Arsenal told exactly what they’re missing as Ian Wright drops damning statement

Ian Wright has pinpointed Martin Odegaard’s absence as the pivotal factor in Arsenal’s woeful run of form. Arsenal suffered a major blow to their Premier League title hopes on Saturday with a dismal 1-0 defeat to Newcastle.

Mikel Arteta’s Gunners were out-fought and outsmarted tactically by Eddie Howe’s Magpies at St James’ Park. Despite some initial pressure on their opponents, the north Londoners conceded a soft goal from an inch-perfect Anthony Gordon cross, which was nodded in by Alexander Isak in the 12th minute.

Aside from creating a handful of chances through crosses and set-pieces, Arsenal struggled to find any rhythm, despite controlling much of the possession. Their lack of inventiveness in the final third and inability to win duels, winning just 43% of them, was alarming to see in their third consecutive Premier League match without a win.

A 2-0 defeat at the hands of Bournemouth and a 2-2 draw at home to Liverpool, as well as their latest slip-up, have been hugely damaging to their title aspirations. Arsenal icon and pundit Wright has now given his brutally honest verdict on where things are going wrong for the Gunners, explaining captain Odegaard’s injury as the key factor in why Arsenal are failing to break down opposition sides.

Wright said: “It was a very poor performance from a team that are supposedly title contenders. I thought we passed the ball very slowly, there was no energy in the team, it was very predictable. Yes, we are missing Odegaard, our chief creator. But for us to not be able to find a solution to that. Again, you look at the Bournemouth game, one shot on target, this game, one shot on target.

“A poor performance from everybody. If I’m going to be totally honest, it’s one of those that the manager’s going to have to have a serious think about what’s going on with this squad at the minute, with the boys and their output.”

He continued: “Some drastic changes are going to have to happen at Arsenal for us to get ourselves back in it. But at the moment, I think there’s a lot more to be thinking about in respect of creating chances.”

The absence of Odegaard has been heavily felt since his injury while playing for Norway in early September. The 25-year-old playmaker’s return can’t come soon enough, with reports claiming he has a chance of making Wednesday’s challenging Champions League trip to Inter Milan.

Arsenal ended the day in fourth while table-toppers Liverpool surged ahead, taking the difference between the two sides to seven points. The Gunners have dropped points now in five of their 10 opening league fixtures.

Manager Arteta offered his own thoughts post-match, saying: “We lacked more purpose, more threat and more capacity to really go and hurt them. We gave the ball away, I think we gave 17/18 free-kicks away, so that stops the game constantly, so it’s not a good outcome for us.”

The Spaniard added: “It’s about how we react. We’re not going to find the right answers or words right now to describe, but how we feel, we certainly have to put it out on that field on Wednesday night against Inter.”