I think Arsene Wenger has lost the plot and I’m devastated. Wenger has been such an incredible addition to the Premier League over the past 15 years but this gradual downturn in Arsenal’s fortunes seems to have reached rock bottom after the 8-2 drubbing at the hands of Man United.
Whether it was his rivalry with Sir Alex, his ridiculous pitch side antics or his ability to create beautiful football and a team of ‘Invincibles’ there are many reasons to place Arsene in the Pantheon of Premier League greats; but without silverware in the past 6 campaigns the evidence seems all too strong that he has finally lost his way.
An ethos of creating new talent into a beautiful team has not come to fruition, with every youngster that has progressed to stardom quickly sold at an exceptional price. One must wonder what goes on behind the scenes, who is lining their pockets, where do the millions go? Are they truly still reeling from the decision to leave the magical Highbury for the soulless Emirates? This is surely the only diagnosis as a desperate lack of funds gained from the sale players is being pumped back into the squad.
After a disastrous opening to the season losing not only games but also their 2 talismans of Fabregas and Nasri they also seem to have lost their direction. The reason I say this is because their team still boasts great talents in the form RVP, Ramsey, Arshavin and Wilshere, but how many of these players now regularly perform to the levels we expect? RVP now stands invincible as the in form striker of the Premiership, everything he touches turns to gold…but without him, i fear it may be a different story?
Youth is not the answer – the time for this ethos, I feel, has run out – wholesale change is needed to win for the only other option it seems is to lose that Big Club status. Without that label they have no pulling power for big names and even less power in holding onto the youth they pour so much time, effort and funding into cultivating. The current Arsenal philosophy is seemingly that it’s not worth winning if you don’t win pretty, what a wonderful philosophy to have if you are winning, but that is no longer the case. In my opinion Arsenal need to start winning at any cost whether it be financial or philosophical and to me that cannot be achieved with Wenger still at the helm.
Look at Liverpool, European champions under Benitez, at the top of the game, yet following that they entered into a decline. The decision was taken to remove Benitez, and following an unfortunate hiccup with Roy Hodgson, stand with a ‘new’ manager in Daglish, significant investment in the squad and are now looking set to launch themselves back into the top 4 – and it seems all too obvious to suggest that it would be at the expense of Arsenal – unless they react.
Will Arsene ever live this down?
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