Arsenal legend Ian Wright has slammed Mikel Arteta for his ‘unfair’ treatment of Rob Holding after he lost his star against Chelsea.
The Gunners retained their title challenge by beating the Blues 3-1 in the Emirates on Tuesday to end a four-game winless run.
Arsenal’s struggle to clinch their first Premier League title in 19 years has taken a hit in recent weeks with the loss of first-choice defender William Saliba.
During the Frenchman’s absence, backup centre-half Holding acted as substitute alongside Gabriel Magalhaes, while Ben White was forced to remain at right-back due to the injury absence of Takehiro Tomiyasu.
However, Arteta decided to start the 27-year-old on the bench against Chelsea after opting to sign Jakub Kiwiol instead in January.
Speaking of Premier League Productions, Wright feels the British players have struggled.
The former record goalscorer, who won the league and cup double with Arsenal in 1998, said: [Arteta] It was a little unfair about Rob Holding.
“He’s someone who doesn’t have a lot of time. He’s the guy who came in to replace William Saliba, and he’s great.
“Yes, in some cases Rob has been done for pace. We’ve seen him isolated, and that’s causing a bit of a problem.”
Kiwiall’s outing was his first start in the Premier League, with the former Spezia ace coming off the bench twice since his arrival.
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Man City are now one point ahead of Arteta’s side at the top of the table and have a game with the chasers.
However, the Gunners are still praying for failure from the Cityzens as they try to score maximum points in their final four games.