Ian Wright calls out 2 Arsenal stars for their underwhelming performances in 2-2 Chelsea draw

Arsenal icon Ian Wright has criticized Oleksandr Zinchenko and Jorginho for their performances against Chelsea. The Englishman believes that Takehiro Tomiyasu should have started the encounter instead of the Ukrainian defender.

The Gunners drew 2-2 against the Blues at Stamford Bridge on Saturday (21 October). The west London outfit started the game in impressive fashion, with Cole Palmer and Mykhailo Mudryk getting on the scoresheet.

While Chelsea seemed to be in control of the game, the Gunners had a resurgence in the final quarter. Declan Rice found the back of the net in the 77th minute, seven minutes after which Leandro Trossard scored the equalizer for Arsenal.

While Mikel Arteta's men were able to share the points after being two goals down for the majority of the London Derby, Wright criticized Zinchenko and Jorginho for their poor displays.

The pundit said on his podcast (as quoted by The Mirror):

"I'm thinking with Mikel in that situation you've got to recognise, [Takehiro] Tomiyasu starts that game, for me. Zinchenko, without Xhaka and what Xhaka did for us, it's not the same role, he doesn't seem to be able to do it without the way Xhaka was playing and giving him that license."

"I was just very surprised that in that game where I believed, with [Raheem] Sterling in his form as well, you have to dampen it down. Tomiyasu starts for me."

Wright added on former Chelsea midfielder Jorginho:

"And I just feel the midfield, Jorginho in there going back to his old place, no disrespect, with his lack of real drive and movement, I thought they had his number."

Zinchenko has registered 11 appearances across all competitions while Jorginho has made nine for the Gunners this season.

"You know what?" - Ian Wright says Chelsea had Arsenal star's 'number' in London Derby

Wright also pointed out Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard's display in the derby, claiming that the Norwegian midfielder was largely subdued by Chelsea. The Englishman said:

"You know what? They had Martin Odegaard's number as well. It was one of those where we needed to recognise quicker."

He also questioned why Kai Havertz did not feature in the starting lineup for Arsenal in the encounter. Wright added:

"I don't know why Kai didn't start, because I'm thinking to myself, we can't have the running [in attack], it's not working, we can't get the ball to them to turn them and run. Havertz, for me, should've started."

The Gunners signed Havertz from Chelsea this summer for £65 million. The German international is yet to impress at the Emirates and has received some criticism as a result. He has only scored once in 13 appearances across all competitions this season.

Meanwhile, Odegaard has started all of his side's Premier League and Champions League matches this season, recording four goals and an assist across the two competitions.

Arsenal are currently third in the league table, level on points with second-placed Manchester City. Chelsea, on the other hand, are in tenth place after a poor start to the campaign under Mauricio Pochettino.