"Some emotions aren't positive ones for a group even if they look it!" – Gary Neville criticizes Arsenal star as he traces reason that cost title

Manchester United legend Gary Neville has slammed Oleksandr Zinchenko for his seemingly excessive celebrations, blaming his behavior for Arsenal's loss of focus in the Premier League title race.

Despite leading the Premier League table for over six months, Mikel Arteta's outfit are currently in second spot with 81 points from 36 games. Manchester City need one more win to seal their fourth title in the last five campaigns.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Neville shared his thoughts on how Arsenal let their lead slip over the last seven league games, picking up just nine points from a possible 21. Talking about their post-match celebrations, he elaborated:

"I always doubted whether this team, looking at some of the things that were happening; the over-celebrations against Aston Villa [after their 4-2 away win]. I look at little things that might be a little bit harsh, [like how] Zinchenko was celebrating for over an hour after the [3-2 home win] against Bournemouth with the fans and screaming."

Stating that the senior Arsenal members should have helped in maintaining some decorum, Neville continued:

"You want your leaders who have been there before to spread composure around the dressing room and to calm everybody down, you don't want them to lift the anxiety. There is an element of emotion; [Granit] Xhaka at Anfield, [Thomas] Partey losing his form in games. I think mentally it has caused them a big issue in the last few weeks."

Neville doubled down on his criticism of Zinchenko after being slammed by Arsenal fans. He wrote on Twitter:

"If he was tooting his horn 15 games out after beating Bournemouth, calling huddles 6 games out [versus] the bottom of the league [Southampton]... I'm filling in the blanks of what was going on behind the scenes!"

"I've seen it before from emotional teams! The experience I'm talking from isn't just from winning [Premier League] titles! I lost 4/5 title races as well. Some emotions aren't positive ones for a group even if they look it!"

Zinchenko, who arrived from Manchester City in a deal worth up to £32 million last summer, has been in fine form this term. The 26-year-old left-back has registered one goal and two assists in 33 appearances so far this season.

Arsenal lauded for exceeding Premier League expectations this season

When asked to rate Arsenal's ongoing Premier League season, Gary Neville told Sky Sports:

"We never had them in the top four, our predictions are there for everyone to see. I think this is an exceptional season for Arsenal to finish second because I didn't have them anywhere near this and neither did anybody else. The problem for some people is ultimately it doesn't look like a good season because of where they've been."

The Gunners finished fifth with 69 points from 38 matches last campaign and were tipped to launch a push for a top-four spot in the Premier League this season. But, they have over-achieved as per initial expectations so far this term.

Mikel Arteta's side are next set to face relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest on Saturday (May 20). They will finish their ongoing campaign with a Premier League clash at home against Wolverhampton Wanderers on May 28.