Of course, this is almost a knee-jerk reaction to the bad results we have had throughout this season, and I can almost hear most Gunners shouting at the computer screen in indignation at the very thought that tere could be an end for Arsene Wenger, our most successful manager ever.
But hear me out. It is not that we have a terrible team. We don’t, no matter what it might seem like, have a bunch of players who are only mid-table standard. Denilson has got awful stick this season, as has Eboue. But surely the reason for this is not that they are bad players, but that Wenger has put them in a position where they cannot win. Since he joined the club everyone has recognised the talent Denilson has, he is a great passer, he can dictate play excellently and there is the odd goal in him as well. The problem he has had this year isn’t that the talent he once had has disappeare, but that he is a victm of circumstance that he needs to be rescued from. He is not a player who should be on he right wing, or a partner fo Fabregas, but this wouldn’t matter very much if he was only a bit-part player, he is a fully capable substitute for Fabregas and can even do a temporary impersonation if a winger ifhe is really needed. But asking him to do it every week, at the age of 20, in a team not performing, has crippled Denilson as a player and for that we can only blame Wenger.
The same applies to Eboue. The Ivorian was a good right back, and could have been a fantastic understudy to Sagna. That duo at right back is easily Championship-winning quality in depth. But instead he plays wherever and whenever Wenger wants, messed around constantly. Of course he’ll give the ball away when you want a half fit right back to play left wing against Premiership opposition – again it isn’t Eboue’s fault – the lack of confidence he must have it is fortunate he keeps the ball as much as he does.
Wenger, you see, has made crucial mistakes in the transfer market every year since the last time we won a trophy. Vieira was let go too early, that much is obvious. But give Wenger credit, he did manage to rebuild the team despite that, even Henry leaving didn’t affect the improvements we were gradually making, and it all came together last season. Flamini had come out of nowhere to become a fantastic defensive midfielder, Gilberto was on hand with his experience, Hleb kept the ball and helped create chances, Walcott had improved enough to become a real threat, while Adebayor was looking like a striker we could rely on for goals once more.
But in the summer Wenger threw it all away. We sold Diarra, Flamini and Gilberto in just 6 months, and bought no replacement – pure madness in football. All three had their bad points, but they are also all committed, intelligent and willing to do the dity side of the game in order to win. If we had kept just one of those, or we had bought a similar player to replace them, we’d be far closer to the top of table. The comes the winger situation that is very similar to the DM one. Hleb left, something he wanted to do and perhaps wecouldn’t have prevented. But towards the end of last season it was proven that we were a man short on the flanks with Rosicky’s injuries, Walcott’s inexperience and Eboue and Diaby simply not being good enough on th wings for a top four club. But despite this there was only one player to come in to replace Hleb, Samir Nasri. He will be a star for Arsenal, I am confident of that, but lacks the experience to know how to win, and the strength to fit in to the EPL without any adaptation.
Wenger has of course done a lot for the club, more than possibly we even know about, but all managers have pressure to perform or hey are kicked out. All, that is, except Wenger and possibly Ferguson. It is not on that that is the case, everything is all too easy for Wenger to have years and years wihout success to rebuild a new team each and every year. The frustration is that we are only a few quality, experienced players away from a real title challenging effort, but Wenger refuses to spend. I think there has to be pressure put on him from the fans, not pressure on the players but on our manager, before he will finally splash the cash we need to spend. I certainly think if we are not any stronger by summer there may come a time that Wenger will have to accept his principled ways are not suited to the everchanging, money grabbing world of the Premiership.
