By: Christopher Tangarife
After the 5-1 thrashing Arsenal received at the hands of Bayern Munich, many are calling for Wenger’s departure from the club and they have every right too. Arsene Wenger will always be a legend at Arsenal, but he is slowly losing this status the longer he stays at the helm without winning the Premier League or getting passed the round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League.
Arsene Wenger has won the premier league 3 times, with the last title being in the 2003/04 season, but Arsenal have continually made it into the top 4 during Wenger’s tenure. One major accomplishment has been winning the FA Cup 6 times, but many fans have grown tired of the FA Cup and covet the premier league title
Wenger has received numerous amounts of criticisms throughout the last couple of year. One being his lack of presence in the transfer market. Every transfer window, the same questions arise; what big signing will Arsenal make? Will Arsenal sign a big name striker this time? And lastly when Arsenal goes through its inevitable annual injury crisis, what reinforcements is Arsene Wenger going to bring in to remedy the ensuing crisis and strengthen the team.
Questions have also been raised on Arsenal’s training methods and medical/ fitness staff. It seems as though injuries are way too common, and at a certain points in the season Arsenal’s squad runs thin due to the former. In one case, the injury crisis was so dire that Francis Coquelin had to be re-called from his loan spell at Charlton Athletic, but luckily enough, his loan re-call proved to be successful as he quickly became a fan favorite and a strong enforcer in the middle of the park. Although Coquelin proved to be a welcome addition to the squad, Arsenal’s struggles against top clubs continued.
Arsenal’s record against the top 6, according to the Dailymail UK, is currently 3 wins out of 22 matches as of December 2016. That’s 9 points out of a possible 66. Arsenal also seem to have an ongoing trend of having their worst points per game percentage in the month of November, then crashing down from the top of the table after the Christmas break.
Incredibly enough, through the ups and the downs, Wenger has always had the backing of the fans, but this is quickly evaporating. Arsenal has stagnated completely and the club and fans deserve better. Players have become too complacent under Wenger, due to his undying belief in his squad, and this is breeding mediocrity to into the team’s mentality; because they know even if they perform badly, they will still have the manager’s trust. This has led to many players being underwhelming in matches and not playing to their potential.
One name that stands out in this aspect is Theo Walcott, who is now 28 and has yet to fulfill the potential that we first saw as a teenager playing alongside the great Thierry Henry.
Alex Oxlade Chamberlain is another example of unfulfilled potential. His development has come to a halt, but has been rejuvenated recently, since playing in the middle of the park.
Aaron Ramsey, a key central midfield option in previous years is no longer as valuable, and Alexis, is becoming increasingly frustrated with Arsenal’s direction. The daunting prospect of him and Mesut Ozil leaving is becoming more likely by the day.
Arsene Wenger is a legend at Arsenal, simple as that. He has created a style of play that has been compared to that of FC Barcelona, but although that is the case, Wenger is slowly losing his “Legend” status.’ All of his accomplishments are being over shadowed by all the criticism, results, and rumors. Arsene Wenger simply does not deserve this, Arsenal does not deserve this, and most importantly the fans do not deserve this. Arsene Wenger must leave with his head held high… while he still can.
