Cut Arsene Wenger some slack

Arsene Wenger is getting a lot of flak after just one loss after a 10-match unbeaten run

Enough is enough, it’s time for Wenger to go. I mean, come on, 10 matches unbeaten and then he loses to Swansea!? He’s definitely past it, Garry Monk is the future. We should sack Wenger now and sign up Monk. He wouldn’t throw away a 10-match unbeaten run.

This is pretty much how Twitter looked at about 10pm on Monday night. How many games do you have to go unbeaten before you get cut some slack when you inevitably lose one? 11? 20? 49?

At what point do you finally put your hands up and say “it happens”? Why does everything have to be scrutinised to the max? Why is everything about tactical errors or achievements? I don’t analyse every tiny triumph or failure in life. I don’t study a wonder goal I scored on FIFA or agonise over how my dancing scares the girls away in the clubs.

You think about the big things, the things that matter, the wider picture. Losing a match in the manner we lost the Swansea match is not one of those big things.

It’s frustrating as hell, but it’s just one of those things. Swansea came to defend in numbers and they got lucky on a counter. Arsenal’s problem was not with the tactics, it was with the players’ finishing.

How can Wenger control that? I’m sure they work on finishing a lot in training, but this is the real world. Not a video game. So Wenger isn’t sat in the dugout fluffing his finesse shots by forgetting to press R1.

Swansea defended resolutely and managed to keep even Alexis quiet for most of the game. Fabianski did what he needed to do and kept his sheet clean. Almost 48 hours later and the discord hasn’t died down like I thought it would. In fact it seems to be building up a head of steam. It’s as though people were keeping quiet, waiting for us to falter, so they could stick their neck out at the right time for maximum effect.

Swansea did a number on us and you have to hold your hands up and say well executed. We go again on Saturday and if we lose it’s still not the end of our ambitions for the automatic spots. We’ve pretty much got into the Champions League with games to spare and have an FA Cup final to look forward to, the second on the trot.

If that hasn’t earned Wenger some slack I don’t know what will.