Ian Wright questions Mikel Arteta after Arsenal 1-1 Man City, ‘I was disappointed…’

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Ian Wright wasn’t the only Arsenal supporter left questioning Mikel Arteta following his side’s draw with Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium.

Despite a dramatic late equaliser from Gabriel Martinelli – one oozing with quality and flair, Arsenal fans would be forgiven for feeling underwhelmed at full-time.

In the absence of Martin Odegaard, Arteta didn’t turn to Ethan Nwaneri or Eberechi Eze, instead he chose to start Mikel Merino.

The Spaniard isn’t a poor player by any means, in fact, Merino has been brilliant for Spain recently, but he is not a creative, like-for-like Odegaard replacement.

And in addition to starting Merino in the middle, Arsenal fans also seemingly had questions about their manager’s decision to start with Leandro Trossard on the left wing.

Ian Wright surprised Gabriel Martinelli or Eberechi Eze didn’t start vs Man City

That being said, after watching the game for the Premier League, Arsenal legend Ian Wright admitted he was ‘very surprised’ by Arteta’s team selection.

Guardiola’s City side aren’t the possession-hogging team of the past, they’re now much more robust and pragmatic in their approach to games.

And with Arsenal expected to dominate the ball at the Emirates, perhaps Arteta should have foreseen that there would be creative issues.

Offering his two cents, Wright questioned Arteta’s plans, saying he would have preferred a lot more flair on the pitch from the off.

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Wright said: “I was very surprised to not see Martinelli get a start today. 

“Same with Eze, I thought we needed creativity, especially when we see City playing the way they are.

“We have to take that and move on, but I was disappointed to see the first-half performance.

“I thought the personnel weren’t right in regards to what we needed to do to break them open.”

Eberechi Eze sends a clear message to Mikel Arteta

Despite only coming on as a half-time substitute, Eze actually generated more expected assists than any other player during Arsenal’s draw with City.

Of course, Eze got the assist for Martinelli’s superb late goal, and the England international was taking risks when others seemingly weren’t prepared to.

On the flip side, Eze did lose the ball once or twice, even in transition.

But his maverick-like qualities are needed – Arteta can’t simply choose a team full of regimented duel-winners, he needs a mix of flair and creativity as well.

During the match, Gary Neville criticised Arteta’s team selection too – it appeared so obvious that the Spaniard got it wrong. 

And with a slightly more forgiving fixture list to come, the likes of Eze need to be given ample time on the pitch to make a difference.