Arsenal’s improved form is down to the faith Mikel Arteta has put in the club’s young players, according to Ian Wright.
The Gunners’ 2-0 win over Newcastle United in the third round of the FA Cup on Saturday extended their winning run to four games.
Arteta’s side struggled to break the Magpies down at the Emirates Stadium but scored twice in the second half of extra time to reach the fourth round of the competition.
Emile Smith Rowe came off the bench in the 56th minute to make the difference, firing into the bottom corner after seeing his red card overturned by VAR.
Newcastle had their chances, with Andy Carroll missing a big opportunity, but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang made the game safe late on with a tap-in from Kieran Tierney’s low cross.
The performance was not as encouraging as the Premier League wins over Chelsea, Brighton and West Bromwich Albion, but Arteta’s substitutions still allowed the team to find a way to win.
Arsenal legend Wright believes the recent turnaround can be attributed to the likes of Smith Rowe, 20, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka, both 19, who have given the team new impetus.
“It’s faith in the youngsters and what they bring,” he explained when asked on the BBC’s coverage of the game what was behind Arsenal’s improvement.
“There was pressure on [Bukayo] Saka to be the main creativity for Arsenal, but now with Smith Rowe coming in, and the energy it brings, the fact he’s changed it from the 4-3-3 to the 4-2-3-1, it kind of gives them the opportunity to get the ball into Smith Rowe which then activates someone like Lacazette and all of a sudden.
“We’ve got creativity in an area of the field where Arsenal didn’t have it before.”
Fellow pundit Alan Shearer agreed with Wright’s assessment of the Gunners, who are 11th in the Premier League ahead of their upcoming games against Crystal Palace and Newcastle.
“I agree with that, when I sat and watched them and said what I said about them and that if nothing changed then they would be in the relegation battle,” he said.
“That those youngsters have brought into the Arsenal team, they’ve brought legs, energy and enthusiasm. That’s exactly what they were missing.”
It wasn't all positive for Arsenal, who now face a nervous wait over Gabriel Martinelli, who limped out of the warm-up with an injury.
