in front of you are giving you so many options on the ball, I do believe that he’s good enough to pass it into the midfielder, pass it wide and to the centre-halves.
He’s never going to be as good as Ederson at that part of the game, but I don’t think there’s any keeper as good as Ederson at that. Donnarumma brings that huge presence and experience. He’s a brilliant goalkeeper when it comes to making big saves.
People talk as if he’s got no feet when they say he can’t play. In the last couple of weeks when I’ve watched Man City, the players trust him a bit more. You would imagine that the goalkeeping coaches and Pep will be doing a lot of work on that, giving him more options on the ball when he does receive it to his feet.
It’s mad because Joe Hart was there when Pep arrived, and he said he wasn’t going to give him the opportunity, so I’m sure Joe is looking at it thinking he could have played in that team as well. But I do think Donnarumma is a brilliant goalkeeper.
What do you see next for James Trafford now that Donnarumma is the number one choice goalkeeper?
It’s not ideal for James Trafford and it’s very frustrating for him because you could imagine he was given the No. 1 shirt at City and he’s thinking it’s a World Cup year, he’ll play and have a great chance of starting for England next summer.
Fast forward two weeks, Donnarumma turns up and your World Cup dream seems dead and buried before it’s even started. I can only speak on a personal level, I’d be very frustrated if I was Trafford. I know he’s at a brilliant club in Manchester City and you need competition in those places, and of course Ederson was sold, but it’s just very frustrating because Pep’s made it clear that Donnarumma is the No. 1.
What does he do now? Does he knock on the door in January and ask to be let go so he can play because it’s a World Cup year? I’d be very surprised if City let him go anywhere because they’re very much in the race for every trophy. They’ll need at least two top keepers, and they have that, but I imagine it’s very frustrating for Trafford.
Pep has changed his style of play this season and City are now looking like title contenders again – how do you rate their chances of beating Arsenal to the title?
A couple weeks ago, everyone was saying it was a done deal, but they now look like the City of old with a bit of swagger and confidence. They obviously beat Liverpool last time out, and although there was controversy around the Van Dijk goal, I still felt that over the course of the game they were the better team. Haaland even missed a penalty.
It felt like whoever won that game would be in the title race, but it’s not always as black and white as that. I do believe that City are right in there, four points behind with the same goal difference. Arsenal still have to go to the Etihad. There are so many things to play for.
Until Arsenal get over that final hurdle, fans up and down the country will be saying they always get second place, but I think they’ve got their best chance to do it this year. They’ve got such a great squad of players – one of the best squads in the Premier League, there’s absolutely no doubt over that.
Mikel Arteta has spoken about the struggles of losing, how that hardens them up and gives them more hunger to go again this year. But the City team have Haaland, who’s an absolute machine, Rayan Cherki who I like, and Phil Foden who looks back up to his best again. Rodri still a concern as he’s not 100 per cent yet but Nico Gonzalez has stepped up in recent weeks.
Some people might still question the back four as it can chop and change at times, but Donnarumma has brought a bit of stability behind them. The majority of players and of course the manager have been there before and know what it takes to be in the running for a Premier League title.
That’s also what we want, even if you’re a neutral fan. Last year with Liverpool, it felt like they won it at a canter. City in years gone by have won it really easily, so the title race has been over with six weeks to go. I think people want it to go right down to the wire, where all the mind games come into play during the home straight in the last month or two.
It’s now also about whether Arsenal can handle the pressure. With them sitting at the top, everyone’s chasing them down. There’s a big blue machine over their shoulder coming to get them. But people love all the drama behind all of it and that’s why we love the Premier League.
Erling Haaland looks unstoppable in front of goal and never seems to miss one-on-ones – as a goalkeeper, how do you stop him?
He reminds me of an under-18s player playing an against under-14s, because of his stature and his speed. If you were to build a digital AI striker, it would be him wouldn’t it? He’s so powerful, so good in the air, and he has that hunger and desire to be better.
I saw after the Champions League a couple of weeks ago, he was in the ice bath at one o’clock in the morning getting ready for the Premier League game at the weekend.
It’s the stuff people don’t see. They think he just turns up on a Saturday, but there’s no stone left unturned. He’s breaking these records purely because of his professionalism and the hunger to be the best he can be. That’s a skill in itself – you have to be so dedicated.
There are so many games for club and country. It’s only mid-November and he’s already scored so many goals. It just shows you the level he’s at and, if I’m being brutally honest, he’s unplayable at times.
Is there a finisher you faced in your career that you’d compare Haaland to?
Thierry Henry in his prime at Arsenal was pretty special, but he’s a different kind of striker who used his speed and would whip in from the left-hand side. You knew he was going to bend that round you to the left and even when you went early, you still couldn’t save it. He was such a good player.
Maybe Didier Drogba back in the day as well, with his power and physicality. The defenders used to bounce off him. Haaland has that similarity.
I would say Alan Shearer as well, but Alan was mostly in the same team as me so I didn’t have to face him. It was about that desire to score goals and bully defenders at times, as well.
Sometimes, though, the last thing you want to do is rile Haaland up, because then he gets angry, and nobody wants an angry Haaland on their hands.
