"We're going to have to raise our game considerably from Old Trafford," Arthur said on Monday (August 1). "I was really disappointed with our performance at Old Trafford. Really disappointed. There are credible losses and there are losses when you lie down and get steamrolled. Old Trafford was clearly that.
"At Lord's we were upbeat and played with real spirit. We had that edge. I told the guys I thought we were warriors at Lord's. But we were completely the opposite at Old Trafford."
The 48-year-old also dismissed suggestions of the team considering wholesale changes to the side and the possible inclusion of Umar Akmal and Ahmed Shehzad. Both Akmal and Shehzad were not considered for the England tour and were even left out of the training camp in May. The coach defended the selectors' decision to drop the duo but categorically stated that the players were still in the scheme of things for the selectors.
"That's been a burning question for a long time," Arthur said. "I took over once Umar and Ahmed had been left out of the squad and clearly they were left out for the right reasons. I'm hoping they still want to play for their country. But they need to prove to us that they want to be part of our set-up. As I've always said there are no passengers in our set-up.
"They've got to be part of our set-up and buy into what we want to do with the cricket team otherwise it is irrelevant how good they are. We're going in a direction at pace and we don't need anyone pulling us down. Saying that, I've had a very brief conversation with Ahmed and not had any conversation for Umar and that will be something for later down the line. I think they're very exciting cricketers but sometimes we need more than that."
With Gary Ballance and Test newcomer James Vince not amongst the runs in England's middle order, the hosts have depended heavily on Joe Root and skipper Alastair Cook. Even though Arthur acknowledged the quality of Vince and Ballance, the fact that both batsmen could be playing for their spots at Edgbaston remains a potential vulnerability that Pakistan look to exploit.
"Vince and Ballance are quality players," Arthur said. "But at this level confidence is such an important thing. They clearly know when they walk out to bat that they are playing for their Test places. So that provides another level of pressure.
"It's not just the opposition running in and bowling a cricket ball at you. Suddenly that pressure is intensified as they're playing for their places as well. We feel if we can get into them with the new ball we've got a real good chance. Clearly Cook and Root are the beacon of England batting at moment."
Even though Mohammad Hafeez was expected to undergo a re-test to get his bowling action cleared ahead of the third Test, Arthur conceded that the team was willing to bide its time in order to acquire his bowling services for the One-Day series.
"We're very keen to get Hafeez back but we realise that it's a delicate process," he said. "We did some really good work with him during the tour game in Worcester. We got the spin coach Carl Crowe - who worked with Sunil Narine - to work with him for two days.
"We're confident that he is getting back to where he needs to be and that gives us so much balance, especially with our left-armers, as suddenly we have an offspinner who can hit those footmarks as well. We'll keep chipping away at his action and I'm confident that, if everything goes well, we can have him tested before the one-dayers. Then that will give us another string to our bow in the ODI series."
The third Test begins on Wednesday (August 3).
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