Rio Ferdinand urges Mikel Arteta into Arsenal change as ‘touchy’ pundit hails ‘good reaction’

Rio Ferdinand has urged Mikel Arteta to make better use of Arsenal star Ethan Nwaneri after the teenager came on and made a difference against Inter Milan on Wednesday.

The Gunners fell to a 1-0 defeat in the San Siro thanks to a controversial Hakan Calhanoglu penalty as Arteta’s side failed to make their dominance of the ball pay against a stubborn Inter defence.

Arsenal continually swung the ball into the box to little effect and they lacked “a little bit of imagination” that was provided late on by Nwaneri.

“They’ll be hugely frustrated,” Ferdinand said on TNT Sports after Arsenal’s defeat to Inter.

“Forty-six crosses in this game, the second-most in the Champions League this season, second half especially they got into some good areas around the box but again the creativity wasn’t there, the imagination, the pictures, the guile around the box. This has been said far too often this season.

“Ethan Nwaneri came on today and showed flashes. You go, ‘you know what, are they going to give him a little bit more time, a little bit more responsibility?’. Because he seems to have that little bit of imagination to unlock things when it’s tight.

“But far too often it was the ball slung into the box without any real idea or you look at it and ask have they got the players in that position, in the centre-forward areas, when you throw the ball in the box, or lump it into the box at times, to capitalise?”

Ferdinand later added: “In those areas it’s about being clean, it’s about being clinical, and in those moments you need the players to step up. They’re getting into good areas around the box but then it’s about the underlaps, the overlaps, creating two-vs-ones, overloads in wide areas, I don’t think they’re doing that enough to create openings in the final third.”

Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown also believes Nwaneri should have been introduced to the game sooner by Arteta.

“I think it improved when Nwaneri came on,” Keown said.

“And I thought when you see the quality he brings he should’ve been on the pitch a bit sooner.”

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Arsenal have now lost three out of their last six games, with their only wins in that run over Shakhtar Donetsk and Preston North End.

But Keown called for calm amid talks of a crisis art Arsenal, claiming “they’re not far away from getting it right” before  Ferdinand tried to get a rise out of him.

He said: “The point I’m making is that in the second half, Arsenal did all they could to score a goal here. And I saw a really good reaction.

“Everyone wants to put Arsenal away. I don’t think there’s a massive crisis for Arsenal. I don’t think they’re that far away from getting it right.

“They’ve got to keep believing in what they’re doing. Yes they’re not scoring goals but I thought when Nwaneri came on – perhaps should have been on a bit earlier – and he demonstrated some real quality when he came on.”

Fellow pundit Ferdinand replied: “I want to see him more. But I don’t think anyone’s are trying to put Arsenal away here, Martin, we’re just stating facts.”

Keown’s analysis continued as he suggested that the performance was not as disappointed as some had suggested. He added: “No I’m admiring what Inter Milan are doing. They have a different model. They have a director of football who is coming to the end of his career shall we say?

“He’s been remarkable in what he’s done. They’ve got free transfers in and it shows in their performance. A lot of people knocking Arsenal, I’m standing up for them a bit tonight.

“I thought they did better. Maybe it was mentioned in the commentary. I thought they had one or two chances that they didn’t put away but they certainly went after their opponents today.”

Ferdinand then turned to host Laura Woods and said: “Why are Arsenal people so touchy? I don’t understand, why is that? No one’s having a dig – we’re not having a dig.”