Ian Wright names Arsenal’s best front four as he says ‘something has to change’ | Football

Ian Wright feels there needs to be a change in Arsenal’s attacking mindset, as he names his preferred front four for the Gunners.

Mikel Arteta’s side may have scored twice on Sunday, but they were beaten 3-2 at home by Manchester United and their lack of attacking threat drew criticism.

Only Manchester City have scored more than their 42 Premier League goals this campaign, so they are hardly blunt, but Arsenal did look a bit short of ideas against the Red Devils, outside of their trusty corner routines.

Wright feels their Premier League title challenge could falter unless they find a way of creating more chances from open play over the rest of the season.

His former club is four points clear at the top of the table, but Wright feels there will have been an attitude-changing discussion after the defeat to Manchester United.

‘I’m quite confident in the fact that whatever happened in the dressing room afterwards, something has to change, or it will peter out for us,’ he said on The Overlap.

‘Something has to change, we can’t carry on like that.’

Arteta started the game on Sunday with Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Leandro Trossard behind Gabriel Jesus.

Wright feels that unlocking the creative potential of Eberechi Eze, who came on in the second half, could be key, but the summer signing is being restricted by Arteta’s rigid tactics.

‘We’re talking about someone like Eze. Eze’s coming in and everyone’s saying, do your thing like you did at Palace,’ said the former England striker.

‘Eze needs to be played and be free to play. He’s got to have the freedom to be able to play and wander into these areas and do what he’s doing, but at the moment it does feel a little bit rigid for him.

‘Someone’s going to have to be left out at some stage, but you can’t have somebody like Eze just there, not contributing to this when we need that kind of profile.’

Despite this, Wright says he would stick with Odegaard as the no.10, feeling an Eze with the handbrake on will not be able to change things.

He would make changes up top and on the left wing, though, preferring other options to Jesus and Trossard, while the likes of Noni Madueke and Kai Havertz also miss out.

‘Obviously I’d have Saka. I’d have Saka on the right,’ said Wright. ‘I’d have [Gabriel] Martinelli. Up top I’d put [Viktor] Gyokeres up there.

‘I’d still start with Odegaard [at no.10], the captain, I’m not leaving the captain out.

‘Of course Eze deserves a chance, but at the same time, Eze came on and it’s the same as what Odegaard’s doing, so what’s the difference?’

Arsenal are back in Premier League action at Leeds on Saturday, with Arteta speaking encouragingly about the squad’s response to defeat last weekend.

‘The reaction has been excellent,’ he said. ‘We took a moment to bring the temperature down, to pause and to reflect and ask two questions. One, how do we feel, and how do I feel myself? And then, how are we going to live the next four months?

‘And it was so encouraging and beautiful because what came out of that is very simple. We have earned the right to be in a great position in four competitions, and in the next four months, we’re going to live and play with enjoyment, with a lot of courage and with the conviction that we’re going to win it. And this is going to be the mindset and where we’re going to put the energy.

‘And I’m just hoping that everybody that is related to this club, especially our supporters, jump on that boat because this is the way that we’re going to live the next four months because we deserve to live like this.’

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