Ian Wright has accused Arsenal of over-relying on Kieran Tierney, and he says that they have to change that approach.
The Gunners struggled as the Scotsman missed their Premier League game against Crystal Palace yesterday.
He was replaced by Ainsley Maitland-Niles in the starting XI, but the Englishman struggled to fill the void left by Tierney’s absence.
Arsenal struggled for a goal and couldn’t get one, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang having a poor day.
Wright says that it is troubling that the absence of one man can make such a big difference in their performance.
He praised the former Celtic defender for always looking dangerous for the entirety of games and creating chances for the likes of Aubameyang and Lacazette.
‘One player does make such a difference and I think it’s a bit of a worry because you take him out the team and that side doesn’t function,’ said the Highbury hero when asked if Arsenal are too reliant on Tierney, as quoted by The Mirror.
‘And when we are talking about the way Kieran Tierney gets up and down, and we are talking about for the full 90 minutes, he never stops and this is why.
‘You look at someone like [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang today, didn’t quite get the chances he normally gets because Kieran Tierney is normally flashing things in and around the box.
‘It didn’t happen today really on either side with the same amount of crosses when Kieran Tierney is playing. It has to come from somewhere else.
‘I think the set-pieces today, when you consider Arsenal have a set-piece coach, the balls that were coming in were very good balls – they weren’t being attacked very well.
‘Those are the things when it’s not quite going for you when you are trying to play your game you’ve got to find another way.’
It remains unclear how long Tierney would be out of action, but the club will want to work on getting performances from other players when he doesn’t play.