Bernd Leno hits out at his Arsenal team-mates
Bernd Leno has hit out at his Arsenal team-mates following their defeat to Southampton on Wednesday night, citing that there is a ‘bad attitude’ amongst the players and that is why the club have been performing so badly as of late this season.
Mikel Arteta’s job might not be on the line at the moment but the pressure will certainly be resting heavily on his shoulders as the club have gone without a win in their last six games following the 1-1 draw they picked up against the Saints. Indeed, the result will not have done them any favours in climbing up the table and do not make them appear to be an exciting betting prospect over the holiday period for those that might be looking to earn a little more cash.
Leno does not believe that his manager is to blame, though, as he launched a scathing attack on the dressing room and believed the responsibility regarding their lowly position in the Premier League should firmly lie with the players as they are the ones who have not been performing on the pitch.
“The coach is least to blame for the fact that we are in this situation,” Leno told Sky Sports via the Daily Mail. “If you look at the way we were running around on the pitch at times, then the players are the only ones to blame.
“The attitude is bad, the discipline is lacking and we have no self-confidence. There are many factors at play here.
“We have addressed this very clearly internally and everyone agrees that we have to change this very quickly.”
Leno also pointed to the fact that some of his team-mates have lacked the discipline required in the Premier League, which has made efforts for the Gunners extremely hard on the pitch.
During Arteta’s reign, he has seen seven players be shown a red card, with Gabriel the latest to have been given his marching orders after picking up two avoidable yellow cards in the match against Southampton on Wednesday night.
The Brazilian defender, who arguably had his worst game since arriving in north London, was the second player to be sent off in as many games as Granit Xhaka was shown red for his reaction towards Ashley Westwood of Burnley at the weekend, whilst Nicolas Pepe has only just returned from his own suspension after putting his head towards Leeds United’s Ezgjan Alioski.
‘We’re getting red cards, making mistakes, standing out of position,’ Leno added.
‘These are things that we have clearly addressed a thousand times. In the end, it’s a lack of focus on the part of the players.
‘The coach is not an issue in the dressing room, there is no criticism of him. We criticise ourselves and the players know that they are responsible.’
There is no doubt that things need to improve for Arsenal in the very near future, and with games against Everton, Chelsea and Brighton and Hove Albion to come before the turn of the new year, it could be a rather unhappy Christmas for Arteta and the Gunners this year.
