Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has expressed criticism towards defender William Saliba’s defensive performance in Arsenal’s recent UEFA Champions League defeat against RC Lens.
In Tuesday night’s match, Arsenal took an early lead through Gabriel Jesus but suffered their first defeat of the season as Adrien Thomasson and Elye Wahi scored to secure a 2-1 victory for the French Ligue 1 side.
Henry, however, was unimpressed with Saliba’s efforts, emphasizing that the center-back failed to track Wahi into the box.
“Elye is exceptional when it comes to finishing,” said Henry.
He continued, “First and foremost, let’s discuss how Saliba distanced himself. You don’t need to go all out, as Saliba will win the first ball and maintain a good position between the two lines. And that’s what Wahi does; he can finish so well.”
“Can we talk about Saliba? Empty spaces don’t score goals. Can you see where your striker is? He never looked at where his No.9 was.
“Only the No.9 can score from there. He never pays attention to what Wahi does—he never looks! He never looks! You need to be aware of your surroundings,” Henry commented to CBS Sports.