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Micah Richards has spotted one mistake Arsenal’s William Saliba needs to stop making
Despite ranking Arsenal’s William Saliba as one of the best defenders in Europe, Micah Richards has spotted something that needs to stop.
Saliba made his third appearance at Euro 2024 on Tuesday, playing as Didier Deschamps’ left-sided centre-back.
There had been some thought before the game that Saliba would be replaced by Ibrahima Konate.
However, Deschamps decided against heavily rotating his team, despite France’s strong position to qualify.
Saliba finally looks like a nailed starter for his country right now, an omission that has previously been so puzzling.
That being said, before France kicked off against Poland on Tuesday, Micah Richards had been sharing his honest thoughts on Saliba’s performances.
Richards was speaking on , and despite celebrating Saliba as one of the best defenders in Europe right now, he did point out one aspect of his game he can improve.
Micah Richards says Arsenal defender William Saliba needs to change his passing
Richards referred to a moment in France’s recent win against Austria in which N’Golo Kante had to rescue the ball after Saliba tried to make the ‘perfect pass’.
The pundit claimed that Saliba needed to learn when it was simply best to go long, avoiding any of the danger described.
Richards said: “Because he is so good on the ball, he always wants to make the perfect pass. The perfect pass is not always on.
“Sometimes you just have got to go Row Z. Luckily enough, Kante was there to save the day, but he is really becoming one of Europe’s best defenders now.”
READ MORE: What Jurrien Timber is doing in pre-season with Arsenal after Euro 2024 snub
Of course, Richard’s advice is a bit of a double-edged sword.
Saliba’s brilliance is fostered out of his confidence on the ball, as well as his undying belief that he can always win it back.
And given what Saliba offers to both Arsenal and France, you almost need to accept that he will, on the very odd occasion, get one decision wrong.
In fairness, Richards isn’t demanding for Saliba to dramatically change his game, rather he perhaps just wants the defender to adapt his style when playing internationally.
Deschamps has shown a reluctance to start Saliba in the past as mentioned, and perhaps his very particular style, born out of his confidence at Arsenal, isn’t always preferable in the manager’s eyes.
All that being said, one Arsenal defender has now admitted that he may leave the club this summer.