Players must pull together and battle for their manager
IWISH I could pull on my boots and play for Arsene Wenger against Manchester City tonight. If I could come back for one more game, it would be this.
I would love to share with this struggling Arsenal side the collective energy and never-say-die spirit that defined the teams I played for.
Jens Lehmann described it as a ‘wolf-pack’ mentality but I saw it more as a togetherness and a will to win that all our opponents envied.
We played so close to the edge that sometimes we found it difficult to keep 11 players on the pitch.
Now that desire has disappeared. Long gone is Arsenal’s aura of invincibility and teams cannot wait to play them. This has been Arsenal’s worst season in recent memory. The side’s poor away form suggests a serious lack of character and the last two matches have been embarrassing to watch.
During the League Cup final, there was no hunger to work as a team off the ball. When Arsenal were in possession, they could barely string a pass together.
Where is the intensity in this team? The animal instinct to fight for their lives? It is time for the leaders in this dressing room to stand up and be counted.
When Arsenal were winning Premier League titles, the players were the best I had ever played with.
Before games, I would look round the dressing room and remind each and every player just how good they were. Who is doing this now? Somebody needs to not only remind these players of their qualities but challenge them, too.
Who is saying to Mesut Ozil: ‘You can find a great pass, but we might not have much of the ball so work harder to get it back.’
Who is urging Hector Bellerin to combine his great pace with excellent deliveries in the final third?
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is a ruthless striker. Who is telling him that against City he may only have one chance, and that he will have to take it?
Who is encouraging Aaron Ramsey to win the midfield battle and make Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva and Fernandinho feel they’ve had their hardest game all season?
Jack Wilshere is developing into a dressing-room dynamo who demands more from his team-mates but he needs help.
If I could show one of these Arsenal players one game, it would be the victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford in 2002 that clinched the title.
That game was won by grafting, by scrapping, by getting back into position so early that United could not even think about getting forwards.
This was a United team that had won the title three years in a row. There was no way they were going to win a fourth on our watch.
Tonight Arsenal should be seeking to create their own history by beating another great team.
The players should stop feeling sorry for themselves and draw a line under these poor performances. They need to be snarling, competitive, ruthless in their play.
Wenger knows this. He is a fighter. He needs to find it within himself to inspire his team and give them the best-possible platform upon which to succeed.
No matter how Arsenal play, there is every chance Pep Guardiola’s side will still win. There is a reason the title was all but sewn up by Christmas. But this match is not all about the result. It has to be about restoring some pride in Arsenal Football Club.
The mentality must be: ‘If City are going to beat us, they will have to earn their victory.’
There should be fire in the belly of every Arsenal player. As a professional footballer, your life feels incomplete if you are not winning games. I expect to see 11 bad losers at the Emirates. These players may not have the ability of Thierry Henry or the desire of Ray Parlour but there is so much more they can give.
My message tonight? Pull together. Be a team. Otherwise, Arsene Wenger’s story at Arsenal will not have a happy ending.