02 May 2023 , 08:14
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Arsenal legend Ian Wright has defended Rob Holding, branding criticism of the centre-back "unfair" amid a winless run of form for the Gunners.
Arsenal have failed to win any of their last four Premier League games, drawing with Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton before being thumped by Manchester City. As a result, they are no longer top of the table, with City one point ahead with a game in hand.
Their slump in form has coincided with William Saliba picking up an injury, with Arsenal yet to keep a clean sheet since the Frenchman was sidelined. And Holding has received criticism for his performances in Saliba's absence, with Alan Shearer claiming he was "bullied" by City and Roy Keane branding him a weak link.
However, Wright feels Holding does not deserve to be singled out with a number of Arsenal players struggling for form in recent weeks. Reflecting on the Gunners' recent slump, the former striker said on The Kelly & Wrighty Show: "You have to question something, because something has gone wrong.
"When you look at the players, someone like William Saliba is a massive miss. It's very unfortunate what is happening to Rob Holding because a lot of people have been making mistakes at Arsenal in the last few games.
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"For some reason, simply because Rob Holding has come in to fill the gap of William Saliba – which is very tough – he's getting a lot of stick, which is unfair. I think Arsenal and other certain players have dropped their standards which makes mistakes but for some reason you blame Rob Holding.
"When you get a player like William Saliba, I'm just praying we can keep him for as long as we can. [When you lose him to injury] it is going to hurt you.
Wright has branded criticism of Arsenal defender Rob Holding "unfair" (Getty Images)"It has hurt us. When you look at the way we have played, it has hurt our dynamic of playing out from the back. It's stopped our flow."
Despite their stuttering form, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has insisted his side can still win the title this year. "The reality is as well that for 247 days we have been with them, and [Tuesday's game against Chelsea ] can be another where we are still there," Arteta said.
"There are five games to go so there are a lot of things that we have done well for 10 months. Now it is not in our hands, but what is in our hands is to win our games. That's what we are going to try to do and the rest is down to City."