Former Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira has claimed that the English club's players must "take responsibility" for their struggles this season.
Vieira, who is currently the manager of MLS outfit New York City FC, played under Arsene Wenger between 1996 and 2005, lifting three Premier League titles and four FA Cups with the Gunners.
Wenger continues to take the brunt of the criticism for Arsenal's struggles this season, but the former France international has backed his countryman to 'fight for his job'.
"He is going through a really difficult period but at the same time I know Arsene and he is not the kind of person who will throw the towel in and walk out of this situation," Vieira told Omnisport.
"He will fight for it because he is proud and he will give everything like he has been doing for the football club.
It is true that people are doubting his capability to manage the team... but I think you have to look at the players and in some situations the players have been letting Arsene down a lot because coaches have responsibility but players have responsibility as well.
"You can work the whole week in how you want to play but when the players are on the field they are the ones who have to fight and if you don't do it then it is a problem.
So we can talk about Arsene, we can talk about other things but I think it is important for players to take responsibility and look at themselves in the mirror."
Wenger took charge of Arsenal in 1996 and has led the Gunners to three Premier League titles, although the last of those came in 2004.
The 67-year-old's current deal will expire at the end of the season.
Arsenal will be aiming to avoid a second cup humiliation inside five days when they welcome non-league Lincoln City to the Emirates Stadium in the FA Cup.
A 5-1 reverse at home to Bayern Munich saw the Gunners crash out of the Champions League with a 10-2 scoreline, leaving football's oldest cup competition the only realistic shot at silverware.
Pressure continues to mount on Arsene Wenger amid ongoing speculation over his future and another FA Cup semi-final will ease the negativity, albeit likely only briefly.
Lincoln City are the first non-league team to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals in 103 years, winning away at Premier League outfit Burnley with a last-minute goal.
It is the first time in The Imps' 133-year history they have reached this stage of the competition.
TEAM NEWS
Arsene Wenger is likely to give a handful of his younger players the chance to impress, with Rob Holding and Jeff Reine-Adelaide starting the fifth-round win over Sutton United.
David Ospina will keep his place in goal while Ainsley Maitland-Niles will be hoping to start, with Mohamed Elneny injured, after a substitute appearance in the last round.
For Lincoln, Alan Power, Nathan Arnold and Matt Rhead all dropped to the bench for the midweek 4-0 win over Braintree and are expected to come back into the team on Saturday.
Loanee striker Lee Angol scored a hat-trick on his debut for The Imps on Tuesday, becoming the first Lincoln player to achieve such a feat in 51 years, but is ineligable to play after featuring in an earlier round for parent club Peterbrough United.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Arsenal: Ospina; Gabriel, Mertesacker, Holding, Gibbs; Xhaka, Reine-Adelaide; Walcott, Iwobi, Maitland-Niles; Perez
Lincoln City: Farman; Wood, Waterfall, Raggett, Habergham; Arnold, Woodyard, Power, Hawkridge; Muldoon, Rhead
Lincoln City defender Luke Waterfall has claimed that some Arsenal fans may be backing the visitors when they travel to the Emirates Stadium for their FA Cup quarter-final on Saturday.
The Imps are the first non-league team to reach this stage of the competition for 103 years, but must overcome 12-time winners Arsenal if they are to continue their dream run and reach Wembley.
However, with questions being asked of manager Arsene Wenger following a 10-2 aggregate defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League, Waterfall believes that his side could use the pressure on the Frenchman to their advantage.
"He's under pressure. Some Arsenal fans might be going there wanting us to win. If we start well, we might have 60,000 people behind us, not just 9,000," he told reporters.
"We'll go there believing in ourselves. We won't park the bus, we'll play our usual game.
We want their big players to play. Their manager is under pressure so I would expect their big names to play."
Waterfall also revealed that his side have taken inspiration from Barcelona's miraculous comeback against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday as the Spanish giants scored three times from the 88th minute onwards to seal a 6-5 aggregate triumph.
"If they can do what they did, why can't we beat Arsenal? People thought we couldn't beat Burnley," he added.
Eighty-eight places separate Arsenal and National League leaders Lincoln in the football ladder.
