Arsene Wenger slams critics after Arsenal defeat by Watford

The match ended in an embarrassing defeat made all the worse coming just days after Wenger claimed he had his best ever squad and need not spend any money during the January transfer window.

Wenger was therefore dealt a double whammy by fans on Tuesday night for having kept Saturday's hat-trick scoring Theo Walcott on the bench for the first half of the match, as well as for failing to make any new signings during the transfer window.

Speaking about Walcott after the match, Wenger lashed out at reporters: "We have three games this week... We are not completely stupid in the way we make decisions."

He added: "I think we were not mentally ready to deal with the duels that we usually do.

"It was not good in the first half, especially in the first 20 minutes. We were beaten in the duels, they were sharper than us."

Wenger has been facing continued pressure since dropping points after a stellar start to the season, which now sees them in third place behind north London rivals Tottenham, with Chelsea leading a strong charge on the title race, nine points clear at the top of the league.

Arsenal face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday in their next Premier League match.