All players knew they were in a battle when they faced the Crazy Gang of Wimbledon.
Led by the defensive clatter machine that was Vinnie Jones, the Dons had a reputation for sending their opponents into row Z and terrifying backlines with their barrage of long balls and crosses. It proved to be so effective, they kicked and smashed their way to the 1988 FA Cup final, where they went on to beat Liverpool at the Old Wembley.
However, former Arsenal ace Emmanuel Petit faced the Crazy Gang when they were in a completely different era. Petit was graceful, elegant and aesthetically pleasing on the ball - what could he have done against such terrifying physicality?
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While speaking to DAZN bet, Petit revealed Arsenal captain at the time Tony Adams gave the Gunners some wise words of advice before the match. Petit said: “Wimbledon. Vinnie Jones. I remember the first game I played over there with Arsenal.
"I remember when we left the dressing room and I was talking with Patrick and all of a sudden, our captain Tony Adams came and he looked at us and he said, ‘Guys, today we don't play the ball on the ground, just keep your head up, the ball will be in the air all the time’.
What other bonkers memories of the Wimbledon Crazy Gang and Vinnie Jones do you remember? Let us know in the comments section below
“You only have one or two seconds to think what you're going to do with the ball when you receive it because if you keep the ball after three seconds, you will be on the ground. But for me, physically, it was probably one of the toughest places to go, Wimbledon. It was very challenging mentally and physically."
It's difficult to imagine how the Crazy Gang would have fared in the modern day with the new styles of football and VAR. While no team in the near distant future will come close to what Wimbledon was like, Petit thinks some teams do carry a fear factor similar to the one the south Londoners had.
"But, if I talk about nowadays, clubs like Liverpool, for example, I think the atmosphere over there and the Derby against Spurs as well is electric all the time," Petit added.
"For me, Anfield, when the stadium goes wild you can feel the storm on the pitch."
