Arsenal Legend States Gunners Should Continue to Leave Out Star Pair for Good of the Team

Arsenal legend Ian Wright has suggested that the Gunners should keep playing without star pair Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil when they face West Brom in the Premier League this weekend because the team did so well without them at Chelsea on Sunday.

A more defensively disciplined Arsenal side earned a 0- 0 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge when many expected them to get turned over by the reigning champions.

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Both Sanchez and Ozil were left out of the starting line-up - the latter wasn't even in the squad - and it was seen as having a positive impact on the team's balance and organisation.

"I would like Arsene Wenger to be more pragmatic in his approach, like he was in that particular game, and it's up to the players to then execute it," Wright said while appearing as a guest on The Debate on Sky Sports on Tuesday night.

"I think if they can do that then it shows that they can do it successfully without those two."

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The Gunners face Doncaster Rovers in the Carabao Cup before clashing with a tough West Brom side in the league, but Wright hopes Wenger will stick to his guns and resist the temptation to fall back to the pair of contract rebels.

"If Arsenal can go out against West Brom, play in the same way and be as disciplined as they were and still create chances like they did against Chelsea…" Wright speculated.

"Danny Welbeck got injured so one of them will probably come back, probably Sanchez, but I would still leave them both out. What it does is build confidence in the rest of the guys who played for each other [against Chelsea]."

Wright's comments echo what another ex-Arsenal player, Martin Keown, had similarly said after the impressive team performance at Chelsea.

"Without these two, Arsenal were much better defensively. They were disciplined, worked together and pressed as a unit to close down Chelsea," he explained earlier in the week.