Arsene Wenger Gave 'Any Given Sunday' Style Arsenal Speech, Says Theo Walcott

Arsene Wenger recently gave his Arsenal players an inspirational speech reminiscent of Al Pacino's in the film Any Given Sunday, according to Theo Walcott.

The forward spoke to Arsenal's YouTube channel:

"I won't be able to do the speech because it was that good," Walcott said, per James Benge of the Evening Standard. "It genuinely reminded me of that film Any Given Sunday, and I actually said that to him! I was a bit embarrassed and didn't know if he'd seen the film, but he showed his passion and how long it's been since we've won the title. He wants it like all of his players, but you can tell he really wants it, which is really good to see."

In the film, Al Pacino plays the head coach of fictional American football team, the Miami Sharks, and delivers a famous speech to inspire them to victory (warning: contains NSFW language):

Bleacher Report UK imagined what Wenger may have looked like during the speech:

Wenger usually appears more reserved than most managers in the Premier League—particularly compared with the passionate Jurgen Klopp, for example—but showed his temper on Sunday when he pushed fourth official Anthony Taylor in a heated exchange.

As Goal's Chris Wheatley relayed, the Frenchman regretted his actions:

The Gunners have not won the Premier League title since their unbeaten season in 2004, which has led to calls for Wenger to be relieved of his duties from some quarters.

Another frequent criticism of Arsenal is their lack of mental fortitude, so the Emirates Stadium faithful will likely be pleased to hear that Wenger is able to offer them inspiration in the dressing room.

Despite going down to 10 men when Granit Xhaka was sent off and conceding a 93rd-minute penalty, Arsenal were able to rescue three points against Burnley on Sunday when Alexis Sanchez netted a spot-kick of his own in the 98th minute.

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

In a weekend in which many of their rivals slipped up, the win took the Gunners to second, albeit eight points behind Chelsea.

While Arsenal remain in the title race, they may struggle to offer a serious challenge to the Blues and their UEFA Champions League campaign could come to an end in the round of 16 yet again, as they will face Bayern Munich.

Wenger is in the final season of his current deal at the club and is yet to put pen to paper on an extension—should they fail to trouble Chelsea or get past Bayern, it will likely increase calls for him to close the curtain on his Arsenal career.

In the meantime, channelling Pacino might help him inspire his players.