Arsenal icon Ian Wright wants James Maddison to ‘eat his words’ after draw

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Arsenal legend Ian Wright has responded to comments from James Maddison in the wake of the north London derby.

Arsenal were held to a 2-2 draw by bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. James Maddison was the standout player for Spurs on the day, setting up both of Son Heung-min’s equalising goals.

Mikel Arteta will be hugely frustrated that his side weren’t able to claim all three points despite leading twice. It was a lacklustre display from the Gunners, in which far too many players were uncharacteristically poor.

Whilst their unbeaten start to the season remains intact, this draw will have felt more like a defeat for Arsenal. Maddison was one of the main architects of their downfall.

Maddison has been a revelation for Spurs since his £40 million arrival from relegated Leicester City in the recent summer transfer window. He is also bullishly confident about the club being able to turn their reputation around and show that they’re capable of winning big games. 

After the derby draw, in which his side showed great character to fight back from a losing position twice, Maddison said, “fans and neutrals talk about Tottenham, they often say ‘soft, weak, bottle it, Spursy’, all that rubbish. I think the last couple of weeks shows we might be going in a slightly different direction,” as quoted by The Guardian. 

Ian Wright wants Tottenham optimism quashed

Ian Wright is now desperate for Maddison to be proven wrong about the supposed upturn in Tottenham’s fortunes. Speaking to Premier League Productions (25/09/2023, 14:10), the iconic former Arsenal striker said, “it’s very early for him to say it. Hopefully, at some stage, he has to eat those words.”

“But you have to look at the way they have started and how the players have responded to Ange Postecoglou and how well they have responded to him…if they can carry on like that, then of course, they won’t be ‘Spursy’ anymore. I am sure that’s something they are trying to lose.”

Regardless of Tottenham’s form, Arsenal must be focused on making progress of their own. Arteta needs to see a response from his team after their disappointing derby display, starting with their EFL Cup clash against Brentford tomorrow.

The manager needs to rotate his squad, and give some of those players who have been on the periphery of things so far this season a chance to shine and prove their quality. The likes of Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson need to be given an opportunity to show they can make an impact for this Arsenal side when it really matters.