Markus Babbel has launched an attack on Arsenal ahead of Wednesday night’s Champions League clash against Bayern Munich.
The former Bayern and Liverpool player accused Arsenal of being chokers, who would be 'no problem' for Bayern.
Both Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Arsene Wenger had spoken in the last few days as saying that Arsenal had a better chance against Bayern than at this time last year, and that the north London side had raised their level in the last 12 months
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Chokers: Ex-Bayern Munich Markus Babbel has labelled Arsenal chokers ahead of the Champions League tie
Personal criticism: Babbel has been surprised by 'lazy' Lukas Podolski's (centre) progress at Arsenal
No bottle: Babbel said Arsenal are notorious for losing the big games when it really matters
Asked if he agreed that Arsenal were stronger in an interview in Munich newspaper Münchner Merkur, Babbel replied: 'No. And they’ve got a lot of injuries. If Bayern concentrate, they won’t have any problems. You see it in the Premier League: Arsenal always mess things up in big games.'
The former Liverpool man also had a lot of criticism for his compatriots at Arsenal, saying that Mesut Ozil 'still needs to work on his physicality', and that he was surprised with how well Lukas Podolski had settled in the Premier League.
'I didn’t think he’d make it in England, to be honest, he was always far too lazy at Bayern and Cologne', said Babbel.
Soft: Babbel criticised Mesut Ozil (right) for lacking the required physicality to excel in the Premier League
Outspoken: Babbel has been out of work since being sacked by Hoffeinheim as their manager in 2012
Qualified praise: Babbel did however say that Per Mertesacker had shown enough fight to 'impress the British'
For Arsenal’s third German star, Babbel was full of praise, albeit of a slightly backhanded nature: 'Per Mertesacker is rated very highly, because he’s fought his way into this team. His performances haven’t been amazing of late, but he fights, and that impresses the British'.
Babbel is convinced, though, that even Mertesacker’s fight will not be enough to stop Bayern. He rates this Bayern side as one of the best ever, saying that Toni Kroos, Philipp Lahm and Bastian Schweinsteiger will one day be mentioned in the same breath as Franz Beckenbauer, Sepp Maier and Gerd Muller.
Final preparations: Bayern train in Munich ahead of their visit to London to take on Arsenal
Star turn: Mario Gotze works out in training before Bayern's Champions League clash with Arsenal
Legacy: Babbel believes current players such as Toni Kroos (right) and Phillip Lahm can become club legends
Targets: Babbel suggested Bayern pursue a deal for Nemanja Vidic (right) over Chelsea's David Luiz (left)
The former Germany international, who has a well documented love for English football and England since his time in Liverpool, also said that he would not advise Bayern sign Chelsea’s David Luiz.
'He’s a great player, and it’s good that he can play in midfield too, but if they were going to sign someone from the Premier League, I would advise them to get Nemanja Vidic. He’s cheaper.'
Whether Uli Hoeness, Pep Guardiola and Co will follow his advice, though, seems unlikely.
Babbel has been out of a coaching job since he was sacked by Hoffenheim in 2012. A year beforehand, he was forced to leave Hertha BSC just months after leading them to promotion, following a breakdown in relations with the club hierarchy.
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