Arsenal have cojones! The key difference between Mikel Arteta's Gunners and legendary manager Arsene Wenger's team outlined by Troy Deeney

Deeney, who spent 11 years at Vicarage Road between 2010 and 2021, has claimed that Mikel Arteta's Arsenal "have cojones2 having previously criticised Arsenal Wenger's side for being easily bullied by opponents despite having world-class players like Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the team.

Writing for The Sun, the former English forward claimed, "I played against several Arsenal players who would easily have been good enough to get into Mikel Arteta’s current Gunners side. At their peak, Jack Wilshere, Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were all world-class players.

"But those were Arsenal teams you always fancied your chances against. Arsenal teams you could bully. Arsenal teams who could fall apart. It’s well remembered that I once accused Arsene Wenger’s team of lacking ‘cojones’ after my Watford side beat them at Vicarage Road. I certainly cannot imagine taking the p*** out of this Gunners team in the same way. I wouldn’t rate my chances of bullying them, either."

Deeney had criticised the Gunners after scoring in his team's 2-1 win at Vicarage Road in Wenger's final season in charge of the team. While the Frenchman bemoaned the referee's decision to hand Watford a penalty, the striker said that the north London side lacked 'cojones'.

Arteta's side, who are currently trailing league leaders Liverpool by two points, will next face Brentford in the Premier League on Saturday. A win will take the Gunners top of the table ahead of Sunday's crunch clash between Liverpool and Manchester City.