ARSENAL legend Ian Wright says Mikel Arteta must drop Willian if his old side are to stand any chance against Spurs on Sunday.
The Brazilian’s unexpected switch across London from Chelsea raised eyebrows during the summer transfer window.
Brazilian forward Willian warming up before Arsenal’s Europa League win against Rapid Wien at the Emirates.
And he has struggled to find his best form since then, scoring just once in nine games.
Talking on Wrighty’s House Podcast, Gunners legend Wright said that if Arsenal want to succeed in the North London, Arteta must drop ‘negative’ Willian.
The hitman-turned-pundit argued: “I’d try to throw something else into the mix, Reiss Nelson or even Saka on the right.
“But Saka’s on the left so I’d put Reiss Nelson on the right instead of Willian because we know what Willian’s going to do.
“For me he’s been a little bit negative with the way he’s been playing, a lot of backwards passing.
“You need somebody who can at least get back and progress the ball.
“If Saka can go and really put pressure on Aurier, that’s where I think, if we’re going to get any kind of joy, then I think Saka’s got to go up there and put pressure on him, then Xhaka can pull in on the left, just to put that body in there, then Elneny should hold.”
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Gunners Legend Ian Wright admits he is worried about the North London derby.
The Gunners go into the clash against Spurs after picking up just one point in their last three fixtures, which included that 3-0 hammering at the hands of Aston Villa.
Their rivals down the road haven’t suffered a Premier League defeat since the opening day of the season against Everton and sit at the top of the table.
Wright added: “This is the first one [North London derby] I’m going to where I am afraid.
“I’m afraid simply because of where Tottenham are at the moment and we can’t ignore where they are at the moment. They’re in the ascendency.
“This is as afraid as I’ve been for a North London derby as I’ve been for a while and they’ve got Mourinho managing them. He wants to embarrass us.”
Willian joins Arsenal in training
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
