Leboeuf is not the only one to see cracks in the foundations, as former Arsenal striker Theo Walcott singled out the coach’s attitude as a source of instability. Walcott noted that the scenes seen on the touchline at St Mary’s reminded him of the failed campaigns of previous years, where the frenetic energy coming from the bench seemed to destabilize the players on the pitch.
He said: “Watching Mikel on the sidelines, there were elements of previous years where that energy flowed through the team. It was a nervous energy, the atmosphere was very tense. It wasn’t just Mikel, but a large part of the staff was sometimes on the pitch. It felt like there were too many cooks in the kitchen, too many messages. Fielding the best possible team was the right thing to do tonight. It’s easy to say now, but we expected a reaction after the Cup final, and that wasn’t the case tonight, it was worse. »
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