Arsenal’s players have been accused of working against manager Mikel Arteta.
Former England assistant coach Gary Neville has branded Arsenal’s forwards a “little mafia” and questioned whether Arteta’s senior players are still playing for him.
“I have to say that there was a few of those players in that front part of the pitch, it looked like a little mafia that,” Neville said.
“It looked like a little group of players who weren’t comfortable. Like there was a disconnect between them and the manager.
“The effort from that front six… They were a joke. The lack of energy. All the way through the first half I was getting more uncomfortable. Mikel Arteta, I think he would have been shocked by the lack of application.
“Liverpool won the ball back time and time again. It was a walk in the park. They never laid a finger on them. A really bad day. It was a dark moment. A cross-roads moment. I think Mikel Arteta will have come away from that game, thinking, ‘it’s me or them.’
“I called the older players fed lions. Arsenal have got a big problem with some of those players.”