February 1st 2024.
After Tuesday's win against Nottingham Forest, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta wasted no time in addressing an issue between two of his players. Ian Wright, a former Arsenal player, criticized Arteta's intervention in a bust-up between defenders Ben White and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
The Gunners secured a 2-1 victory at the City Ground, but all the post-match talk revolved around the heated exchange between White and Zinchenko. White was reportedly unhappy with Zinchenko's defending, which led to Forest's late goal. This was not the first time Zinchenko's defending had come under scrutiny, as he made a similar mistake in a recent game against Liverpool.
Arteta immediately went to Zinchenko after the final whistle, trying to diffuse the situation. However, Wright believes the manager should have let the players handle it themselves. In an interview with The Overlap, Wright said, "I just saw it happen and thought, 'What's going on with those two?' But then Arteta went over, pointed, said something, and Zinchenko wasn't happy about it."
He also added, "Zinchenko is a very emotional guy, and Ben White is the type of player who will let you know if he's not happy. He probably did tell him, and then Mikel [Arteta] came in." Wright felt that the issue could have been resolved on the pitch and that Arteta's intervention was unnecessary.
Despite the victory against Forest, Arsenal still remain five points behind league leaders Liverpool. The two sides will face each other on Sunday, and Wright believes that it is crucial for Arsenal not to lose the game. He said, "We can't lose against Liverpool, that's the main thing. We mustn't lose at home."
Wright also expressed his satisfaction with Arsenal's current position, saying, "I like where we are now." He believes that after a convincing win against Crystal Palace, the team can go into the Liverpool game with confidence and possibly even secure a point.
Overall, Wright is optimistic about Arsenal's performance and believes that they have the potential to do well this season. However, he also emphasized the importance of handling internal issues within the team and not involving the manager in every situation.
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