Arsenal 1-1 Man City: Ian Wright questions Arteta’s decision not to start Eze and Martinelli

Former Arsenal forward and now Premier League pundit Ian Wright is baffled by Mikel Arteta’s starting XI for the blockbuster Premier League game against Manchester City.

Arsenal conceded a ninth minute goal and had to rely on substitute Gabriel Martinelli’s added time strike to secure a point.

Prior to Sunday’s goal, Martinelli had been directly involved in three Premier League goals against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City (one goal, two assists), more than any other Arsenal player since Guardiola’s first season in 2016/17.

Martinelli was also instrumental in Arsenal’s midweek Champions League win in Bilbao, having come on as a substitute.

Wright was shocked to see the Brazilian on the bench alongside Eberechi Eze, who he believed should have been a direct replacement for the injured Martin Ødegaard.

“I was very surprised not to see Martinelli get a start today. Same with Eze, I thought we needed creativity, especially when we see City playing the way they are. We have to take that and move on, but I was disappointed with the first half performance. I thought the personnel weren’t right in terms of what we needed to do to break them open,’ he said on live TV.