The Arsenal boss received heavy criticism for his side’s lacklustre display on Tuesday.
Speaking live on Sky Sports’ Premier League Daily at 11:05am on February 2nd, Danny Mills slammed Gunners boss Arsene Wenger for failing to mentally prepare his team before their disappointing 2-1 defeat to Watford on Tuesday night.
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Wenger’s men slipped nine points behind league leaders Chelsea after their loss, and now face an uphill battle if they are to mount a sustained challenge for the Premier League title.
And Mills highlighted an area where he believes the Frenchman is clearly deficient when it comes to motivating his Arsenal side, when speaking live on Sky Sports’ Premier League Daily programme:
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger in the stands
“I think it was down to him [Arsene Wenger] that the players were not prepared properly. Managers are there to add the extra 10 per cent, to give you a kick up the backside when you need it, to re-imprint those fundamentals that you need. That’s a manager’s job, and Arsene Wenger clearly didn’t do that against Watford. The mental aspect is leading up to the game, that team talk beforehand – make sure you are ready for this game, this is what Watford are going to throw at you, and clearly, they were underprepared.”
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger clashes with fourth official Anthony Taylor before being sent to the stands
The north London outfit have an immediate opportunity to bounce back from their midweek disappointment, however, when they head to Stamford Bridge to take on Antonio Conte’s men in the early Premier League kick-off on Saturday.
But if Arsenal fail to take at least a point away with them, the same questions asking whether Wenger still has what it takes at the highest level will begin to resurface.
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And with his contract due to expire in the summer, this very well could prove to be his last season with the Gunners.
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