Arsene Wenger's bizarre reasons for Arsenal failure has more holes than his defence
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Updated 22/05/2017 at 12:38 GMT
Arsene Wenger's has blamed uncertainty for Arsenal's inconsistency since January, but it is difficult to understand his reasoning for missing the top four, writes Desmond Kane.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger at the Emirates.
Image credit: Eurosport
Arsenal finished their season with a 3-1 win over Everton, but for the first time in 20 years, the groans were palpable on the final day as Arsene Wenger faced up to ending the season outside the top four and without a place in the Champions League.
Goals from Hector Bellerin, Alexis Sanchez and Aaron Ramsey ensured Arsenal of fifth place. It was classic Arsenal in ending the season with five straight wins when expectation had dwindled among a disillusioned fanbase, but Manchester City and Liverpool did not relent as they joined Chelsea and Tottenham as the Premier League’s representatives in the Champions League.
Wenger has yet to confirm whether he will remain at the club he arrived at in 1996 before they face Chelsea in the FA Cup final on Saturday. Yet the Frenchman felt the uncertainty surrounding his own future had contributed to Arsenal’s struggles since January. Here we try to make sense of his comments.
Horrendous environment at club?
Overall I believe that we played since January in a very difficult environment for different reasons. Some obviously that you know about, and that is very difficult for the group of players to cope with that. Some other reasons where we will talk about another day. But the psychological environment for the group of the players was absolutely horrendous. I am very proud of what they have done, the way they responded and finished the season.
Is he right?
Obviously not. Arsenal became a difficult environment for different reasons, but mainly because the team were losing matches. A manager can get away with a lot and saying a lot as long as the team is winning. When you are losing, the blame lies with the manager. It is Wenger who was responsible for recruiting players who developed a damning losing habit.
A horrendous psychological environment is perhaps brought about by unhappy fans, but supporters have every right to air their displeasure. It is part of the game.
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Arsenal fans protest at the Emirates.
Image credit: Eurosport
Amid the bleak January weather, Arsenal’s players simply could not cope with the heat. When Alexis Sanchez scored a 98th minute penalty against Burnley in a 2-1 win at the Emirates on January 22, Arsenal were second in the table, eight points behind Chelsea with 16 league games remaining. They finished the season fifth, 18 points behind the champions. The table does not lie.
Amid Arsenal's toils in February, Wenger felt it was right to give Mesut Ozil a holiday break. It was symbolic because what kind of message did that send to the rest of the squad?
If Wenger's players can’t cope with playing for Arsenal, they should not be at such a club. For Wenger to be proud of his players is eccentric. They do not deserve to be commended for finishing fifth. Not when change is clearly needed in the dressing room.
(Warning: below tweet contains some strong language)
Personal situation a factor?
Certainly my personal situation has contributed to that (difficult environment). But they should not question it, I am professional, as long as I am somewhere, I do my job until the last day. You could not question my love or my loyalty to this club, because I said no to every club in the world to stay here with very restricted finances for years. So I don't understand really why the question over that commitment.
Is he right?
Nobody has questioned Wenger’s commitment. Or whether or not he has rejected moves to other clubs. That is neither here nor there. Nor is it of any interest to those gnarled souls on Arsenal fan TV. It is his ability as Arsenal's manager that has been questioned. And also his ability to recruit players who are capable of carrying out instructions at such elite levels of the sport.
It remains unclear whether Wenger’s tactics are poor or whether his players are incapable of responding to instructions. The answer probably lies somewhere in between. There are too many haphazard moments to mention when you consider Arsenal’s toils, but Eden Hazard’s goal against Wenger's side in a title-ending 3-1 win for Chelsea in February when he appeared to run through the visiting team illustrates the brittleness of Arsenal's defending.
Living in the past does nobody any favours when Arsenal are among the six richest clubs in the world. It should be noted that Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, Arsenal's prized assets, were purchased from clubs in Barcelona and Real Madrid where coaches last about as long as their kits.
In particular, Ozil represented Real Madrid, football's most unforgiving outpost where players are asked to perform whoever is in charge. It is difficult to swallow the belief that Wenger's unwillingness to commit his future to the club had any effect on their play. Players are only interested in making sure they are paid.
In the case of Alexis, Wenger’s situation had little effect. He was a stand-out performer in the Premier League contributing an glorious 24 goals and 10 assists despite Arsenal's performance levels. Ozil produced an acceptable nine assists and eight goals from midfield.
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Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez celebrates scoring their first goal with Mesut Ozil
Image credit: Reuters
If Wenger had come out and said he was staying or going, would Arsenal’s form had differed? Uncertainty over Wenger was not the root of Arsenal's plight.
Strange to miss out on Champions League?
It's very sad because for 20 years we were in it, and it is the first year we will not be in it. It's very strange because for 75 points we are one point short and of course you can look everywhere where we did drop points.
Is he right?
It is maybe the wrong word used at the wrong time, but there is nothing strange about Arsenal missing out on the top four. Historically odd yes when they have been regulars in the competition, but seasonly they wound up where they should have. Accumulating 75 points was only good enough for fifth. And they finished fifth because they lost six matches and drew one of their final 16 matches starting with defeat to Watford in late January and running on to humiliating losses at West Bromwich and Crystal Palace where the defence nodded off.
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Arsene Wenger watches Arsenal lose 5-1 to Bayern Munich
Image credit: Reuters
There was also the 10-2 aggregate flogging by Bayern Munich in the Champions League last 16 that suggests that while Arsenal are a Champions League club in wealth, their standard would be better suited to making a push for the Europa League. As Manchester United have shown this season.
Kroenke not at fault for struggles?
I respect Stan Kroenke a lot. He is not at fault if we did not reach the Champions League tonight. It is the technical department who is responsible for that. I don't see what he has to do with that.
Is he right?
If football is a team game, the board of directors must accept their share of the blame. Kroenke is the main shareholder and a figure who has previously aired his contentment with respectability rather than winning the Premier League. "If you want to win championships then you would never get involved," he said last year.
"I think the best owners in sports are the guys that sort of watch both sides a bit. If you don't have a good business then you can't really afford to go out and get the best players unless you just want to rely on other sources of income.
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Arsenal shareholder Stan Kroenke (left) with chairman Chips Keswick
Image credit: PA Photos
It will be interesting to see how Kroenke views Arsenal’s failure to qualify for the top four because it is a failure both from a football and a business perspective. Arsenal have become used to widespread brand recognition in the Champions League.
That is gone, and so has the yearly income stream of over £40m that accompanies it. Wenger clearly has an ally at the club in Kroenke otherwise change would have been affected long before now. Winning the FA Cup does not detract from the poverty of Arsenal's collapse in the league.
Owners of similar clubs would not be so patient with a struggling coach.
Desmond Kane
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