Arsenal legend Ian Wright claims the Gunners’ profligacy in front of goal could be their undoing this season.
Mikel Arteta’s men had several chances to wrap up the game when it was 2-0 against Brighton at the weekend, but the Seagulls managed to pull one back, and it led to a nervy last half hour. They needed an excellent save from David Raya to keep it at 2-1.
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Reflecting on the performance, Wright said that his former team need to make life easier for themselves:
“I think David Raya has probably saved our blushes with that amazing save, but it’s a problem we’ve got at the moment, for some reason, with the chances we’re making, we don’t seem to be able to take the chances to be comfortable in the game, then the anxiety kicks in and then it feels like a basketball match kind of energy.”
“Gabriel Magalhaes coming back, hopefully that will settle us down with the familiarity with him and [William] Saliba. But in the main, we’ve won the game and hopefully we can settle down and start taking these chances because I don’t think we will be able to get away with that too often.”
Arsenal need to keep their heads
As Wright points out, anxiety does seem to be creeping in, and that is not a complete surprise with Manchester City breathing down their necks.
The Gunners’ title rivals briefly went top of the table when they beat Nottingham Forest in the early kickoff on Saturday, forcing Arteta’s side to respond.
While they did get the win to restore their lead at the weekend, Arsenal fans will be hoping to see more composure from their team in future outings.
They can extend their advantage over City
With the Gunners facing Aston Villa on Tuesday night, and City going up against Sunderland on Thursday, it means that the London club will have the benefit of playing first in gameweek 19.
Of course, the Villans will not be an easy opponent. They were the last side to beat the Premier League leaders earlier this month.
Read more about the Arsenal First Team Squad for 2025/26 here