Paul Merson has criticised Mikel Arteta for his decision to start Fabio Vieira over Jorginho during Arsenal's 3-3 draw against Southampton on Friday.
The north London outfit were without left-sided no.8 Granit Xhaka due to illness, with Arteta giving Vieira the nod in the Swiss captain's absence. However, the young playmaker struggled to impose himself on proceedings, failing to influence the game on the attacking end whilst also struggling in defensive transitions.
The 22-year-old was then taken off in the 57th minute, replaced by January signing Leandro Trossard as the Gunners eventually salvaged a point after being 3-1 down. However, it was another player that arrived during the winter window that Arsenal hero Merson wanted to see in the starting line-up.
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Writing in his SportsKeeda column, the Sky Sports pundit said: "Arsenal played Fabio Vieira instead of Jorginho last week, and I thought that was unbelievable. They’ve brought Jorginho in to be a calm head in big matches.
"I didn’t think the game against Southampton was a foregone conclusion, and to keep Jorginho on the bench was a big mistake." The Italian international joined from Chelsea on deadline day for £12million, signing on an initial 18-month contract, football.london understands.
The 31-year-old will be hoping he gets a chance on Wednesday evening when the Gunners take on Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in what could prove to be the match that decides who wins this season's Premier League title. The north Londoners currently sit on top of the table, five points clear of City.
However, Pep Guardiola's men have two games in hand on their title rivals, who haven't beaten the City away since January 2015.
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