Arsene Wenger: The man who once led a revolution, now struggling with evolution

Arsenal’s disappointed and shell-shocked fans

Goals are now like mirages for Arsenal fans, you get a glimpse of it once in a while but before you can reach out and grab it they disappear. The defence is leaking goals at an alarming rate. The maulings at Anfield, Stamford Bridge and most recently at Goodison Park have knocked the stuffing out of the squad.

After the Goodison defeat, Wenger was quoted as saying that he could not put his finger on what was missing. This was an extremely worrying statement. What has perturbed most Arsenal fans was the complete lack of fight within the squad. The biggest example of this was when Ross Barkley shoved Arteta to the ground and not one Arsenal player went to defend him. Games are won as much on the pitch as they are in the minds, that internal drive and motivation has to exist to succeed. The body language of Arsenal players in recent times suggests that they don’t believe anymore. It is as if this drive has been sucked out from them.

A portion of Gooners have jumped on the Roberto Martinez and Juergen Klopp bandwagon to soothe their pain. They believe they could be the messiahs to lead the new revolution. I am a little more circumspect especially when it comes to the case of Martinez. He is a wonderful manager with a great attacking philosophy and he has done exceedingly well in his first season in charge of Everton having previously won the FA Cup with Wigan. However I cannot forget the fact that he also led Wigan to relegation and jumped ship immediately.

As for Klopp, (the unofficial leader of every football hipster out there) after that initial euphoria of winning back to back Bundesliga titles the harsh reality has set in. Bayern are now back to their ruthless best and backed with their financial clout have established their hegemony over the German league once more. Klopp seems to be facing the same issues Arsene has had over the years and he is not coping with it very well.

I personally would like Arsene to stay for two more seasons regardless of what happens by the end of the current season. With most of his vital squad players tied down to long term deals and without any financial constraints he can once again build a formidable squad. If he still cannot win anything despite that at the end of those two years then I think it would be a good time for him to walk away. This will also give the Arsenal board time to assess any potential successors like Martinez provided he is still at Everton and isn’t snatched up by any big club.

I believe Arsene is the right man for Arsenal currently despite my many criticisms of him. He does need to tweak a few things to once again be successful. His failure to move on with the times and his stubborn nature has cost him dearly. If there is anything evolution has taught us it is that the ability to adapt is vital for survival.

This principle can be applied to the football world too and that is why managers like Mourinho and Guardiola have had such unparalleled success. They change tactics and adapt as the games and situations demand. Wenger on the other hand has stuck to his age old formulae which may work against the smaller sides but have come undone against the top sides and hence the horrible “accidents” us Gooners have witnessed in recent seasons.

When Arsene first arrived in England he heralded a revolution that yielded multiple rewards. He needs to rekindle that spirit to restore the club to its former glory. At this point of time a quote from The Dark Knight strikes me as fitting,” You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain”. I just hope Arsene doesn’t end up as the latter.