Thierry Henry slams Arsenal star over basic error despite ace being one of first names on Arteta’s team-sheet
THIERRY HENRY has slammed William Saliba’s performance against Lens on Tuesday night.
The Arsenal centre-back is one of Mikel Arteta‘s first picks on the team sheet but Henry has “never seen” such a basic error made by the centre-back.
Tuesday night’s 2-1 Champions League defeat was Arsenal’s first loss this season.
Lens star Elye Wahi scored the winner when he found space inside the penalty area to sweep home the deciding goal.
Arsenal legend Henry was critical of Saliba’s error for backing away and allowing Wahi to shoot.
He told CBS Sports: “But can we talk about Saliba? The space never scores a goal. Can you have a look at where your striker is?
“If you go back to the last angle, he never looks at where the number nine is.
“Only the nine can score there. Or the winger can come inside. Saliba never looks to see what Wahi does. Never looks.
“I have never seen the space scoring a goal.”
Despite the Frenchman’s slip-up, he has been remarkable for the Gunners since his return from being on loan at Marseille in 2022.
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He was a key player in Arteta’s squad last term as they chased for the Premier League title but a back injury in March was a big part of Arsenal finishing behind Manchester City.
Arteta’s side need to move on quickly from their defeat as they face City on Sunday afternoon at the Emirates.
And the Spanish boss will be hoping to have Bukayo Saka fit after he appeared to pick up a knock in the midweek clash.