Arsenal 'gentlemen' never stood a chance against 'psycho' Ferdinand and 'rock' Vidic - Adebayor

Emmanuel Adebayor has said his former Arsenal side lacked the winning mentality to compete for major honours during his spell at the Emirates.

The 35-year-old spent three years with the north London club between 2006-09 but failed to collect any silverware in that period.

During that time, Arsenal undoubtedly had a talented squad, with the likes of Csec Fabregas, Robin van Persie and Gael Clichy in their ranks, but often were criticised for not having the mental resolve required to win trophies.

“I remember we were losing 2-1 and we were playing badly,” Adebayor told the Daily Mail . “Thierry Henry was going mental. [Arsene] Wenger came in and said: ‘Calm down, we are perfect, 65 per cent of the ball, we have crossed 25 times’. Thierry is telling me ‘Who cares? We are losing.’

“Wenger is a beautiful manager,” he continued. “But no matter the situation, we had to play our football. 

“I remember those days going to Stoke. You know it’s a heavy afternoon with Rory Delap’s throw. I’m a big guy but what about the rest of the team? We came out of the dressing room in the corridor and you hear clink, clink...the studs from Stoke... and just think ‘Oh my God’. 

“[Ryan] Shawcross, [Robert] Huth, [Peter] Crouch... Then you see our team of 60kg players.”

In the late 2000s, Manchester United and Chelsea dominated English football, winning the most silverware in that period, and Adebayor claims they had the skill and mentality to win matches.

“We had quality but for some games,” he said. “I am sorry, it was not enough. United and Chelsea were technical but so strong. Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. Rio insulted everyone on the pitch. He is proper psycho.

“But Vidic was the tough man, the nastiest, like running into a rock. He could block a striker with a single finger. He walks on you, he says sorry, he kicks you, he says sorry. He shouts at you and makes a little bit of spit come out. This guy was ready to kill.

“We swallowed defeats. Games where I scored and we lost 2-1, I thought my job was done. Rio would have come to me, ‘if you want to be happy, score three’.

“These are the things we didn’t have. We were nice. We had a gentlemen team. We play, we pass around but when it comes to being dirty, we couldn’t.”