Arsene Wenger was a breath of fresh air when he took the reins at Arsenal and success quickly followed with three league titles and four FA Cups between 1998 and 2005. Things changed after that and Arsenal had to try to compete with the best with a limited budget as they invested in a new stadium in an attempt to build for the future. The trophies dried up and the last time Arsenal won any silverware was that FA Cup win in 2005.
There were some close things since then but Arsenal fell away towards the end every season and lost a few cup finals too. Last season started very badly but the team turned things around and ground out the victories they needed in their last 10 games to just scrape into fourth place. It looked like some lessons might finally have been learned and Arsenal had found a way to grind out victories when they needed to.
This season got off to a flyer after the opening day hic-up and Arsenal led the way in the league for much of it. There were a couple of poor performances and results but the team bounced back and continued to take points off the lesser teams in the league. The six goals conceded at City were a worry but at least Arsenal scored three and City were stuffing everybody at home at that stage.
I consoled myself with the thought Arsenal had got their tactics wrong that day and would not make the same mistake again. When Liverpool beat them 5-1 it was obvious that those lessons might not have sunk in and the 6-0 defeat to Chelsea might well have been the lowest point to date of Arsene's almost 18 year reign. I thought it couldn't happen again and Everton weren't as good as those teams, but I was proved wrong on at least one of those accounts on Sunday.
Now I know Arsenal have more than their fair share of injuries to important players at the moment, but lesser teams have gone to those clubs and at least made a game of it. The tactical ineptitude and lack of real effort from the players against Liverpool, Chelsea and Everton was quite incredible. On each occasion the opposition saw their chance and took it and Arsenal were unable to respond.
I though Liverpool and Chelsea reacted on the day to how easy Arsenal made things for them, but Everton set out to take Arsenal on and beat them. Everton set themselves up perfectly to do just that and Arsene was unable or unwilling to change things until the game was lost at 3-0. It's blatantly obvious when Arsenal have no pace in their team and opponents find it far too easy to defend against Arsenal when they have no pace.
It's not easy to hit your opponent on the break if your central striker is slower than all of their defenders and your wide players can't outrun the full backs. With Theo Walcott out for the last three months only Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain offers that pace, but he sat out the last two games as Arsene went for a more experienced line up. He looked lively when he came on against Everton and he caused them problems but the game was already over by then.
It's impossible to say or know if Arsene has lost the dressing room, but the players certainly don't seem to be playing for him at the moment particularly away from home. The game against Everton was a game Arsenal could not afford to lose, but it looked like nobody bothered to tell the players. There's still 15 league points to play for, but unless the players can find some spirit from somewhere they're not going to get too many points no matter who the opposition are.
Arsene's contract expires at the end of the season and there's a new one on offer for him, but the clamour for his exit is steadily growing among the fans. The season can still be saved with the FA Cup still a very real possibility and Arsenal are still favourites to finish ahead of Everton. The question is will Arsene sign his new contract if Arsenal achieve those goals or will he do so I'd they don't.
I think he is being out thought too often by other managers and his approach is looking dated. I would hate to see the club reach a stage where they have to sack him and it might not be a bad idea if he was to call it a day after winning the cup and finishing fourth. I would prefer to see him go out on a high and winning our first trophy in nine years as well as securing Champions League football could wel offer him that opportunity.
If Arsenal don't win the cup and finish outside the top four then surely it would be time for a new man and a new approach. It would be a matter of whether Arsene thinks it would be time to leave himself or whether the club feel they would need to act. As I say I don't want it to come to that and I think it might just be time for him to go at the end of the season before he is pushed.
He has done a great job at Arsenal and brought the club into a very strong position despite some very tough challenges. The new stadium is a credit to him and I have no doubt there will be a statue of him outside it one day. I would hate to see all he had done tarnished by the club having to show him the door and I hope he has the good sense to go before he is pushed.
This summer could well be the time for him to do just that and I think it could well happen if he feels he can't continue to advance the team and the club. His players have not delivered in the last two months in the league in particular and it seems he doesn't have a solution at the moment. If he can't find a solution then I think his days at Arsenal might well be coming to an end.
That's it for today.
See you tomorrow.
I think Arsenal might well have won the league if you's didn't get so many injuries this season (especially Walcott and Ramsey) that's the pace, movement, and goals you've been missing. ~ Liverpool fan.
ReplyDeleteIf we had managed to sign Suarez from you we would have won it U think but we went into the season without a top class striker and paid for it.
DeleteThis is the only manager who plays a passing game of sideways and backwards to emphasise possession. I don't have 30 years coaching experience but I have 60 years of watching experience.Football is a simple game but Wenger has made it complicated for the players with so many passes. Sometime ago he bragged Arsenal were the best passing team. Correct but
ReplyDeleteyou are judged on games and trophies won. His record is poor.
The problem is he expects everyone to play like him: attack all day.Those managers who want to win have hijacked his script and played hit and run/score. Yet the fm is at a loss.
He assembles technical players who aint as tall and physically dominant .These guys may be able to control the ball and pass better but the epl is a fearsome playground where tackles can end your careers.
There are many factors for the present slump.His lack of plan b is well known. So don't be surprised the gunners lose to Wigan and even if they were to finish 4th could be denied a cl berthif MU,heaven forbid,were to win the cl. That will be too much to take for all long time suffering fans and he shd go asap.
I know Chelsea won the CL a couple of years ago when they were not the best side in it but I can't believe United can do it, they're just not good enough and Moyes isn't either. Arsene has not won a trophy in 9 years but before that his record was good.
DeleteYes, you are spot on! I am 64. Wenger is too stubborn to change players selection, tactics and formation. He seems to run out of ideas! We hear too much and get tired of " We must bounce back"!. He said it after every lost match Bythe time Arsenal bounce back it may be next season. I felt so much humiliated when Arsenal let in so many goals by Man City, Chelsea, Liverpool , and even Everton. What's this? So sad, hurt and embarrassing! This cannot be a team challenging for league title and Champions' League, NOT qualified to be. EVERYTIME talked so much about signing top class players and did not happen. Look at BM, Barca, how many do they have? In Every department. If Arsenal could offer 40m to sign Suarez what was another 5-8m? Arsene could have regretted but kept it in his heart. After losing to Chelsea, based on the Arsenal teams that I knew in the past I thought we should be winning matches. When I logged in to every match I had the winning feeling but when Arsenal started to let in goal after goal, my heart sinks andI told myself I should shut it down. In the Chelsea and Everton matches, I was still thinking that Arsenal could fight back, like in the Newscastle ( 4 goals down) and Chelsea (years ago when Kanu scored 2 in the dying minutes to equalize). The players don't have fighting spirt and concentration, Arteta and Girourd have been very poor, Carzola made mistakes Rosicky looked stale. Wenger made no change to starting line up, replace wrong players like Podolski, Not willing to buy, not willing to change tactics/formation, Not daring to gamble by fielding young prospectives, like Miyaichi, Gnarbry etc. Remember several seasons ago when we had a team of so many youngsters beating Premierleagues teams in the league Cups? He was never willing to trust and gamble on young prospects. See in his subs list who were included, Chamak Bentler, all the failures!
DeleteWenger says Arsenal must go back to the basics. I will tell him. The basics of a team,good or bad,is the defence. Until you have a strong defence forget about winning games and with that trophies. He has neglected the defence for years focussing too much on the attack.
ReplyDeleteNot all is gloom and doom.Class is permanent but form is temporary.The gunners have the class to prevail over Wigan but and it's big but make sure there are no oceans of space for Wigan to exploit.
I feel failure to beat Wigan will be the final straw .
The defence looked so good earlier in the season but it has fallen to pieces in the last 2 months. If we lose to Wigan the backlash could be so fierce that it might just spell the end for him.
DeleteI still think we have the best back 4 Defenders plus a goalkeeper who is sometimes shaky. But Defence does not mean only the back 5. Arsenal's centre midfielders only know how to attack but not defend and they always are not able to get back in time to defend. Nobody knows why AW signed Kallstorm (?). His 15 minutes debut actually impressed me but why has he not been played again? He is a much bigger player and seems to have some pace. After Vieira and Petit left Arsenal's CM are filled with small size players who could hardly win balls in the air. When AW signed Chamak and Giroud he mentioned that these 2 were good in air but how often did you see them winning balls?
DeleteYou're forgetting Gilberto Silva but your point is fair and we need a beast in front of the defence to protect them.
Deleteit doesnt matter if we spend the money on big players like suarez or anyone else.....actually the set of players in arsenal are already decent and should be able to compete with the big boys (excluding giroud, his a joke) but wenger tacticals is rubbish these days...theres only one way to jump start arsenal, wenger must go...i do have a lot of respect ro mr prof, but your time has come...i thank u for all u have done....
ReplyDeleteYes you are right on the team and Giroud. Podolski shd start every match up front. A couple of others should be rested temporarily. But the present team is not good enough to challenge for the Champions' league title.
Deletebasically your brain dead if you want AW to go. over the past 8 yrs we sit at 17th in net spend on the squad, every other team and manager that has spent as little as us in that time have been relegated. we have been blessed with champs league football during our purse tightening years..the squad is just not big enough, 1st team can challenge anyone..a couple more season where we can actually spend some cash and lets see where we are....and those banging on about a striker chelsea wanted one too with more cash to throw at it....who did they end up with.?????? exactly arsenal fans need to get real with what they expect.............wouldnt be surprised to see a moyes like affect whenever he goes.
ReplyDeleteHow do you explain the collapses against Liverpool and Chelsea and the fact that Arsenal are one of the wealthiest clubs in the world with the 4th highest paid manager in the world. Everton were so much better than Arsenal because they wanted it and their manager knew what he was doing and their budget is nowhere near that of Arsenal's.
DeleteAm as disturbed as most fans ,but I will continue to maintain that the club from inception had their plans worked out. Plan 1 was to find a way to pay back money for the stadium and that meant low transfer funds.Inspite of this wenger continued to keep the club competing at the highest level. gradually wenger has brought them out of debts and they are ready to spend .We should give him credit. Other clubs didn't care yet they are envious that inspite of low funds arsenal was competing at top level .That is why many coaches of these clubs keep sacking their coaches. Arsenal should not be deceived ,this rumors being sponsored about sacking him are underground plans by clubs to highjack wenger .They want a coach like him .Please let the club continue in their plans the future with wenger is bright for Arsenal. Yes fans want winning all the time but it doesn't work like that always
ReplyDeleteThe question is irrelevant.This is a man who thinks he can do wrong but results show otherwise.The gunners have been beaten time and again by the likes of MU and Chelsea in both the epl and cl.He shd have learned the lessons and tried to change but no he carried as before and lost repeatedly to red face and Chelsea. He can't believe he had lost based on possession and shots at goal.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is Arsenal may have 100 one hundred shots but can score 2 goals. Chelsea and red face had five shots but scored three goals . This is the scenario. Until he reins in his attack and hdl,he will continue to lose .
If he wants to stay,the board must make sure he has a master tactician to advise him otherwise it will be another season wasted.Too much time has been wasted by this arrogant fm.Let him go and play his hdl else where. He will be sacked if results go against him.
He is the wrong man. Tactically other teams know how Arsenal play but he doesn't care or change the system.This is why he has been losing games.After the 6-3 loss,he shd have had
ReplyDeletea review of what had happened.But no.He carried as per normal and was embarrassed by Pool ,Chelsea and now Everton. Injuries cannot be given as the reason.
Surely he knows there will be injuries.The soccer commentators have said repeatedly the gunner attack is too slow.It's slow because of the number of passes .Even Sherwood knows the fastest way to goal is 3/4passes as in the Sunderland.If this season ends in meltdown and the fm stays,I will be very surprised.
Even if it doesn't end in meltdown there is a good chance it could be the end of the road.
DeleteExactly, well said! He is stubborn and probably running out of ideas. I began to doubt him on team selection since 2 seasons ago. He seems to have a kind of first team players' order based on seniority and likings instead of actual form of performance. He has no guts to try some new ideas or gamble on "new " players in place of regular ones even when the latter ones played poorly. Podolski has been outstanding since coming back from injury this season but how come Giroud has always been preferred even though he seems to be sloppy? Giroud to me is a 3rd rate in comparisons with Messi and Ronaldo as 1st rate.
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