Weng-err...
Arsenal are out of the FA Cup after a humiliating defeat at the hands of Championship side Blackburn Rovers and they are on the verge of exit in the Champions League following a 1-3 reverse against Bayern Munich in the first leg of the pre-quarter-finals.
The chances of the Gunners winning the Premiership is as good as spotting a polar bear on the streets of Chennai as they trail run-away leaders Manchester United by 21 points. It is certain that Arsenal will end yet another season empty handed.
Who is responsible for Arsenal’s misery? It would be cruel to say manager Arsene Wenger alone should take the blame for the travails of the club he has been in charge for 16 years. At the same time, however, there is a lingering sense among the Gunners faithful that their beloved boss has lost the plot. Wenger has become a sitting duck and the sight isn’t pretty.
For a club of Arsenal’s stature, not winning a title, small or big, for eight consecutive seasons is an abject failure. The most depressing aspect of being a fan of a big club is to see the team become irrelevant in the title run. Even the staunchest supporter of Arsenal would admit that winning the league is now possible only in a video game.
Wenger, who is a darling of sorts for the English media, was unusually belligerent in a press conference ahead of the Bayern match. He had just lost his first match to a lower division team in the FA Cup ever since he came to England. In the feisty performance — his critics would define it a desperate man’s rant — Wenger tried to persuade journalists that he hadn’t lost his touch. “I have won four FA Cups here,” he raged. But he conveniently forgot to say that the last of the trophies was won in 2005. No top club in Europe would have allowed their manager to continue for eight years without a trophy and you can bet your house on that.
There is no doubt that Wenger’s professionalism ushered the club into the 21st century. But he has to realise that even the best in the business has his sell-by date. The Frenchman shouldn’t allow his glorious legacy to be tarnished. Maybe the time has come for him to say au revoir. Arsenal fans don’t seem to trust Wenger any longer but they will never forget him.
Post new comment