Santi Cazorla feels Arsenal lack a "winning
mentality" after their Premier League title challenge fell away.
Arsenal have won just two of their last nine league
games, form that has seen them slip to fourth in the table after topping it for
much of the campaign.
The Emirates Stadium outfit have not won a trophy since
2005 and are now relying on the FA Cup to break that drought, with a semi-final
against champions Wigan Athletic at Wembley to come on Saturday.
Arsene Wenger's men were bundled out of the UEFA
Champions League by Bayern Munich at the round of 16 stage this season and
Spain midfielder Cazorla has earmarked Arsenal's mental fragility as the reason
for their late-season slump.
Cazorla also urged the club to recruit strongly in the
close-season, telling Sport 360: "Arsenal has everything to win.
"History, infrastructure, an incredible stadium and
great players, but we have to improve at crucial moments and sign the best
football players because if you don't do that, you may lag behind others.
"That is what makes it different at other clubs.
You've a good example in Manchester City who signed Fernandinho, (Alvaro)
Negredo, or even Manchester United with (Robin) van Persie and (Juan) Mata.
"Arsenal know what they need next season, but it's
almost impossible to win a title if we haven't got these kind of things.
"We haven't got a winning mentality and we have to
believe in ourselves. Sometimes you can get used to not fighting, but we can't
do that. Arsenal is and will always be a historic football club and we have to
look forward.
"We couldn't recover after going out against Bayern
in the Champions League and the defeat against Stoke finished us (in the
league). You can't lose against Stoke if you aspire to be the next
champion."
Cazorla - who joined Arsenal from Malaga in 2012 - also
hinted that he may leave the club in order to compete for titles.
"I want titles and that is why I came to
Arsenal," he added. "Every football player wants to win titles. We've
gone many years without winning one. And if not, what I'll look for in my next
destination is to have the chance to win.
"When I'm turning 31 I'll evaluate myself and I'll
choose the best option. In which case, I would be delighted to come back (to
Spain)."
Culled from Soccerway
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