Arsene
Wenger needs to leave Arsenal at the end of the season if the club is to
challenge for honours in the near future.
He will
still go down in the history of the Gunners and he has done many great things
for the club but both parties need a change of atmosphere.
Although the
67-year-old has brought silverware to the north London club, his reign will
probably become infamously remembered for the number of times Arsenal has
finished fourth in the English Premier League, which has happened six times.
He has been
praised for his ability to work on a limited transfer budget, especially when
the club had spent money on the Emirates Stadium, and he has turned a club once
known for playing the most boring football in the United Kingdom into a team
synonymous with entertaining football.
In the past
the Gunners produced entertaining football and results but now there is style
with little substance. He has become so focused on the aesthetics of football
and his team are not very strong in the defensive phase of the game.
For the
seventh season in a row, Arsenal was eliminated in the Round of 16 in the
Champions League. Wenger lamented the refereeing in the second leg against
Bayern Munich but when you lose 10-2 on aggregate, a controversial Laurent
Koscielny sending-off is the least of your worries.
The
Frenchman is also keen to highlight refereeing errors than on the flaws of his
team. Regardless of how good or bad the refereeing is in a particular game,
Arsenal has a history for not being able to cope with pressure and
expectations.
Wenger has
spent big money on players in recent seasons but it does not necessarily mean
he has invested wisely. Attacking midfielder Mesut Ozil was bought for £42.5
million in 2013, winger Alexis Sanchez for £31.7m in 2014, and defender Shkodran
Mustafi for £35m as well as central midfielder Granit Xhaka for £30m in 2016.
Ozil and
Alexis have been great players for the North Londoners but the verdict is still
out on Mustafi and Xhaka and they have not acquired a centre-forward with
superior skills and a more prolific strike rate than Olivier Giroud.
Searching
for out-and-out strikers has been a problem in recent seasons as the likes of
Lucas Perez and Yaya Sanogo look like nothing more than bench-warmers.
Arsenal has
gone 13 years without a Premier League title and it seems that the drought will
get longer and longer. Fresh ideas are needed at the north London club if it is
going to be a title contender. It may require a change in tactics or mental
approach.
The squad from
the 1997/98 double-winning season is gone as well as “The Invincibles” from
2003/04. The Gunners have also lost two finals in European competitions. Recent
FA Cups don’t prove enough atonement for not winning more Premier League titles
or performing well in Europe.
Arsenal
needs fresh ideas as well as a fresh approach and it doesn’t look like Wenger
will win more silverware with the Gunners. It is time to leave.
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