'Everyone is very fragile!' - Mikel Arteta & 'shaky' Arsenal players 'not ready mentally' to get over trophy line, says ex-Premier League star

The Gunners' pursuit of a historic season has hit a significant roadblock following successive cup exits that have left fans and pundits questioning if the team is prepared for the business end of the campaign. After a disappointing showing in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley, the north London side suffered a shock 2-1 FA Cup quarter-final loss to Championship side Southampton, leading Leboeuf to fear the worst.

Speaking to ESPN FC, the French World Cup winner compared the current crop to the legendary sides of the past. "Arsenal are maybe the best team in the world but you have to show, even with different players and individuals, your strength and you have to win against Southampton. That’s kind of a shame," Leboeuf said. "I imagine the times I was playing against Arsenal with [Patrick] Vieira, [Emmanuel] Petit and Ian Wright, so many others like Tony Adams, it would never have happened. Mentally they were too strong they were finishing all the work. You can see everyone is very fragile, coaching-wise because they don’t make the right choices. But the players on the field don’t do the job they are getting very shaky because we are touching and going to the end of the season. You can feel they are not ready mentally. They have to be stronger."

Leboeuf isn't the only one spotting cracks in the foundation, as former Arsenal forward Theo Walcott pointed towards the manager’s demeanour as a source of instability. Walcott noted that the scenes on the St Mary's touchline reminded him of previous failed campaigns, where frantic energy from the bench appeared to unsettle the players on the pitch.

He said: "Visually watching Mikel on the sidelines, it was elements of previous years where that energy reflected into the team. It was a nervous energy, it was very tense. Not just Mikel but a lot of the staff were out there at times. It was like too many cooks in the kitchen, too many messages. Play your best team was the right thing to do tonight. It's easy if I say that now, but you want a reaction off the cup final and it wasn't that tonight, it was worse."

With a Champions League quarter-final against Sporting CP on the horizon and the Premier League title race still in the balance, the Gunners must quickly regain their composure. Arteta has acknowledged that the upcoming fixtures will serve as the ultimate litmus test for his squad's character as they look to avoid a sixth consecutive season without a trophy. "We have the most important period in both competitions ahead of us, and it’s now the moment when you have a difficult moment in the season, to show what we are made of – and it is now we have to show who we are," the Gunners' manager said.