Arsene needs to start getting ugly

Graham, whose success as Arsenal manager was built largely on his defensive strategy, has been critical of the general decline in defending among Premiership players.

"That's why some of our best teams like Arsenal and Manchester United don't do as well as expected in Europe," he said.

"When they're going forward they're brilliant, but they struggle sometimes defensively. Rio Ferdinand, for instance, is a classy defender, really good on the ball, but how many Martin Keown or Tony Adams type of defenders are there now in the English game?

"They were simply defenders who enjoyed that role and knew how to mark. I think what they did is becoming a dying art."

Arsenal's indifferent marking at setpieces - in sharp contrast to Graham's team - has consistently undermined the attacking gains made this season.

A classic example of this carelessness-came in the Champions League at Panathinaikos in October. Having twice taken the lead, Arsenal had to settle for a 2-2 draw when the unmarked Emmanuel Olisadebe headed a late equaliser from a corner.

Similar flaws were apparent 10 days later when Southampton's Rory Delap scored twice with headers at set-pieces at Highbury, denying the champions two crucial Premiership points.

"We work hard on defending setpieces, but we are used to playing football on the ground rather than in the air," explained Wenger. "We try to keep the ball on the floor in training so it's natural that if you have strengths in some areas you will have weaknesses in others."

Arsenal have, of course, missed the experience of England's Sol Campbell, who has played only six first-team matches this season, but Graham believes that his absence alone doesn't explain the decline in defensive standards.

"They've been particularly disappointing at set-pieces," Graham said. "At half-time in their match against Bolton I said that they looked vulnerable and sure enough Bolton scored from two set-pieces in the second half.

"You have to decide whether you want to mark man-for-man or use a zonal system. I always preferred manforman because it gave each player a clear responsibility. If the opposition scored you could usually trace the player at fault.

"I'm happy to acknowledge that Arsene's team are better than mine but, whether defending or attacking, I think my team were more efficient at set-pieces." Graham's Arsenal won the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1994, conceding just three goals and keeping six clean sheets in nine matches.

"For me the secret is to know how to win when you're not playing at your best," he said. "There's an art to that and it helps if you know you can keep a clean sheet.

"When we played away in Europe I usually changed the system and played with Alan Smith as a lone striker. This meant that when we lost possession we usually had five men in midfield behind the ball."

Graham, who believes Arsenal have the offensive power to progress beyond the quarter-finals of the Champions League, has a high regard for the job Jose Mourinho is doing at Chelsea.

His team have conceded just one goal in four Champions League matches and only six in the Premiership. As a strategist Mourinho is not dissimilar to Graham.

"I like his philosophy," added Graham.

"He believes in getting it right at the back and building from there. He devised a system that suited his players and won the Champions League with it last season."