Arsenal stars lack maturity, says Wenger

London. Arsene Wenger accused his Arsenal stars of lacking mental maturity after their shock FA Cup defeat against Blackburn added to the gloom around the Emirates Stadium.

Wenger was so furious with his players’ lacklustre showing against the Championship club on Saturday that he delivered a rare public dressing down to the team when asked what had gone wrong in the 1-0 fifth round loss.

The Gunners manager, reportedly set to be offered a new two-year contract, believes his players may have underestimated Blackburn, a failing that showed a lack of the character needed to play at a club where winning every game is vital.
“I think we have a great team, but this shows that we still have to show more maturity on the mental front. We have to understand what it means to win big games, and this was a big game for me,” Wenger said.

“I am the first to stand up and say I am responsible for the team selection, but that is not an excuse: if we cannot beat Blackburn like that, I don’t think it is down to the selection of the team.
“The top level is about consistency in every single game and that is what we could not show.

“Coming after the Sunderland game we came out with a flat performance and that shows that, mentally, we are not capable at the moment of preparing in exactly the same way for every game. “Maybe they still thought ‘okay, we are playing at home against Blackburn, it will be difficult, but we will win the game anyway’ - it doesn’t work like that.”

Arsenal now face an uphill battle to end their eight-season trophy drought, with the Champions League their last remaining hope of silverware. (AFP)

source : thecitizen.co.tz