- says they should have copied what Mourinho did last season
By Boluwatife Ezekiel Olaleye
Thierry Henry has voiced his frustration at Arsenal failing to copy what Manchester United did last season.
The Red Devils suffered a dismal campaign in the Premier League, finishing a lowly sixth, and failing to qualify for the Champions League via the traditional channels.
But Jose Mourinho identified early that his United side were off the pace and reacted by focusing his efforts on the Europa League and EFL Cup.
The Portuguese then led his team to victory in both competitions, which resulted in them qualifying for the Champions League anyway.
Henry had hoped his former side would come out on top against the Citizens on Sunday, who have the title all but wrapped up.
But the Gunners, who are outside of the top four places, were battered in all areas of the pitch in their 3-0 final defeat.
Discussing the game on Sky Sports, Henry said: “Arsene has never won this one before. I’m sure he went there with massive expectation on winning it.
“The league has not been going well, and it would have been amazing to win the Carabo Cup and hopefully backing that up with the Europa League – I know I’m getting far ahead there, but that’s what I would have called a great season.”
Henry went on to discuss last season, reflecting on how Manchester United seemingly gave up on the league to ensure they won silverware.
And the Gunners’ all-time record goalscorer is disappointed Wenger failed to take a leaf out of Mourinho’s book.
“[Man United] couldn’t get into the Champions League another way, so they made it a priority to win what they could win, and they did,” added Henry.
“But it looks like with Arsenal now top four is going to be difficult, although they are playing City on Thursday, they can close the gap on Chelsea back to five points if they win it.