Arsenal currently sit 3rd in the English Premier League table, having garnered 59 points from 32 games so far. The Gunners have all but kissed goodbye the league title after a 3-3 draw with West Ham, in addition to being dumped out of all cup competitions.
The Gunners failings have created a perfect storm for Arsene Wenger, with the calls for him to be sacked reaching their all-time peak. The Frenchman has never faced such pressure as he does now in his time in charge of Arsenal, with most of world football acknowledging the need for him to leave the club.
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However, there are still reasons why Arsenal should stick with the Frenchman. Here are 5 reasons why:
1) Pedigree has earned him another year
Arsenal are one of the most successful clubs in English football, with 12 FA Cups, 13 League Titles, Two League Cups, 14 Charity Shields, 2 European tropies, totalling a stunning 43 trophy haul in 130 years of it’s existence. Of those, 15 trophies (3 League Titles, 6 FA Cups and 6 Charity Shields) have been won by Arsene Wenger.
To put those in strictly numerical terms, Arsene Wenger has won 35% (15/43) of Arsenal’s entire trophy haul while being in charge for 15% (20/130) of its history.
Yes, Herbert Chapman propelled the club to the pinnacle of English football, while innovating and changing the sport along the way; but there can be no doubt – Arsene Wenger is the greatest manager in Arsenal’s history. Football is increasingly a results business, as most sports are, but surely you can afford your greatest manager the chance to leave/retire on his own terms?
There are those who will deny Wenger another year in charge, claiming he’s had since 2003/04 to win a league title. It ignores that realistically, Arsenal ought to have competed for the title in only about 3 of those seasons. The financial constraints of the stadium move are off, and while Arsenal should have won the league this season, there is still enough within the club to earn Arsene Wenger another shot at the title.
Fail next year, and maybe his time will have run out. However, Arsene deserves a shot at a final tilt at the league title.
2) Lack of genuine replacements
For all of the clamour around sacking Arsene Wenger, when faced with the follow-up question of who should replace the Frenchman – there is surprsingly little consensus. It’s easy to criticise and offer up no solution, but the Arsenal board will be faced with the stark reality of world football were they to sack Wenger. Granted, they’re paid millions to make the right decision for the club, but money does not make the task any easier.
Jurgen Klopp could have perfectly suited Arsenal, given the club’s history and predilection for attacking football in recent year, but Liverpool took advantage of a perfectly timed situation to entice the German to the club. It’s only been a few months, but Klopp’s Liverpool have much of the same failings as Arsenal – a random inconsistency against lower teams and a leaky defence that undermines the excellent work of the attackers.
Could Klopp have done better than Arsene Wenger? His Liverpool record reads 21 Wins, 13 Draws and 9 Losses in all competions, which is 76 points in 43 games, an average of 1.76 points per game. In that same period, Arsene Wenger’s record is 18 Wins, 8 Draws and 9 Losses, which is 62 points in 35 games, an average of 1.77 points per game.
Almost identical records, which have resulted in one set of fans hailing Klopp as the next messiah, while Wenger faces the most fervent calls for his sacking in his entire career. Yes, some will argue that Liverpool have a worse squad and Klopp’s a new manager, but even in Wenger's worst reign of his career, he performs on par with Klopp.
So who could legitimately come in and do a better job than Wenger? Diego Simeone is performing miracles with Atletico Madrid with very little money, but his rather ‘ugly’ style of football might not suit Arsenal. Which completely ignores the difficulty in luring a club legend living the dream to a club down in the doldrums.
Jose Mourinho? Dear god, no.
Pep Guardiola would have been perfect, but Manchester City’s riches and Catalan links in the boardroom meant that arguably the best manager in world football was destined for the Etihad.
3) Tangible improvement
It’s hard for fans to take perspective amidst a season, with the press at full tilt and opinions being voiced all around. However, it ignores that Arsenal have made tangible steps forward in the last three seasons. Beginning with the signing of Mesut Ozil, Arsenal flexed their financial muscles to sign bonafide stars like Alexis Sanchez and win two FA Cups.
This season undoubtedly represents a step back, although given the ‘crazy’ nature of this year, what with Leicester City likely to win the league, it will be difficult to draw lasting conclusions from the year. Additionally, it’s been a year for managerial turmoil amongst England’s bigger clubs, with none of Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea starting 2016/17 with the same manager in 2015/16, with Manchester United also likely to dispense with Louis van Gaal’s services.
Arsenal have finished 4th, 3rd and look likely to finish 3rd yet again this season, with Leicester projected to earn 82 points, while Arsenal will likely earn 70 points, based on points per game so far. It’s the same gap to the top team (12 points) as last season (75 to 87). It’s this stasis that is earning Wenger the ire of Arsenal’s fanbase, with many becoming disillusioned with Wenger’s familiar failings.
It’s rather surprising how quickly Arsenal fans have forgotten just how dire they were. Arsene Wenger was scraping into 4th for many a year with players such as Denilson being mainstays, and losing to sides like Wigan Athletic in cup finals, all amidst the need to sell a vital star of the squad every season.
Arsenal have the financial power to retain their stars now, thanks to Wenger’s parsimony, while there has been a title challenge in the last two years. They have admittedly gone awry, but it represents a change from the recent history when finishing in the Champions League spots was a fantastic achievement for the club.
This ought to have been the final step into league winners this year, but the EPL is tough and unpredictable. However, the core of a league winning squad is there, and with players such as N’golo Kante and Zlatan Ibrahimovic being available in the summer, it’s imperative to note that Arsenal don’t throw the baby out with the bath-water.
The Gunners are on an upward trend.
4) He is still a master at youth development and signings
For all the accusations that Wenger does not spend enough money, when he does sign them – they usually work out very well and represent incredible value for money. Mesut Ozil has taken 3 years to earn his Player of the Year nomination, but the £42.5 million that Arsenal spent looks money well spent, with 19 assists and 8 goals this season.
Alexis Sanchez looked a bargain last season as well, with many acknowledging that he was one of the best players in the 2014/15 EPL season that was capped off with a Copa America win in the summer. However, his exertions have meant that Alexis has looked fatigued throughout this season, which has meant the Chilean has disappointed, although no Arsenal fan would consider selling him.
Petr Cech and Mohammed Elneny are Wenger’s only two signings this season, but both have improved the Arsenal first-team for very little money, with Cech being particularly fantastic in the first half of the season, while Elneny has breathed life into Arsenal’s perenially injured midfield, for a bargain 5 million.
Spending is never a guarantee of success, what with Louis van Gaal’s misadventures at Old Trafford shining a spotlight on Wenger’s excellence with the money available to him.
However, what Louis van Gaal and Arsene Wenger do share in common is their skill at promoting youth players at the right time. The rise of Alex Iwobi has not earned as much hype as Old Trafford’s afforded Marcus Rashford, but the youngster is currently keeping Theo Walcott, Joel Campbell and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the bench. It’s been fantastic from the 19 year old, who credits Arsene Wenger for his success.
Hector Bellerin also represents another of Wenger’s success stories, as the Spaniard has effectively made Arsenal fans forget about Mathieu Debuchy entirely. Given Wenger’s track record, it’s not inconceivable to think that the next superstar youngster could sign for Arsenal due to the Frenchman’s skill at developing players.
It still represents value to Arsenal.
5) Perfect representation of Arsenal’s club ethos
Arsene and Arsenal. It was a match made in heaven for so long, and while heaven has turned rather purgatory-like for many Arsenal fans this season, there is merit in the association still. Arsenal are the ‘establishment’ club of English football. The club counts Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II as one of its supporters, and there is an ethos that runs deep through the veins of the club.
From Highbury’s art-deco facade and marble halls to Arsenal’s self-financed modern Emirates stadium, Arsenal are a club that prides itself on doing things the ‘classy’ way. Arsene Wenger took the club’s values to heart and has become a representation of the club, rarely besmirching the club’s name with unbecoming antics, although he does remain a sore loser.
Just consider this, an Alsace-born French manager who plied his trade in Japan came to English shores and is now the very fabric of the most ‘English’ of clubs. It takes a special man and a special club to come this far, to withstand negating voices, while confluencing into something that gave English football the magic of the Invincibles.
Arsenal had a reputation of ‘dirty’ football in the 80s and 90s, but it ignores that for much of it’s history, the club has played innovative, attacking football, under Chapman, under Bertie Mee and now under Arsene Wenger.
“He likes having the ball, playing football, passes. It’s like an orchestra. But it’s a silent song. But I like heavy metal more. I always want it loud.” – Jurgen Klopp on Arsene Wenger
Modern football loves heavy metal now, no longer loving the orchestra of football. However, do not underestimate the orchestra-loving Frenchman – he recently surprised everyone by admitting that he’s rather fond of Bob Marley. Maybe the uptight, stubborn sexagenarian has hidden depths we are still unaware of.
‘Don't worry about a thing. Every little thing’s gonna be alright.’ Why? because Arsene Knows.
