Arsenal legend Ian Wright claims that the below-par performances of captain Martin Odegaard and teammates Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli have contributed to the Gunners’ poor form since Christmas.
Mikel Arteta’s men head into Saturday’s game against Crystal Palace following three consecutive defeats in all competitions, and Wright feels that the lack of cutting edge up front is the main issue that the team has to put right in order to improve results:
“I don’t believe we are getting the ball into Martin Odegaard who is off form, into Bukayo Saka who is the same, and Gabriel Martinelli. The play up to there is okay, but then we’re not being able to make things happen in the top end of the field.”
“If we [Arsenal] were taking some of those chances, even though we haven’t played brilliantly, the way we’ve been defending has been a lot better – and we’d nick a couple of games 1-0 or 2-1, and we’d be feeling a lot better. People are feeling negative because we’ve lost a few games, and we don’t look like we’re going to score.”
Arsenal need their best players to step up
To maintain the club’s title challenge, there is no doubt that the likes of Odegaard, Saka and Martinelli will have to play better than they have been recently.
Martinelli, in particular, has fallen well below the standards he set last season, when he scored 15 goals in the Premier League.
What is the current state of play in the title race?
With Arsenal playing on Saturday lunchtime, they will go back within two points of league leaders Liverpool with a victory against Palace at the Emirates. However, the Reds can restore the 5-point gap if they go to the Vitality Stadium and secure a win versus Bournemouth on Sunday.
Manchester City and Aston Villa are not in action this weekend. Both teams are on their winter break after having already played their respective fixtures.
