5 reasons why Arsene Wenger isn’t done yet

Arsene Wenger is, by some distance, the longest serving manager across the top European leagues. He first joined Arsenal in 1996 and still remains in charge 22 years later.

Despite opposition from some of the more vociferous members of the Arsenal supporter base, Wenger was handed a new two-year contract at the end of last season that will keep him in charge until the end of the 2018-19 season.

The belief seems to be that he is just seeing out his final couple of years while the club put in place a structure that will allow them to prosper once he steps aside. That he is a safe guardian in a time of transition.

But perhaps that is an unfair assessment. Here are five reasons Arsene Wenger isn’t done yet.

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#1 He keeps winning cup competitions

Arsenal may no longer be genuine title challengers in the Premier League, but they have shown themselves capable of triumphing in cup competitions in recent years.

The Gunners have won the FA Cup in three of the last four seasons. Their defence of that trophy ended early with defeat to Nottingham Forest in this year’s third round, but they will instead face Manchester City in the final of the Carabao Cup after defeating Chelsea in the second leg of their semi-final on Wednesday.

It is a chance for Wenger to add another trophy to his Arsenal legacy. He now seems to have carved out a role for himself as a cup specialist, capable of overcoming teams such as Chelsea and Manchester City in one-off encounters when over the course of a full league season, those teams have him beat.

If he can continue to provide more or less a trophy per season that will probably be enough for the club to retain confidence in his ability to lead the team.

#2 He's showing more tactical flexibility

Wenger directing operations against Chelsea.

The image that has long held of Wenger has been of a man stuck in his ways, continuing to persist with a style of football that is no longer apt for the modern game. But there has recently been a solid amount of evidence that this is an unfair representation.

Think, for one, of the switch to a back three that Arsenal made towards the back end of last season. The change coincided with a run of seven wins in their final eight league matches that saw them push Liverpool hard for the final top-four place. It also helped them overcome Manchester City and Chelsea to lift the FA Cup.

In addition to setting his side up to counter-attack when faced with strong opposition - even at home, as they did in the first half of their 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the North London derby in November - Wenger has also made some key tactical changes during matches that have helped tip things his side’s way.

The most recent came in Arsenal’s Carabao Cup semi-final victory over Chelsea on Wednesday. They had struggled to keep tabs on Eden Hazard throughout the first half of the encounter, but the decision to drop Mohamed Elneny back into defence helped limit Hazard’s space and influence after the break as Arsenal went on to win 2-1 on the night and on aggregate.

#3 He's still good at developing youth

Alex Iwobi has been developed by Wenger.

Give Arsene Wenger good young players to work with and he is still capable of developing them and turning him into solid first-team squad members.

In recent years, Hector Bellerin has become a reliable performer at right-back or right wing-back, wide forward Alex Iwobi has provided some good contributions and is starting to add more consistency to his game, while Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Rob Holding have also been eased into the first year over the last year or so.

In the upper reaches of the Premier League table, it is only really Mauricio Pochettino at North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur who shows similar faith in young talent.

Wenger’s ability to bring through and develop academy graduates or promising youngsters purchased from elsewhere will be key if Arsenal are to again compete with their more heavily moneyed rivals in both England and Europe.

#4 Improved recruitment will give him a better platform

Wenger needs better recruitment to again compete at the top.

In November, Arsenal appointed Sven Mislintat as their new head of recruitment. He arrived from Borussia Dortmund, where he was credited with identifying the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Shinji Kagawa and Ousmane Dembele.

There was a time when Arsenal were one of the best clubs in Europe at identifying and attracting young talent - examples include Cesc Fabregas, Patrick Vieira, Nicolas Anelka - and after a number of years in which their recruitment seems to have lacked any obvious foresight, the arrival of Mislintat can only improve things.

Surely now, problem areas such as the longstanding need for a powerful and assertive presence in front of the defence will be resolved.

If a balanced squad can be built with the right mix of experienced heads and talented starlets, Wenger may just have the right platform to again provide a challenge at the top of the Premier League table.

#5 His experience can be a virtue

Wenger has seen it all within football.

Wenger has been a head coach since 1984 and in football since 1969. At 68 year old, he has years upon years of experience dealing with players, staff and directors, and has seen many tactical trends come and go.

While young, well-educated coaches are currently in vogue, the experience can still be a valuable resource to call upon. If surrounded by a young and dynamic group of coaching and recruitment staff who are willing to challenge him, Wenger certainly still has a place in the modern game. He is naturally inquisitive figure and that needs to be channelled.

He doesn’t have to be as directly involved in all facets of the club as he has been over the course of his long tenure at Arsenal but used in the right context, his attributes and experience can still make Wenger a productive figurehead for the playing side.