The struggle is certainly very real for the Arsenal fans in the Transfer Tavern…
Defeat at Liverpool over the weekend has left things looking very bleak at the Emirates, and there doesn’t appear to be any sign of any improvement over the coming months.
Arsene Wenger is in it for the long-haul, and unless things change massively, the Gunners could have a mass exodus on their hands over the next year or so. Big players like Alexis Sanchez, Petr Cech and Mesut Ozil have contracts that are set to expire over the next 12 months – and so the Gunners are treading a very dangerous path.
Blame can certainly be pointed at a number of sides: management, the Arsenal brass and, of course, the players, and Daily Star journalist David Woods has recently been discussing that very topic.
It is his opinion that the blame should not just fall on Arsene Wenger: “In truth it’s been going wrong for a long, long time and Wenger and chief executive Ivan Gazidis are very much to blame for the club’s plight”.
Continuing, Woods writes: “Where once there was just clear direction from Wenger and his confidants, now there are numerous staff trying to justify their existence. In consequence, the manager’s authority looks to have been eroded”.
Wenger, he notes, is not void of any blame though – pointing towards his failings last season as a reason for frustration amongst fans: “Wenger had endured a terribly difficult season, with more and more fans turning on him”.
He goes on to discuss more evidence and analyse more of the events going on at Arsenal, but it’s a very interesting discussion point. Who, exactly, is to blame for Arsenal’s struggles?
The players have been poor over the last 18 months or so, of course, but is it not Wenger that instructs them and dictates their playstyle. Likewise, whilst Wenger has been given some of the tools to succeed, a relative lack of investment and commitment from his higher ups has left him short of resources.
Landlord’s Verdict
As Woods suggests, no one singular person is to blame for Arsenal’s troubles. Their problems are here, and they need to find a way around them.
The first thing they need to do is look to tie down as many of their players as possible. The fact of the matter is that they aren’t going to do any better than Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Petr Cech, and so they simply must be paid whatever they want in order to keep them at the club.
Likewise, investment is needed in the side too, and so the recruitment of a few players must happen. It isn’t enough to sign Alexandre Lacazette and pick up Sead Kolasinac on a free, they need more bodies and more quality.
It’s going to be tough for the Gunners this season, and it needs to be a team effort to make things right.
Arsenal fans – thoughts?
Let us know below!
