'Arsene Wenger has the best Arsenal dressing room since he won the title', according to Ray Parlour

Squad goals: Arsenal players celebrate
Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
James Benge25 September 2015

Ray Parlour has praised the balance of Arsene Wenger’s current side, arguing that the manager has “the best dressing room” since he last won the title.

Arsenal have struggled to find their best form at the start of a season in which great things were expected of the team, however they remain just five points of the top of the Premier League.

They recovered from the disappointment of back-to-back defeats in the Capital One Cup with a 2-1 victory at White Hart Lane and Parlour, who was a key part of all three of Wenger’s title-winning sides, has praised the resilience of the current squad.

“I think this is the best dressing room they’ve had in a long time,” he told Standard Sport. “The best since Arsenal won the title.

“I go and train there sometimes and you can see the difference between the atmosphere now and in the past. They had a period a few years ago when there was a lot of arguing among the players and personality clashes.

Arsenal in training

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“But they’ve moved past that now and that shows with the trophies they’ve won. You can’t win major trophies if you haven’t got a good dressing room.”

Wednesday’s victory over Tottenham in the Capital One Cup showed the enviable squad depth Wenger has at his disposal. The manager made 10 changes from the Arsenal side that lost in frustrating circumstances against Chelsea, with fringe players such as Mathieu Flamini given the chance to impress in testing circumstances.

They unquestionably rose to that opportunity, with the midfield tyro scoring twice to secure a much-need win for Arsenal. However Parlour warned that the greatest difficulty the manager may have with his current side is ensuring every squad member gets their chance to shine.

Romford Pele: Parlour in action for Arsenal

“I think it’s going to be tough for the manager to create space for all those players, but that’s a good problem to have.

“Wenger has good characters all over the pitch – [Nacho] Monreal, [Santi] Cazorla, even Mesut Ozil has got much better. And the British players are important, having that core of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Aaron Ramsey, Kieran Gibbs and Jack Wilshere is vital. It’s just about getting the right blend.

“We had that blend when we were successful, with the French guys complimenting the rest of the squad. I think he’s on the way to having that again.”

Chelsea vs Arsenal - player ratings

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Defeat at Stamford Bridge saw scenes reminiscent of the famous Battle of Old Trafford, as Gabriel reacted angrily to Chelsea striker Diego Costa’s manhandling of his Arsenal teammate Laurent Koscielny.

Parlour saw the similarities between that moment and the occasion in 2003 when Wenger’s players rushed to stand up for captain Patrick Vieira after a red card. However he urged the Arsenal defender not to get carried away.

“It’s a split-second decision where they want to help so badly, but there’s a line you can’t cross,” he explained. “It could cost you and it did with Gabriel. He overstepped the mark. Be as passionate as you can, but be responsible too.”

Ray Parlour was taking part in the Lads’ Night In Poker evening for Prostate Cancer UK and Poker Stars.

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