Wenger’s Gunners fall short, once again!

The milestone game. The game that would be remembered for a long time. The game that would be played with such passion and fiercely so contested that no matter what the result, it would be a testament of Arsenal’s title credentials. For a record thousandth time, Wenger would lead the Gunners, gunning for glory and an unprecedented Premier League title.

It was however, as they say, not meant to be. The game shall be cherished for long, at least by the Blue half of London. From Mourinho’s astute tactics to Arsenal’s craving for some leadership, from a poor case of mistaken identity to the star-studded injury list, there could be a whole lot of reasons for Arsenal’s poor showing at the bridge. But what about the mauling at Anfield or the humiliating six goals conceded at the Etihad or in context to this season, the failure to overcome Manchester United even once in the league or the 8-2 defeat at the hands of Man United two seasons ago or the 4-0 loss to AC Milan? Why haven’t they made it past the Round of 16 for the last few years? Why no trophies since the last eight years?

And despite all this, Arsene Wenger is regarded as one of the best coaches and probably deserves all the credit for Arsenal’s relative success and financial strength. But then, what is the real reason for Arsenal’s below-par performances in the big games? Why can’t they handle the pressure the same way they used to around a decade back?

If you give it a considerable thought, the answer is relatively simple. They lack a leader, someone who plays with passion and never gives up, someone who motivates his team-mates to fight back when they go down and are on the verge of humiliation. Liverpool have had Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher, who recently hung up his boots, Manchester City have Vincent Kompany and Yaya Toure, Manchester United have had Nemanja Vidic, Patrice Evra, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes who quit football last season, Chelsea have John Terry and Frank Lampard.

Yes, one could argue that Per Martesacker is pretty vocal but he’s no leader. He has organizational skills to hold the defence but once they go down, like they did at Anfield and the Bridge this season, he too, goes anonymous. Then there is Jack Wilshere, who has all these qualities but spends more time on the treatment table than on the pitch. Apart from him, Arsenal have nobody of that mould and even on his best day, he is not one of the best players in the league.

Uninspired?

This may not be the only reason behind their woes against the top draw team but it is one of the biggest challenges they face to winning titles and becoming a team that is feared by rival fans and respected by opponents. The Invincible team of 2003-04 had probably two of them, Denis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry, both of whom could conjure something magical out of nowhere, especially against the top draw teams. Arsenal, currently, lack that and it is hurting them.

Yes, they have some really vocal players in Per Martesacker, Jack Wilshere and Mikel Arteta but none of them are good enough to turn the game on its head. They don’t have a defender who would make last ditch tackles even if they are 3-0 down, they don’t have a striker who would run at oppositions, beating them and bringing others into play, they don’t have an attacking midfielder who would drive at the goal and score forty yards screamers or neither a central midfielder who would try and dictate the game when they are down and out. Yes, on their best day, many of their players have the necessary ability to produce the aforementioned but their stars go anonymous when it really matters or when their team is craving for some leadership, some direction.

And Arsenal made this point blatantly clear this season. They have been criticized by their own supporters and rival fans alike for their lack of transfer activity over the years but at the start of the season, Arsene did what nobody in this world expected of him but everyone hoped of; he made a marquee signing and that too, Mesut Ozil.

Lacking leadership, Arsenal have suffered humiliating defeats at the hands of their rivals.

Suddenly, the team that became a laughing stock after their opening day defeat to Aston Villa was playing with a new founded self-belief. The young guns were having a coming of age season, their lone senior striker was scoring goals for fun, their defence was the tightest in the league and all this was pit down to Mesut Ozil’s arrival. And to a very large extent, it was not misplaced credit. Ozil was playing superbly, unlocking defences with his amazing through balls and his ball distribution was superb. The momentum surrounding his arrival lifted the gloom over the Emirates, the players were playing as a very coherent unit and most importantly, they were striking fear into opponent’s hearts. It was the beginning of a new era.

However, as always the case with Arsenal, it was not meant to be. Ozil’s form dipped at an alarming rate and even Arsenal’s supporters questioned the huge bucks spent on his transfer, and co-incidentally, Arsenal had a change in fortunes as well. Heavy defeats to Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City were hard to take. Their title challenge faded and they now find themselves fighting for a top four place, which is by no means guaranteed.

A closer look at Arsenal’s previous year reveals a shocking pattern. They have been criticized a lot for letting their top players go but then doesn’t every club sell some its top players. Fernando Torres, Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez, Juan Mata, Mesut Özil to name a few. But then why is that Arsenal find it the most difficult to cope with such transfers? The answer is because they somehow, they manage to sell the player who is beginning to step into the shoes of that leader, whom they have missed over the last few years. First it was club captain Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, then again captain Robin van Persie followed by Alex Song. All these were sold on the back of a decent season for Arsenal, despite being the players who were both, the pillars and the heroes of the last season.

It’s about time Wenger held onto his prized asset or seeing the situation and the morale in the current squad, probably find a new leader from across the world.