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Is Paul Scholes right about this Arsenal side?

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ScholesSince ending his professional football career, the normally shy and retiring Paul Scholes hasn’t been shy when it comes to dishing out criticism in Arsenal’s direction. Not so long ago, he singled out Jack Wilshere, sending some rather stinging words his way.

And more recently, he’s spoken out about The Gunners’ inability to defeat big teams. Check out these quotes:

‘They [Arsenal] always qualify and always seem to get through [their Champions League] group. The only problem with Arsenal is when they meet top teams, they don’t seem to have the consistent level of mental strength to get through it.’ (Source: The Metro)

Ouch. I wonder if Arsenal fans can hear the ring of truth in these words. The Ginger Prince certainly has plenty of evidence to back up his thesis. Consider, for instance, Arsenal’s 6-3 defeat at the hands of Manchester City, or the big defeats they suffered at the hands of Liverpool and Chelsea last year. Consider that Arsenal were unable to defeat Manchester United last season, despite The Red Devils hitting their worst form for years.

Paul Scholes’ recent comments are particularly timely, given the nature of Arsenal’s defeat to Borussia Dortmund. The Gunners were second best throughout the game, wildly misplacing passes, making sloppy mistakes and giving away countless opportunities. As performances go, it was one of the worst that Arsene Wenger’s side had turned in for quite some time.

It’s a performance that raises question marks over Arsenal’s ability to even get through the group this time around.

If Arsenal can’t undo their big club hoodoo, they’re destined to fail again and again. Arsene Wenger brought in three or four decent players this summer, but if he can’t instill the right levels of belief in his new recruits (and their team-members), then they’re not going to progress and help the club to win silverware.

Unless The Gunners sort themselves out fairly quickly, I can’t see them picking up further trophies this year. They’re just so far off the pace, especially in comparison to Europe’s top sides. Something has to give.

What’s your take? Do Arsenal have a deeply ingrained big club hoodoo?

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