Gary Neville can't resist firing back at Ian Wright after Arsenal defence

Arsenal's disciplinary grounds has travel nether scrutiny aft William Saliba earned their 3rd reddish paper of the play against Bournemouth and serves a suspension against Liverpool

Gary Neville was not prepared to let Ian Wright's assertion walk that Arsenal bash not person a subject problem, up of their clash against Liverpool.

The Gunners person travel nether scrutiny pursuing William Saliba's reddish card against Bournemouth, wherever Arsenal fell to decision against the Cherries. Following sendings disconnected for Leandro Trossard and Declan Rice earlier this season, Mikel Arteta's broadside person dropped by points connected the 3 occasions they person went down to 10 men.

That sees Arsenal already trailing Liverpool by 4 points arsenic they invited the Reds to the Emirates this week, without their cardinal defender successful Saliba. Former prima striker Wright prefers to spot the blasted connected the team's naivity arsenic opposed to ill-discipline.

“Discipline is not a occupation for Arsenal," Ian Wright said connected the Stick to Football podcast.

"A spot of naivety successful respects to what Declan [Rice] did, you tin accidental that's naivity. You tin accidental with [Leandro] Trossard, him kicking the shot distant – helium shouldn’t person done that but I’m not going with Arsenal having a subject problem. Two years ago, we won the Fair Play Award. What's going to hap successful 2 years? Turn into Jekyll and Hyde, people not. It's the aforesaid with radical going connected astir the acheronian arts and diving."

The Gunners person enjoyed a beardown disciplinary grounds successful caller seasons, though not rather arsenic awesome arsenic Wright suggested. They finished 2nd successful the Fair Play array successful 2023/24, down Manchester City, and 3rd successful 2022/23. Arteta's tenure has seen importantly much reddish cards than their rivals however.

“Arsenal person had 18 reddish cards successful the play that [Mikel] Arteta has been manager compared to the adjacent worst, which is 12. They person had much reddish cards. It's 13 present apparently" Neville said.

Wright fired back: "We're talking astir a clip and epoch wherever you tin get sent disconnected for what Declan did. Is that a subject problem?"

Neville returned: "They’ve dropped points successful 3 of those matches [this season] wherever they’ve had players sent off. Is it going to harm them”

"Of people it is," Wright admitted. "We've got to larn successful the existent clime you volition get sent disconnected for that but I'm not going to accidental they person a subject problem. What they person to beryllium much than wary of is those sendings off, they've got to beryllium disquieted astir that. Now we've got Liverpool.

"We've not l[Bukayo] Saka, nary [Martin] Odegaard, nary [William] Saliba, nary [Riccardo] Calafiori, nary [Jurrien] Timber. That's 5 archetypal squad players retired with everything going on. We've got to hunker down and get it done. On Sunday, we can't spend to suffer the game."

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