Arsenal legend Ian Wright was a successful striker in an era where defenders would aim to physically punish attackers, and it was not easy.
Harder tackles were acceptable, and it would take an elite level of physical skill, speed and intelligence of movement to beat older-style centre-backs in 1v1 situations.
Wright has now admitted that training against former Arsenal teammate Martin Keown helped him develop as a striker, despite the difficulties which came with playing against such an aggressive defender.
Keown was renowned for his rugged defending and pure aggression, with one of his most iconic moments coming against Manchester United, as he antagonised Ruud van Nistelrooy after the Dutchman missed a penalty.
Ian Wright reveals what Martin Keown was like in Arsenal training
Speaking on the Stick To Football Podcast, Wright explained why Keown’s aggressive style in training was so useful to play against as a striker.
“It helped being with Martin Keown, because if you’ve got somebody like Keown marking you in training like every day, you’ve got to do something to get away from him, you have to,” he stated.
“Even if you do get away from him, he’ll still scratch you, he’ll still catch you, he doesn’t make it easy for you to get away. He had sharpened studs and his boots were far off the ground. He’s crazy, but it was a good thing to be marked by someone that aggressive.
“Before he signed for Arsenal he was tough to play against but once I started to play against him every day, you kind of learn certain things. When you get marked by a player that aggressive and that tight, it’s up to the service, so like a Dennis (Bergkamp), cause if you lose them for half a yard and score, their job’s nullified and your job is done.”
Martin Keown’s biggest strengths at Arsenal
Keown’s aggression not only helped him develop into a quality centre-back but also helped his teammates improve their own game.
Practicing every week against such a tough defender meant that the likes of Wright, Thierry Henry and Robert Pires would learn to cope with similar challenges in the Premier League.
Defenders in that era were more focused on box defending, with modern centre-backs such as William Saliba also excellent on the ball, but as a striker, facing a centre-back like Keown would have been a daunting prospect.
Keown made 440 appearances for Arsenal over two spells, and alongside the likes of Tony Adams and Patrick Vieira, was a tough-tackling vocal leader on the pitch, and a player who would ensure the rest of the squad did not let their standards slip.