‘Arsenal Are Cracking Up, Fabregas Needs Mental Help’ – Emmanuel Petit

Chris Wright

14th, March 2011

8 Comments

By Chris Wright

As this season continues to edge toward it’s pointy end, ex-Arsenal midfielder Emmauel Petit has suggested that his former club are on the brink of ‘cracking up’ under the mounting pressure after careening out of three competitions within the space of a fortnight.

Manu told the Sun:

“There seems to be a curse around the club at the moment. Arsenal’s key players seem to be cracking up.”

Petit also singled out Cesc Fabregas for special attention, insisting that the incumbent Gunners’ captain may need professional help in order to iron out the mental wrinkles that are currently hampering his form:

“You get the impression that some psychological work will need to be done on Fabregas. His recent performances have been below his usual standard. He seems to have a complex over his former club Barcelona.

Petit continued, querying whether Arsenal’s problem may be more deep-rooted, and that issues with the club’s academy may be to blame for their ominous lack of post-2005 silverware:

“I really hope Arsenal win the title because otherwise Arsene Wenger will have to ask himself questions and this pains me because I am an Arsenal fan.

“Wenger has gone in totally the opposite direction in the sense that, since 2005 and the departures of Vieira, Pires and company, he’s banking above all on a young, malleable team where he can invest in a sporting project.

“Arsenal’s game is a trademark on the pitch, it’s just that there are not really any players with a winning mentality.

“Players are playing against their nature a bit. Barcelona play exceptional football, from the age of six, seven, eight in the academies of Barcelona they teach you to play the same way – that’s not the case with Arsenal.

“Maybe that’s been the case for a few years in the football academy but I notice there are players we’ve known for a long time who are playing against their nature.

“There are players who try to play a bit in the image of Fabregas, when they don’t have the same qualities. Everyone has to bring something to the table, and that’s what I find with this Arsenal team, that some players are playing against their nature.”

The man talks sense, no?

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8 Comments

  1. greg says:

    this “playing against their nature” is a bit absurd. like who exactly? Denilson? how else would he play? he’s certainly not an aggressive Viera type no matter how many mistimed challenges he attempts (and those are many). Diaby? he’s not even a regular, and despite the obvious physical similarities to Viera he’s a straight pussy compared to him, the man cant tackle to save his life. these are the only players that i can thinks of who could possibly “play against their natures.” everyone else is a Fabregas type, finesse over power. Arshavin,Rosicky, Nasri, Ramsey, Wilshere is a solid mix of both, Song too is a solid mix of both. in fact that mix can be found all over the team notably our defenders, who can be aggressive but can pass out of the back and join the attack at the same. Petit doesnt seem to realize that this is a philosophy that Wenger has tried to instill in Arsenal since his generation left. And it might not be instilled in our DNAs just yet, like Barcelona, but even Barcelona had to start somewhere. Its a work in progress.

  2. King Eric says:

    You know when you start big school, and your mom buys all your new clothes which have got to last, so there’s plenty of growing room…

  3. Chris also says:

    @Greg: I get what you’re saying. As you know, he’s talking about the way these players have been trained since they were 4 or 5. I think what he’s saying is that when anyone starts that young in a certain style it becomes natural to them and any “re-learning” later on, even at the age of 11 or 12, is still going against what has become automatic or “natural” to them.
    I do think most of them are talented enough to overcome the instinct to just thwack the ball up the pitch like the 5-yr.-old in them wants, but essentially it is something to overcome.
    Have you noticed Mancini trying to get everyone at City to be more Silva? It certainly is fun to watch. Poor Kolo and Yaya trying to delicately play their way in and out is like watching big fat foals trying to walk for the first time. It definitely doesn’t come naturally to them but they certainly are getting better at it.

  4. Ian Sinty says:

    I think people are being a little harsh. You would of bet your house on Arsenal winning the league cup final. Such a blunder in the 89th minute would put any team to the sword. Then follows Barcelona. Then Manchester Utd. The fixtures haven’t been kind. And I’m not using the aforementioned as an excuse but it doesn’t exactly help one’s aspirations. I can see such things being a Spurs fan. But I wouldn’t rule them out of the premier league just yet…Watch this space.

  5. drags says:

    The team lacks balance.. balance of young and old. those who have won things spurring those who are yet to win things on. when it comes to the crunch it seems as though none of them know how to jump the final hurdle, they need the older heads in the team to step up and show the determination and willpower to push through tough times, but there are none of those players unfortunately. no-one to look up to. only fabregas and if he cracks they all seem to sulk.
    good football is one thing arsenal do well, but its unfortunately not always winning football.

  6. LukkLuck says:

    He’s hit the nail on the head, Fab is cracking and developing mental problems at a club he doesn’t want to be at.

    He’s licking the inside of Barca’s arse at any opportunity and should be sold ASAP. His heart is in Barca.

    Apparently he cried for 4 days with frustration when Birmingham beat them in the cup. Couldn’t blame him really.

  7. Mike says:

    @Greg You’re right in a sense but I can get what Petit means…I mean look at Chamakh, at Bordeaux he was taking shots, muscling defenders and making his presence felt in the box. Since his come to Arsenal his playing style has changed and instead of taking up possession and moving forward, he always seems to look to lay-off the ball and run for the flanks. As for Diaby, watch him play for France and you can see why he’s on that starting 11, but when in an Arsenal shirt, he seems to be limited by how Arsenal play the game. But I think you’re right when he says it has to start somewhere, but it also needs to be done correctly. Arsenal don’t have the work-rate,the defensive strength nor killer-instinct that Barca has. If Wenger keeps going in this direction he needs to improve heavily on these three areas.

  8. Ken says:

    I don’t know why this is news to everyone…the same thing happened last season, as it did the season before that…and unless philosophy changes, the same thing will happen next season, and the season after that..

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