Exclusive - McLintock: 'I'm not sure Wenger believes in defending'

Frank McLintock fears Arsenal's soft centre will blow their Premier League title challenge apart.

The Gunners lost the chance to go joint top of the table on Wednesday night when they could only draw at Wigan, and once again their defensive frailties were to blame.

And 1971 Double-winning captain McLintock is concerned Wenger still doesn't seem to be able to solve the problem.

He told the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast: "What gets me is Wenger has been so good for the last ten or 12 years but we’re still so near and yet so far away.

"Arsenal are the worst in the league at defending dead-ball situations. He’s had four or five years to put it right but still hasn’t put his finger on it.

"I'm not sure whether he believes in the art of defending or whether he puts enough importance on it because it doesn’t change season after season. And everyone except Arsenal seem to realise that.

"The performance against Chelsea was the best I've seen for a couple of months, but then they let it slip again against Wigan."