Ian Wright believes the majority of the Arsenal players in the team did not show enough "fight" in the English Premier League loss to Chelsea on Sunday, with the former record goalscorer singling out Alexis Sanchez as someone who did put in a lot of effort.
The Gunners went down 2-0 to the Blues at Stamford Bridge, and while the performance was not as bad as the one from last season, when they let in six goals, it still lacked enough quality and spirit.
Had Arsenal shown a little bit more quality in the final third, much like Chelsea did with their two goals, then the result might have been different.
However, the result of an insipid performance was another loss to a big rival, with Arsene Wenger's side showing no considerable signs of improvement on that front, despite the huge reverses last season.
Wright, speaking to BBC 606, lambasted the Arsenal players for not trying harder and working as a team. The striker, however, was impressed by Sanchez's work rate.
"I feel for Sanchez, he wanted to work," Wright said. "At one stage he was chasing them down, he looked behind him for 15 yards there was no-one.
"He was the only one closing them down. There's a lot going on there, especially when you got to Chelsea you have got to be more together.
Wright also said that the altercation with Jose Mourinho on the touchline showed just how much Wenger wanted a win over his rival, but apart from Sanchez and Jack Wilshere, that effort and fight was lacking.
"It makes no difference if your manager is showing fight but your players are not," he added. "Jack was up for it, but that's not enough."
Wenger has a few days to try and sort out the issues that have plagued Arsenal this season, while also hoping for some of the injured absentees to return. If Arsenal keep playing the way they have done in the early part of the season, then it does look like being another fight for fourth place.
The goalscoring needs to improve, as does the cutting edge in the final third. The likes of Santi Cazorla and Mesut Ozil just did not show enough creativity against Chelsea, while Danny Welbeck, who should have been high on confidence after his hat-trick against Galatasaray last Wednesday, was a peripheral figure, and then some.
Big players step up in the big games, and the sooner the ones wearing Arsenal's colours do just that, the better.
