Having got home from another disappointing day at The Emirates yesterday evening, not for the first time, I have questioned Arsene Wenger’s reign as Arsenal boss. There is no doubt what he has achieved with the club and will always be remembered as one of the greatest, if not the greatest. Wenger brought a style of football never seen here in England and of course created the ‘Invincible’ team, something that I doubt will be archived again in my life time.
Bur my feeling is that the club has been in decline for several years now and this is the year when we could fall out of the top four, which would have massive implications on the club. Of course the club should be applauded for the self sustaining model we hear about so often, but with that we still need to have ambition and this transfer window so far has been non-existent. The current squad is desperately short of quality and I also now feel desire. The game on Sunday against Manchester City was clear for everybody to see that Jack Wilshere cares about the club and when the team is losing. Unfortunately we need 11 Jack’s on the field. My worry is that Wenger can no longer motivate the team and most would agree with some of the inept performances this season that this could be the case.
Wenger has built new teams before but with the players that have been brought in the quality is not there to compete and it is fair to say that the lot from up the road are a real threat to our position, not forgetting Everton of course. Wenger has moved away from the formation that brought so much success to the club (4-4-2) and has an obsession of using the 4-3-3 in the Barcelona style. However, we do not have the players that Barca do.
On Sunday afternoon, Manchester City played with two up top in Edin Dzeko and Carlos Tevez and Manchester United played with Robin van Persie and Danny Wellbeck. Wenger, as we know, is stubborn, but we have one style of play and one only and, in my opinion, his tactical side of the game is not current.
The season is drifting away from us in January again and the game against Swansea is massive. We need to of course get behind the boys and make it through to the Fourth Round of the FA Cup, but the window is still open and maybe he will surprise us all. However, it is beginning to look like a desperate situation.
Nobody has been a bigger Wenger fan than me and I hope all these doubts that are creeping into my mind can disappear and he can prove me wrong.
I would like nothing better than Wenger to deliver another championship winning team and a cup. But I feel things may have gone stale and things need changing. I’m not calling for him to be sacked, as I think he has earned the right to decide when his time is up, but I think that time might well be close.
Come on Arsene we all want to believe so prove us wrong!
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4-3-3 is currently formation, it’s only that we don’t have one type of midfielder, a box to box midfielder. You get to play with five players in midfield, coz winger drift inside and thus, numerical advantage. Football has evolved and 4-4-2 is outdated.our midfield only lacks one thing, physicality, coz diaby is always injured. My opinion is to move wilshere to the AM mid, santi to the right flank, theo on the left flank. Yes, i said it, theo on the left flank. I feel like he can get very many goal scoring opportunities if he plays on the left flank. (rem the first goal against Newcastle?) Giroud/poldi should play as our CF. Arteta is doing a great job playing as our anchor man.
Wenger is so out of touch with the game today.
Watch the GOOD managers in the premier or any league and you will see them on the touchline reacting to game flow and changing formations or making RELEVANT substitutions to deal with threats.
Not Wenger, his ineptitude in the transfer market has left us with a weak 1st 11 and no players worth substituting.
His policy is flawed and this is history repeating, Wenger was sacked by Monaco when after a good start he went through a long bad patch culminating in a 9th place finish in the league.
I could go further; his jealously of Steve Bould when he found success with the defense.
Driving our best players away with his going nowhere policies and I am going to look as far back as Henri through Nasri, Fabregas and RVP.
Do you think they would have left if they knew they had a manager that was focused and capable of moving the club forward and helping them to win some silverware? Of course not, most of them (except Henri) would still be Arsenal players today.
Wenger has systematically dismantled this club for years to the point where we can no longer compete with top clubs which we are not.
I am so saddened by this, Arsenal is my team and I have waited a long time for success which is not going to come until this cancer is cut out of Arsenal.
As a Man City fan I now feel sorry for a club I use to get behind, as we were in a different league and you were sticking it up to our enemy. The problem is with Wenger he has let so much talent leave at top dollar price and replaced them with younger good players at no expense. But over 6-8 years the good players are now average, thus leaving Arsenal at risk of no champions league football. When Henry, Viera, Pires and my favourite Bergkamp played for you the team had spirit and Guile, to me it has neither now except for maybe Wilshere and Vermaelen (Who’s form has gone downhill). Sadly Fergiescum realised this in his early days and has purchased 1 or 2 major signings a season when Arsenal has now sold 1 or 2 a season. I think Guardiola would be a good match for your club. good luck and hopefully you can finish second to us next season 🙂
I have to admit … arsene wenger should leave. I am through of my friends mocking by supporting a team who never won silverware for more than half a decade. wenger should leave . jurgen klopp, guardiola should replace wenger. more silverware. smiles on our faces. smart decisions instead of risky or stupid ones. more players could be attracted by the club’s victory and join. And all of us can be happ gooners instead of under-pressure gooners.
Wenger’s time in arsenal is up.I jst don’t knw what Wenger sees in inconsistent players like diaby& ramsey. Diaby is back,it’s like a new signing, says wenger.His subs in d sec half was too poor, diaby shld never ‘v started d sec 45mins. The intro of giroud was ok, but you shld knw you need both wings for him to be effective. Ramsey 4 Polski was d biggest mistake. Theo wld ‘v been drafted to 7 & carzo back to d middle. Wilshare was outstanding, he is a motivator,d middle field shld be build around him & not a player like diaby who is not a team player & inconsistent, even when around to play.
I couldn’t agree with you more. 442 is the way forward although I have my quarms about Theo on the left. Personally I would have SC on the left snd TW on the right.
442 is not outdated as it was a part of shittys success last year and Manure the season before with Rooney, Berbatov, Chiquito (whatever his name is?) And Owen.
We have tried to mimick Barcelona with very little success because the players they have are bought up to play that way. It is not a coincidence that you never see a Barcelona player in his pomp move to the EPL because the game over here is to physical, fast and direct. Otherwise you would of seen Ibrahimovic and Eto play over here. I think united tried eith Jordi Cruyff and what happened to him.
The issue is that Wenger has become so stubborn that he cannot see what is smacking us fans day in and day out in the face. The game on Sunday was over within the first 10 minutes so I will not use it as a barometer. Its the games pre that that is the issue.We looked shaky against Newcastle, Reading and the scum until Ade got sent off. Thats not mentioning Swansea, Norwich and Fulham. The list goes on.
To be honest my issue is not just with Wenger and his ineptitude. But I have bitter feelings towards those that run the club as they have completely alienated the fans. Hence why we keep asking for Dein back, although he was probably as bent as George Graham.
I suppose all I am asking for the truth for lack of investment, high ticket prices for mediocrity and the bloody thing going around the emirates that highlights how unsuccessful we have been over the last 8 years.
Nuff said
Good article Sir, very well written. But one issue I have – you mention ‘that lot from up the road’ and Everton as threats t Arsenal’s position, but no mention of the Mighty Reds. Do 5 European Cups not count for anything??