Paul Scholes and Ian Wright engaged in a fiery exchange on the Stick to Football podcast after the Manchester United legend accused Arsenal of 'bottling' big games.
The heated debate occurred during Wednesday morning's episode, just hours before Arsenal's Champions League semi-final second leg against PSG.
Wright remained hopeful about Arsenal's chances of turning around their 1-0 first-leg deficit, but Scholes was dismissive of their prospects.
"You've messed the first leg up. Bottle went," Scholes told Wright directly.
Paul Scholes and Ian Wright engaged in a fiery exchange on the Stick to Football podcast after the Manchester United legend accused Arsenal of 'bottling' big games
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Wright fired back: "Shut your mouth, Scholesy!"
When asked to elaborate by Gary Neville, Scholes continued his criticism.
"I think they've bottled it in a few big games," he said. "I go back to City away last season, when you had the chance to win the league. Same group of players, same manager."
Scholes specifically referenced Arsenal's celebration after a 0-0 draw with Manchester City.
"You've got to go to those places to win the league and win," he insisted.
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“I don’t like your vibes Scholsey…” 👀
— The Overlap (@WeAreTheOverlap) May 7, 2025
Things get a little spicy in our PSG vs Arsenal pre-match chat… 🌶️ pic.twitter.com/28ZQhjeBFb
Wright was clearly unhappy with Scholes' assessment of his former club.
"I don't like your vibes," the Arsenal legend told his ex-England teammate.
Wright then asked if Scholes would give Arsenal credit if they managed to overcome PSG in Paris.
Scholes remained unmoved in his criticism, responding: "No, still bottled it then, didn't you?"
The exchange highlighted the tension between the two pundits over Arsenal's big-game mentality.
Just hours after the debate, Arsenal's Champions League journey ended with a 2-1 defeat at the Parc des Princes.
PSG secured a 3-1 aggregate victory, seemingly validating Scholes' criticism.
The result continued Arsenal's disappointing record in crucial matches under Arteta and marked another missed opportunity for the Gunners, who will now have to watch PSG face Inter Milan in the Champions League final in Munich.
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The defeat extends Arsenal's trophy drought to five consecutive seasons with their last silverware coming in the form of the FA Cup back in 2020.
This latest setback adds to a growing list of near-misses under Arteta's management.
Arsenal have now lost four semi-final ties in the last four years with their Spanish manager at the helm.
Despite the defeat, however, Arteta remained defiant in his post-match assessment.
Arsenal were sunk by PSG in the Champions League, with Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi on target for the Ligue 1 sideGETTYThe Arsenal manager claimed his side deserved more from the tie against PSG.
He went as far as suggesting Arsenal have been the best team in Europe this season.
Arteta pointed to PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma as the decisive factor, claiming he was the best player across both legs, with the Italian making several outstanding saves to help his team progress to the final.
Arsenal still have work to do to secure second place in the Premier League for the third consecutive season, with matches against Liverpool, Newcastle and Southampton looming.
