Alan Smith thinks the biggest thing holding the current Arsenal side back from being title winners is the mental strength of the team.
Arsenal have had some talented teams in the last decade or so, but have generally struggled to put together any sort of title challenge, let alone actually managing to win the league. Smith thinks the problem is more to do with the mentality of the teams, rather than their ability.
“Arsenal under George [Graham] were steely and stubborn, hardworking and committed,” Smith wrote in his autobiography ‘Heads Up’. “We had a ruthless streak running right through the middle.
“We had something in ’89 that the Arsenal team doesn’t have now. That real resilience, determination, a winning mentality. It wasn’t just physically, it was mentally – standing up to those challenges.
“Arsene Wenger’s teams have been different over the last 10 years. They had a soft underbelly, I think; with the culture that’s become ingrained, there’s been a lack of accountability for some players.”
If Smith is right, Emery will need time to change things at Arsenal. You can’t turn the whole culture and mentality of a team around in a few weeks.
On the other hand, it’s hard to say whether Smith’s evaluation is accurate. People throw around terms like ‘determination’ and ‘winning mentality’ whenever teams lose matches, but they’re such abstract concepts that it’s impossible to know if that’s actually the problem.
Any team that loses a game could be accused of lacking a winning mentality, or not being determined enough. It’s almost synonymous with ‘defeat’ in the discourse of football pundits. It’s very difficult to prove that’s actually the problem though.
Regardless, hopefully Emery can put together a few wins, and the questions about the team’s mentality will slowly start to disappear.