Ian Wright insists he was ‘very happy’ with Arsenal’s performance in the draw against Bournemouth and says there were ‘plenty of positives’ to take from Mikel Arteta’s first match in charge.
Arteta took over at Arsenal last Friday but only watched on from the stands as Arsenal drew with relegation-battlers Everton last weekend.
In his first match as Gunners boss, Arteta watched his side come from behind to draw with Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang cancelled out Dan Gosling’s first-half opener.
“The urgency is now”@Arsenal fans – happy with how Arteta set up your side today?#PLonPrime #BOUARS pic.twitter.com/Ko2b52X30g
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Asked whether there were positives to take from the 1-1 draw, Wright said on Match of the Day: ‘Absolutely.
‘[Arsenal had the] most shots they’ve had in an away game this season. We were wasteful in the final third, some of the decision-making was poor.
‘But Arsenal should have punished Bournemouth with more clinical finishing.’
The Gunners legend added: ‘Ozil was brilliant today. Bournemouth gave him too much space. You could see Arsenal’s players getting forward right until the end.
‘There was much more intensity. Arsenal could have won that game but there were plenty of positives and I was very happy with what I saw today.’
Arteta also singled out German playmaker Ozil for praise following the draw on the south coast.
Pep Guardiola’s former Manchester City assistant said: ‘I think he [Ozil] played really well.
‘He worked and could have been the difference, we could have scored three or four goals from his balls through.
‘The final product wasn’t what we wanted. It was intense, I was so excited, I just wanted to pass that energy to the players and I really enjoyed it.’
Arsenal take on Frank Lampard’s Chelsea on Sunday.
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