Andy Cole has slammed Mikel Arteta for playing Willian as a centre-forward against Manchester City and leaving Alexandre Lacazette on the bench.
The Spaniard had been looking to surprise his former team and he left the in-form Lacazette on the bench to play Willian as a centre-forward.
It was a plan that would have been applauded if it had worked and Arsenal had won the game.
However, it didn’t as the Gunners missed their chances and lost the game 1-0.
Willian wasn’t the best player on the pitch neither did he look especially at home in the new role, and Cole wasn’t pleased that Arteta left Lacazette on the bench to play the Brazilian.
Cole claimed that it made no sense for Arteta to keep a striker who is also his top scorer on the bench and play Willian out of position.
Cole said on Talksport: “I think he is being disrespectful to Lacazette as well. Willian is not a centre-forward.
“If you have got a centre-forward on the bench who is your top goalscorer as well, to turn around and say, ‘Look, I am going to play Willian as the centre-forward. You sit on the bench and watch him play centre-forward’, I think that is very disrespectful.”
