Graeme Souness accuses Arsenal of failing to act like a 'proper team' after Watford draw

Arsenal capitulated at Vicarage Road on Sunday.
Getty Images
Joe Krishnan16 September 2019

Graeme Souness has accused Arsenal of failing to act like a "proper team" after stuttering to a 2-2 draw with Watford.

The Gunners had led through a double from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang but were pegged back in the second half as the Hornets pulled level after goals from Tom Cleverley and Roberto Pereyra.

Arsenal missed the chance to climb above Tottenham into third after throwing away their two-goal lead and having faced 31 shots - 23 of which came in the second half - the north London side were somewhat fortunate to escape with a point.

Former Liverpool manager Souness, working as a pundit for Sky Sports, lambasted Unai Emery's side for failing to defend their lead.

In Pictures | Watford vs Arsenal | 15/09/2019

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"If you were an Arsenal supporter watching that, you must be scratching your head," he said.

"It's as if this is the first team in the first half but then [there was] a second team in the second half... they capitulated.

"Proper teams don't play like that. Proper teams don't have a half like that in the first half and play like that in the second half. Proper teams just don't do that.

"They bring on some kids in a game that, a 2-1, it was time to dig in and regroup and make sure they don't lose the game.

"They should have lost the game in the second half because when the kids came on they were all over the place. It was like a game of basketball.

"I think if you were an Arsenal supporter, that would deeply worry you."

Responding to Granit Xhaka's revelation that Arsenal were "scared" in the second half, Souness criticised the Swiss midfielder for his comments.

"Who are the big personalities there?" he added.

"He [Xhaka] said they were scared. I was never scared in a game of football in my life. I just don't understand that."

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