Arsenal legend Thierry Henry believes that the team's current manager, Arsene Wenger, does not necessarily need to leave the club for the Gunners to win the Premier League. Instead, Henry thinks that Wenger needs to address the team's mentality problems.
Following a 3-1 defeat at Chelsea on February 4, 2017, Arsenal found themselves 12 points behind the current leaders, significantly reducing their chances of winning the Premier League title that season. With Wenger's contract set to expire at the end of the season and no renewal announced, speculation about his future was rampant.
Henry, who was 39 at the time, felt that a change in management was not the solution. He believed that a psychological weakness was hindering the team's performance. As Henry put it,
"Does this team have enough to win the Premier League? It can be debated. On paper, yes. If Chelsea is ahead, Arsenal also can be. But it is necessary to be in tune with all the players, to work in training. This team is not aware of what they can achieve. There must be self-management and self-discipline."
Henry further emphasized the importance of mental preparation over a change in tactics or management, stating,
"I don't think Arsene has to leave. Should he change his tactics and his way of doing things? I don't know. But what he must do there is mental work. The tactics help, but what I saw against Chelsea is a mental problem."
He also noted that the issue was more about mentality than the quality of the players, referencing Leicester's unexpected championship win as an example.
At the time, Henry's comments came from a place of experience, having spent eight years at Arsenal before moving to Barcelona in 2007.
The recovered account cited reporting by Tuko.
