Ian Wright spots same Arsenal mistake against Aston Villa and Bayern Munich - with one man to blame

Arsenal legendIan Wright has criticised winger Gabriel Martinelli's performance in the recent 2-0 home defeat to Aston Villa, accusing the player of «switching off» after his surprise bench-start.

Following Liverpool's earlier loss to Crystal Palace, the Gunners had a prime opportunity to create some distance from their title rivals. Now, it is Manchester City leading the race for the title, holding a slim two-point lead over both teams.

Despite dominating the first half, Arsenal found themselves on the losing end due to late goals from Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins — only their second league defeat at the Emirates this season. FeaturingLeandro Trossard as a surprise starter over Brazilian Martinelli drew mixed reactions among fans.

However, Martinelli faced criticism, with many attributing an apparent lapse in concentration during the game to Villa's opening goal. Among the critics was Wright, who pointed out Martinelli's poor defensive awareness that allowed Bailey to sneak in, position himself near the back post and score the opening goal.

This, according to the Gunners legend, was due to Martinelli «switching off».

«Look at Martinelli, this is what we've been saying because Arsenal have been so good defensively this season,» he told Premier League Productions. «Everyone has been switched on but in this instance he switches off.

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»Bailey is his man, that's his man in this situation. He has to get closer to him, it's as simple as that. Arsenal gave Villa too many opportunities late on and they took them.

«Martinelli switches off at the