Ian Wright has criticised Emile Smith Rowe for not showing calmness or composure during Arsenal's 1-0 defeat to Southampton over the weekend.
The north London outfit have struggled in recent weeks, suffering three successive Premier League defeats to completely derail their season. Mikel Arteta's side had been sitting pretty in fourth just a few weeks ago but a slump in form has seen them drop down to sixth below Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United ahead of a tough upcoming schedule.
Saturday's loss at St. Mary's Stadium was a frustrating one, with the Gunners dominating the lion’s share of possession and fashioning a number of quality chances, including Bukayo Saka’s guilt-edge first-half opportunity that was brilliantly saved by Fraser Forster. Arsenal legend Wright was critical of his old side’s finishing ability, admitting that Hale End academy graduate Emile Smith Rowe should have done better with a shot he took from close range in the second half.
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Speaking on Premier League Productions, the former England international said: "Look at Arsenal here, Emile Smith Rowe, he really slashed at that, you want a bit of composure. You want a bit of calmness there.
“You look at the way he really smashes himself at this. All you want really is to get on that and get a clean contact on target. The goalkeeper is still stretching to try and save it. If he gets a good contact then he probably scores. The problem is striking. And taking chances. You saw those chances, they weren’t half-chances. They were good chances.”
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