Sport
WENGER DESERVES BETTER
There was not much love in the air for Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger just 24 hours after Valentines Day and it is looking increasingly unlikely the Frenchman will be around at the club when Valentines Day comes around next year. The calls for Wenger’s sacking are becoming deafening, but Arsenal fans should maybe be careful for what they wish for.
Wenger’s future at Arsenal is under the most intense scrutiny it has ever been during his 20 years in charge of the club, in the wake of the 5-1 humbling in the Champions League to Bayern Munich.
The result means Arsenal are facing another early exit from Europe’s premier competition, with the Gunners on the verge of crashing out at the first knockout round for the seventh consecutive season.
Who’s to blame?
It was not just the defeat to German champions Bayern Munich that damaged Wenger – it was the manner of the defeat – as Arsenal were well in this tie at half-time after drawing level at the break, but a second half collapse in which they conceded four goals has only added fuel to the fire for those who want Wenger to leave.
Wenger’s contract expires at the end of the season and a large section of the Arsenal supporters now feel the time is right for a change at the top, but surely Wenger does not deserve all the blame for their capitulation in Munich.
Some of the players have to stand up and take responsibility for their dismal second half display as at half-time Arsenal were threatening a possible win at the Allianz Arena before it all went horribly wrong in the second 45 minutes.
Laurent Koscielny was badly missed when he went off injured and it is no surprise that Bayern’s four goals came after the French defender’s early departure, but the players on the pitch needed to do more to stop the wave of Bayern attacks show some resilence in a bid to keep alive their chances of progressing past the last 16 of the Champions League.
Deserves better
Arsenal fans feel they deserve better, but so also does Wenger before this relationship turns really ugly.
Wenger is taking the brunt for the ire of Arsenal fans right now and looking at the elegant Frenchman you can see he is hurting at the criticism aimed in his direction.
Wenger is widely regarded as one of the best managers of his generation and helped transform Arsenal and English football when he took charge in North London in 1996.
The Frenchman has helped develop some of the best teams and best players to ever grace the Premier League during his 20 years. In the early years of his tenure trophies and success went hand in hand with his easy on the eye style of football, but now that the success has dried up the memories have began to fade.
Legacy
Wenger’s methods have been questioned as a result of Arsenal’s failure to win trophies on a regular basis, but until recently in the transfer market his hands have been tied by the Gunners hierarchy who were more inclined to pay off the building of the Emirates rather than hand their manager a hefty transfer budget to strengthen his squad.
In the wake of the move to the Emirates Wenger for a few seasons was forced to sell his best players and had to buy wisely in the transfer market and turn to youth to try and keep pace with his big spending rivals.
Under Wenger Arsenal have spent the last 20 seasons securely positioned among the country’s top four teams and in the process dined at the top table with Europe’s elite so Arsenal supporters have arguably been spoiled rather than starved.
Arsenal fans just need to look at what happened to Manchester United once Wenger’s old adversary Sir Alex Ferguson quit with United missing out on the top four in two of the last three seasons and the club now on their third manager since the Scot’s departure in 2013.
Whatever happens this summer Wenger will go down as arguably the greatest manager of Arsenal of all time and Gunners fans should be grateful for what he has done for the club.
If the 67-year-old decides to step aside at the end of the season he will be a tough act to follow at Arsenal and it may be a case things could get worse before they eventually get better.
