Ian Wright suggests he’d struggle if Mikel Arteta were his manager

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Ian Wright said he’d find it difficult to play in today’s game, mentioning Arsenal in a debate about tactical structure.

Wright has been watching Mikel Arteta closely this season, noticing the Arsenal manager stumble over several squad selection calls.

The Arsenal legend has few complaints about the boss, but made his thoughts clear on how tactically controlled players are today.

Already this season, Arteta’s approach in attack has been questioned, queries that have since been answered, but Wright isn’t wholly satisfied.

Ian Wright mentions Arsenal in robotic football debate

Wright was involved in a debate on The Overlap about the lack of entertainment in games week in, week out. 

“There seems to be so much jeopardy on losing that you feel like when you’re watching the games, there’s so much structure in the way that they’re built up to the point where it doesn’t feel entertaining,” Wright said.

Roy Keane responded by asking, “Arsenal in particular, or?”

Wright responded by jokingly saying Manchester United, but the Arsenal icon’s train of thought quickly turned back to his former club.

“I think it’s a fair allusion to a certain extent because it’s it feels robotic,” he said before admitting that he’d struggle to play in today’s game, mentioning Arsenal’s attack. 

“I don’t know how I’d play in the current climate simply because I felt like I was a little bit more of an instinctive player, especially in the last third and you find that when you’re watching the games now when you get to the last third people are being safer.

“Especially, I’m seeing that a lot in my club [Arsenal], yes, we’ve signed some players now where you feel like yes, they take a shot outside the box, they’ll try something else and different skills I don’t think we see enough.”

Arteta has been accused of playing things safe this season in the search for three points, which, at times, has impacted how entertaining Arsenal are.

That being said, the margins are smaller than ever in the Premier League, so in that sense, it must be asked whether something has to give. 

Noni Madueke already countered Wright’s claim

Wright highlighted that at Arsenal, there’s ‘especially’ a case of playing things safer in the final third, which he believes could limit how an instinctive-minded player performs.

Interestingly, the subject has been spoken about this season, as new signing Noni Madueke lifted the lid on Arteta’s instructions.

“I think it’s instinctive, Ebz [Eberechi Eze] and I play similarly in terms of we don’t really think much, we just play what we see,” Madueke told Arsenal’s official website. 

“In terms of the collective unit, Mikel gives us freedom to get the ball and to try and be dynamic and positive.”

Coming from within the Arsenal squad, it’s clear that, despite concerns, Arteta is encouraging of dynamic and instinctual attacking play.