Paul Merson once told his psychiatrist he wanted to be like Alan Smith: stable, happy, untroubled. Arsenal fans would love today’s team to be more like the Gunners Smith played for from 1987-1995.

Character transplants are not easy, in football or in life, but the squad Unai Emery has taken on could use a few implants from the 1989 title-winning team. In his autobiography, ‘Heads Up,’ Smith writes that “Arsenal under George [Graham] were steely and stubborn, hardworking and committed, with a ruthless streak running right through the middle.” If this was Graham’s gift to Arsene Wenger, Emery’s inheritance is less clear.

“Yeah, we all fought for each other, we weren’t a team that could be bullied,” Smith recalls. “You’re normally the image of your manager, aren’t you. George always used to say - ‘don’t let them call you southern softies, if they want a scrap, they’ll get a scrap, and we never back down.’

“I was never a massive fighter, but we had enough of that in the team. It wasn’t just physically, it was mentally - standing up to those challenges. Arsene Wenger’s teams have been different over the last 10 years. They had a soft underbelly, I think; with the culture that’s become ingrained, there’s been a lack of accountability for some players. That’s why it’s so refreshing to see someone like [Mesut] Ozil substituted when he isn’t pulling his weight. That wouldn’t really happen under Wenger.”