Ian Wright brands Arsenal pair ‘unacceptable’ after Leicester win
Ian Wright has hit out at two Arsenal stars after their 2-0 win over Leicester on Saturday, branding one performance “unacceptable”.
Mikel Merino was the hero for the Gunners as the midfielder scored a late brace having come off the bench as a makeshift striker to leave Mikel Arteta’s side four points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool.
Raheem Sterling was hooked in the 69th minute for Merino and endured a difficult afternoon in what has been a less than impressive loan spell at Arsenal thus far.
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Wright was furious with the winger being caught offside when he could see right across the Leicester defensive line, while the Gunners legend also hit out at Leandro Trossard, who fluffed a chance from close range.
“I think Nwaneri has been exceptional in that front three,” Wright told Premier League Productions during his half-time analysis.
“Raheem Sterling and Trossard… I think Trossard had a good chance, the kind of chance in a game with the forwards we’ve got you’ve got to do more with it, go to the basics in trying to get contact on it, he didn’t do that.
“I think Declan Rice had a header, maybe could’ve done better, we’re talking about nit-picking with Declan as a chance but in the main we’ve controlled the ball very well but there’s been some offside situations which, for me, are unacceptable at this level.
“It’s not lacking awareness, we’re talking about an experienced player here, a top player, a Premier League-winning player, multiple times.
“Arsenal know these are opportunities, when you look along that line, Trossard running straight, you’ve got to be aware of where you are, obviously he’s not a striker, you’ve always got to try to find that last defender and see where he is.
“That is unacceptable, that one there [from Sterling]. Unacceptable, he’s on the line, he can see the whole line, he’s got space, you pull your hair out as a manager.”
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Meanwhile, Michael Owen added: “The first and last ones from Sterling are unacceptable.
“It’s hard enough to get into the final third of a game, to play the ball in a wide position where he’s on his own and maybe get a one-on-one, it happens a handful of times.
“You’re just standing there, you might as well get the ball and give it to the opposition, it’s so reckless, so poor.
“We can all run offside, you could time it wrong, a player could play it a second too late, because it’s split-second stuff, but to stand there and to look right across the line, you know the ball’s coming and to stand offside and kill an attack, it’s just unacceptable.
“It’s just basics, if a six, seven, eight-year-old child did that I’d be screaming at them, you just can’t do that, it’s one of the first things you learn.”
