Ian Wright slams Nuno Tavares’ reaction after early substitution vs Nottingham Forest

Arsenal legend Ian Wright slammed the reaction of Nuno Tavares following his early substitution in the shock FA Cup defeat to Nottingham Forest.

The Gunners travelled to City Ground for yesterday’s third round tie, and it was a poor performance overall as they suffered a shock 1-0 defeat.

The team could not muster a single shot on target. On the contrary, Forest were a better presence in attack, and eventually bagged a late winner.

Nuno Tavares started at left-back ahead of Kieran Tierney. He was constantly caught out of possession which forced Mikel Arteta to change things.

The Spanish tactician took him off for Tierney after just 34 minutes. This led to a furious reaction from Tavares, who threw his gloves on the ground.

Wright was not pleased with the response from the £11.7 million-rated star, and said that it won’t go down well with Arteta, who does not like such kind of attitude.

He told ITV via Standard Sport: “He has started very poorly. He is coming off and he’s thrown his gloves down, I think this is the wrong manager to do that with.”

“Showing that kind of attitude. I think the disrespect he is showing at the minute is something Mikel Arteta won’t like, especially given the performance he has put in.”

Our view:

Tavares made a brilliant start to his Gunners career as he benefited from an injury to Tierney. Despite his poor showing at Anfield, Arteta continued to back him.

He has since been prone to positional errors which have allowed Tierney to reclaim his spot. The Scot has been in top form for the Gunners in recent weeks.

The Portuguese had the chance to prove his credentials yesterday, but he produced a poor performance that forced Arteta into taking him off before the interval.

Tierney did not have much of an impact either after coming on, but Tavares’ reaction is unlikely to be entertained by Arteta, who does not like to be disrespected.

The Gunners have four more games before the winter break. It won’t come as a surprise if 21-year-old spends time on the bench after his latest showing on the road.

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