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Motivation, coaching and new signings

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One can only wonder what was said at half time on Sunday to transform the form and performance of a team, who were not playing badly but lacked urgency and cutting edge. Some claiming inside knowledge will tell you that Arsene Wenger said very little and allowed his skipper to do the talking. This may well be the case, but if it was then the passion and belief exuding from Robin van Persie had been given to him by only one man, Arsene Wenger. Like Cesc before him, Van Persie and many in this current squad feel they owe everything to Arsene.

‘He is a second father to me, the most important person in my life after my father. He has been very supportive of me and has treated me like a son. I am part of his family.’ (Cesc Fabregas)

‘The manager helped me a lot. He was like a second father.’ (Alex Song)

I sense we are now at a pivotal point with the current squad and I am convinced that the second 45 minutes performance against Villa was for Wenger. There are some senior professionals like Van Persie, Song, Sagna and Vermaelen who undoubtedly owe their status and esteem in world football to the Arsenal boss. This is combined with a group of talented youngsters in Szczesny, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Walcott, Wilshere, Ramsey, Coquelin and others who know that Wenger has given them the opportunity which they would not have had at other top Premier League teams. The second 45 minutes from Walcott and Ramsey in particular screamed out ‘this is for you boss’.

Many are questioning the future of Wenger and many feel he has taken Arsenal as far as he can. Many are feeling that now is the time for a change before seven years turns into eight and his legend status is tarnished. The other extreme sees those who can see no fault in Wenger and defend him whatever. I sit in between the two camps. Despite my strong backing of the majority of our squad and my conviction that most of the players believe in Wenger, I do see a need for a change and a freshening up within the present set up.

There has been little written about Boro Primorac, and we all know that Pat Rice was convinced by Wenger to stay on for one more season. Past players have spoken of Primorac, who has been with Wenger since his early managerial days, as a top coach. However, he is also quietly spoken and opts to stay out of the limelight. The closest Primorac came to headlines was when he was caught on camera relaying messages from Wenger to Rice illegally against Udinese. Rice is ready to retire after umpteen years of amazing service as player, captain and coach, so I feel that we should take the opportunity to freshen up the coaching team under Wenger. Insiders suggest that Primorac and Rice have not moved with the times and embraced more modern coaching methods such as video analysis and more specific defensive coaching drills. This may have changed this season but it took events at Blackburn and Old Trafford to prove a catalyst.

One can point to a continual cycle of freshening up as being part of the on-going success at Old Trafford. Even though it has not necessarily been Ferguson’s choice to lose top coaches who have been poached or wanted to try management, it has led to new impetus and new ideas on each occasion. Kidd was replaced by McClaren, who was replaced by Queiroz, who was replaced by Phelan, all during a period where Wenger has always been supported by Rice and Primorac.

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