5 reasons why Arsene Wenger isn’t done yet

#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.