The Big Interview: Emmanuel Petit - 'Arsenal must learn to win ugly or they will end up trophyless'
Interview by Steve Stammers
Emmanuel Petit has warned Arsenal’s talented young stars they must learn to win ugly if they are to end the five-year drought of trophies at the club.
And the man who formed one of the country’s most formidable midfield partnerships with Patrick Vieira during his three years at Arsenal went back to the Double-winning team of 1998 to illustrate his argument.
Petit said: “Arsenal’s style is very nice, very pleasing on the eye. I think, alongside Barcelona, they play the best football in Europe. But winning games is better.
“History only recognises winners. To do that they must put more pressure on the opponents and they have to eliminate mistakes at set-pieces.
“Yes, we played some tremendous football with our team. We had Marc Overmars, Dennis Bergkamp and Nicolas Anelka – great players.
“But we also won matches that were not memorable as spectacles but when the three points were vital.
“We won 1-0 at Bolton on a terrible night and then towards the end of that season we beat Derby at home.
“We knew how important that match was because it was our game in hand and we had to win.
“It was a tough match and Derby gave everything. But we won. That was the crucial thing. Now this Arsenal team must learn to do the same thing. Win ugly, if you like.” Defeat at Sunderland eight days ago was a major setback to Arsenal’s aspirations of winning the title and for Petit it has added the emphasis on today’s clash with Chelsea.
“Defeat for Arsenal is forbidden,” he said. “Chelsea would be content to leave with a point. Of course they will try to win but they won’t leave too much space because Arsenal have the players to exploit that space.
“It is too early to say Arsenal would be out of contention if they lost but Chelsea would have an 11-point advantage over them.
“Even if Arsenal win the game in hand, that would make it eight. And if they win at Stamford Bridge, there would still be five between the teams. That is a lot.”
Petit made it clear that he supports manager Arsene Wenger 100 per cent. “Even if they don’t win a trophy this season they should stay with him. Apart from Sir Alex Ferguson, who has done more for their club?”
But he wants the players to take the next step. “They have improved but they now need to go further,” he said.
He wants to see more from Theo Walcott. “He has all the ingredients in his game. Now he has to find the recipe.”
And his verdict on today ? “A draw. And Chelsea will be happier with that result.”
Emmanuel Petit was appearing on behalf of Barclays Home Win, the global competition celebrating Barclays’ renewal of the sponsorship of the Premier League, where 20 fans can win the Barclays Premier League trophy for a day. Enter at www.barclayshomewin.com
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