Thierry Henry has admitted that he did not like how Arsenal’s players reacted to their late defeat to Aston Villa and has told Declan Rice why it must change.
Arsenal suffered their first defeat in 18 matches away at Villa Park at the weekend, as Emi Buendia netted a stoppage-time winner to crush the Gunners’ hearts.
If you had to predict the Premier League top four right now, who makes the cut?
Manchester City have now closed the gap on Mikel Arteta’s team to just two points, with the race for the Premier League title really starting to heat up.
Following the defeat in the Midlands, Henry has told Declan Rice that one thing must change about how Arsenal’s players treat such results.
Thierry Henry on Arsenal’s reaction to Aston Villa’s winner
Thierry Henry believes that Arsenal cannot be quite as emotional as they were after suffering a defeat against Aston Villa on the weekend.
The Arsenal legend is worried that the current group of players are too scared to lose and they must accept that defeats are inevitable.
There was some concern about Arsenal’s title bid after the loss, as they had also produced a slightly concerning display against Chelsea the weekend prior.
Speaking about the result, Henry told CBS Sports: “I said it to Declan Rice the other day, you have to believe you can do it.
What is your honest take on how Arsenal’s players reacted to Aston Villa’s winner?
Is Thierry Henry right that Arsenal's mentality needs to change? 🤔
“What I didn’t like in that game was when they conceded the goal at the end, everyone dropped to the ground like they had lost something.
“You lost a game, the same way when you win a game, it doesn’t mean you’re going to win everything. We lost a game at Villa, and everyone fell down.
“It’s a matter of when you’ve never won anything, it’s tough to cross that line; the fear of winning is sometimes bigger than the fear of losing.”
It was a mixed week for Arsenal as their draw away at ten-man Chelsea would have felt like a missed opportunity, but they did produce a strong win against Brentford.
Now, Arteta and his team must show they can respond to the disappointment of losing to Villa, and do so in a similar fashion as they did after Liverpool.
Myles Lewis-Skelly’s impressive reaction to Aston Villa defeat
In the aftermath of the defeat, Arsenal fans have noticed that Myles Lewis-Skelly was helping his teammates up off the floor.
Despite only being 19, the youngster showed great maturity to support his teammates and help lift their heads after a tough moment.
Lewis-Skelly has been linked with an exit from Arsenal, given his lack of game time under Arteta this season.
However, that seems unlikely to happen, as Arsenal view Lewis-Skelly as a key part of the squad and he offers great cover at left-back.
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