BOYLE Sports Blog | Pat Nevin Exclusive: AFCON Drama And Salah's…

Speaking exclusively with BOYLE Sports , Chelsea and Everton hero Pat Nevin has given his take on the 2026 AFCON Final and whether the controversial drama was a good look for the tournament, assesses the Diaz penalty disaster and gives his perspective on the future of Salah at Liverpool .

Nevin, gives his take on Arsenal's fortunate weekend in the Premier League and lays his hand into the debate on if it's now or never when it comes to Premier League glory for Mikel Arteta's side.

The former winger discusses the appointment of Liam Rosenior and if he's the right man to get the best out of a misfiring Cole Palmer.

AFCON Final Reflections

It's one of those games you'll never forget if you were there, or if you supported one of the nations, or even just watched the mayhem that ensued at the end, particularly in Africa. So many things happened, obviously the dink penalty. I can't believe you'd try that at that point in time to win a major trophy and get it completely wrong. Brahim Diaz will never be able to forget that, and will never be allowed to.

There were also the players walking off. In some ways, it's great because you want football to be memorable, and it is memorable. But there's always that moment when players are walking off the field that makes it look a wee bit amateurish.

Everyone involved in AFCON doesn't really want that. They want it to be seen as a big, grown-up tournament. And that's not a good look in the end, but it was entertaining.

Did AFCON 2026 Final Reflect Well on African Football?

Yes, it was very entertaining

No, there was too much non-football drama

Diaz’s Penalty Disaster

I remember one penalty I took where it was so bad that it just about reached the goalkeeper. And I laughed my head off because we were four-one up at the time with a minute to go, so it didn't matter. But to do the dink, to try something different, to take the risky option at that moment... you're either utterly brilliant or utterly foolish. If it works, the keeper moves to one side, and it looks great.

I don't think it's 'heat of the moment' stuff. I think it's calculated. I think he knew what he was doing. And he thought, 'Hey, I'm a big-name player. I can show you.' Imagine if you won AFCON with a dink. I mean, come on. You go down in history forever. A Panenka is called a Panenka for a reason: it's because he had the bottle to do it.

It was a big moment for Antonin Panenka when he originally did it in the Euros, for those old enough to remember who Panenka actually is. So look, it was considered. I don't think there are any excuses. If you hit it really hard into the corner and you get it wrong or whatever, all those things are fine. But when you try that one, you can't put it down to the stress of the moment; you put it down to a bad decision.

Salah's Situation

There is a way back for Mohamed Salah at Liverpool . I mean, it costs a lot of money if you're going to buy him now, even at his age. It's a difficult one because he has to come back with a different attitude than he had just beforehand. If it's not working and he's not playing well, he has to accept he's not starting, and he has to be an impact player. And when he's an impact player from the bench, he better come on with the best attitude in the world because it doesn't matter who you are, what you've done.

We all love him, we all love his brilliance, but it doesn't matter; it's what you're doing now. There was a phrase when, in the midst of all the troubles going on with him, and some of his advisors, I think, had said to people, ‘Well, it's what he's done in the past, you have to respect that. Yeah, respect it, but it doesn't make any difference to whether you get picked this week. It's not got to do with anything historical; it's this week. And when you forget that in football, that's dangerous, because no team can look backwards.

We're all programmed, we're guilt-ridden the moment we look over our shoulder. Never look back. Never look to what you've done. Always look forward. It took me 20 years after I stopped playing to look back and say, ‘Alright, that was quite good. I was so programmed then, because the minute you start looking back at what you've done, you're finished. You're living on past glories. So he has to understand that it's nothing to do with past glories.

He has to show what he can do again, show he's capable of it. And he is. For how long? Who knows. I kind of hope he stays till the end of the season, because I'd like it to end nicely for him. But when I've watched Florian Wirtz in the last few weeks, I'm beginning to see it now. That number seven is not hanging so heavy on his back. He’s got vision, belief, phenomenal feet. He's a very special player. Will he score the goals that Mohamed Salah did? That's tough for anybody.

But will he be a really, really good or even great seven for Liverpool ? Yeah, I think Florian Wirtz could be. So, Mo? You may not always be on the team if you want to stay. You may have to sit on the bench now and again. But as long as you sit on the bench with the right attitude, then that's what works. That's what works for everybody, including him.

Arsenal’s Great, But Lucky Weekend

I was at that game, covering it against Nottingham Forest . Arsenal deserved to win by some distance. They made lots of chances, particularly the Gabriel Martinelli miss, which was extraordinary, at the back post. However, I have to admit that they were way off their best; they really were. And Forest were fighting and battling. It's been a little bit of a sign of the times recently. The teams at the bottom, or the mid to bottom even, are fighting tooth and claw now.

The fact that they're doing that is making it a wee bit tougher for the teams at the top. If you look at all the teams at the top this weekend, they struggled. They struggled in games they were expected to win. Here's a big difference: Arsenal looked a little jaded, whereas other teams looked knackered. So that's what Arsenal have got on their side. The fact that they've got lots of players, and you look at the end of the game, the players they can bring on are special.

They nearly won it for them . Bukayo Saka c ame on and was really, really sharp. Mikel Merino had a great chance with the header. 99 times out of 100, he actually goes and scores there.So they make those sorts of changes. I was only surprised at one thing, maybe. Why not bring on Kai Havertz then? You know, he looked as if he needed it. And because Viktor Gyokeres is not looking absolutely brilliant for them.

Does he look like one of the great centre-forwards of Arsenal ? No, he doesn't. But he's hard-working. And I thought that game was almost crying out for Havertz, but they know if he's fit or not. But in the end, it's a good point. You're one point ahead of where you were. You're not going to win every game. There will be slip-ups, so you know they can walk away smiling there, although after the penalty decision they didn't get, I don't think Mikel Arteta is smiling. I thought it was a definite penalty, but it wasn’t given.

1/6

● LIVE ODDS Arsenal Outright Winner (In Play)

Now or Never for Arsenal?

I don’t think this is now or never for Arsenal , because I think the group that they've built, they will have more chances. I think they're better this season than they've been before. They've got a deeper squad than they've had before. Do I think it's all going to disappear next year and suddenly Man City and Liverpool are going to be unbelievably strong again? I'm not sure. So, look, this is the best opportunity they've had, that's the way I'd put it.

The best opportunity they've had for basically a generation or so, more than a generation. So you would like to think they would take it if you were a fan. Do I think it's all finished and they'll never have a chance again? No, I don't think that at all. I think that's a really good squad, it's good depth, Mikel Arteta's a good manager, and they've got stability. Look around the clubs.

Clubs have changed managers every year, and then look at the moment, and you think, ‘Hmm, maybe there's something in that, sticking with your manager.

Who Is Favourite For The Premier League?

Liverpool

Arsenal

Man City

Chelsea

Rosenior’s Impossible Task?

It's kind of tricky regarding Liam Rosenior , as it all depends on what they've told him, what they say they expect, and what they actually do expect. If they've told him, ‘We demand to win the league,’ well, that's a tough gig. That's a long, long way away from their current position. If they've said, ‘ Champions League football next year,’ then that's fine, that's okay with a decent cup run. I think that's where Chelsea are, that's the capability of the squad.

Do they look like they're on the route to being much better? I'm not convinced, to be honest with you. So, it really depends on if that's what they've said to Liam . I think bringing Liam in, he does seem to know the methodology of the club, having worked through what was expected of him at Strasbourg . He will suit the ownership because he accepts that there are levels of control. Liam is comfortable with that; he won't moan about it. Certainly, in recruitment and things like that, he might not have total control.

Whereas other managers, the ones that have got a lot more experience and background, they'll moan about that. Just look at Oliver Glasner, just look at Ruben Amorim, just look at the likes of Brendan Rodgers up in Scotland . There are always angles that say, ‘Look, I need a little bit more control here.’ Liam's not going to do that because he gets it. That's not what you get at Chelsea .

They might say they want to win leagues, but in reality, I'm not sure. If they do think that's right around the corner or on the cards, I think they're kidding themselves on a bit, to be honest. And that would be unfair on Liam.

11/5

● LIVE ODDS Chelsea Top 4

Getting Palmer Back on Track

I think Cole Palmer has to make himself the star, to be honest with you. It's up to him how he plays. He needs to be given the opportunity, the position, and the space to be able to do it. To be fair, I don't think the style under Liam Rosenior is any different from Enzo Maresca, really. It still looks like mostly a 4-2-3-1, but it can change to a 4-1-4-1. You still get your inverted full-back coming in. It's usually the left-back, but it can be the right-back.

There's not a massive, gigantic difference. We do tend to complicate things. Now, there will be little tweaks here and there. One of the tweaks has to be to get their top players on the ball in the final third. That means Cole Palmer. You need to try and give him that opportunity. It's just not been happening for him, or he's not been able to make it happen for himself. I think a lot of it has to do with injuries; he's been carrying injuries.

When he plays without thinking, he's brilliant. But when he's trying to think it through, I've seen him in periods where you can see him thinking, "’ here should I go there? Should I go there? When he's thinking, it's not working. When he's just playing naturally and allowed to float, it's joyous. So, what Liam has to do, and what he's very good at, I'm told, is get inside people's heads a little bit and understand what makes them tick as footballers. That's what he needs to do. He needs to release Cole and release his head.