Former Arsenal Great Says Gunners Lack Mindset For Success

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Harsh comments from ex-mdfield enforcer…

Arsenal lack the required killer instinct to be successful, says former Gunner Emmanuel Petit.

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The Frenchman, who was a success for both the north London club and their upcoming Champions League opponents AS Monaco, says the current crop of players for Arsene Wenger lack the necessary mindset to win.

“Arsenal have very pretty players but there are not ‘killers’ in this team. At that time, we were tough, we did not play to look good,” said Petit, told The Mirror, according to FourFourTwo.

The Gunners may have won the FA Cup last season, but it was their only trophy in nine seasons.

And despite leading the Premier League for the majority of last season, they ended the campaign third and are now 12 points off the pace this season.

“You have to remember the defence that we had. You could rely on [David] Seaman, [Tony] Adams, [Martin] Keown, etc,” added Petit.

“We knew how to travel. When we had to play, we knew how to do that too. I remember one away game at Wimbledon where Tony Adams came to say to me: ‘Today, Manu, forget the football. It’s war’.

“We knew how to adapt because we only wanted one thing: to win. Let’s say that the Barcelona of keeping the ball has overtaken that style. But today, you have to be more direct and pragmatic. You see that with Germany or Real Madrid.”

Wenger’s side have only managed once in the last five seasons to go further in Europe than the round of 16.

The French coach has yet to be successful with his side in Europe.

However, the Gunners tie with Monaco represents their best opportunity to advance in the Champions League and reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2010.

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