It's all in the mind for gifted but flawed Arsenal

'What's the deal with Arsene Wenger throwing a bottle when Arsenal don't have any?'

The humorists had a field day after the Gunners' second-half collapse last weekend saw their normally restrained manager smash a water container on the Emirates Stadium sidelines. Tottenham Hotspur had scored a late winner to overturn a 2-0 deficit and record their first away league victory in the north London derby in 17 years.

And the Frenchman's mood hardly improved ahead of today's difficult trip to Aston Villa when his team leaked goals in the 83rd and 90th minutes to lose 2-0 at Portugal's Braga in the Champions League on Tuesday night. Their second consecutive road defeat leaves Arsenal's hopes of qualifying for the knockout stage for the 12th successive year in the balance.

This season, more than half the goals the north London club have conceded have come in the last 15 matches of games, both domestically and in Europe.

The feeling is this brilliant yet flawed squad will be 'nearly men' once again. As easy on the eye and as technically gifted the players are, they remain a soft touch, prone to intimidation and inexplicable meltdowns.

The surrender to arch-rivals Spurs - with the third and decisive goal coming in the 85th minute from Younes Kaboul - revived memories of an even direr disintegration when they conceded three times in the final 11 minutes to be beaten 3-2 at lowly Wigan on April 18. It killed off their title aspirations as they finished their campaign with just one victory in five matches.

Arsenal's increasing tendency to self-destruct goes beyond the squad's lack of concentration, failure to follow Wenger's instructions and their relative inexperience when it comes to winning significant silverware. According to one Asia-based sports' science and performance expert, the Gunners' deficiencies may simply lie within their heads. 'There seems to be a mental frailty with Arsenal and a lack of leaders to take control of the situation on the field when things start to go wrong,' says Singapore-based John Limna, who's worked with elite athletes, including the British Olympic Association, for two decades. 'They don't always seem to be able to make good decisions at vital times.'