After Arsenal’s latest humiliation, Arsene Wenger was adamant that he could turn things around, but the question has to be asked – if he can, why hasn’t he done it already?
After the three-nil drubbing by Crystal Palace that marked Arsenal’s fourth straight defeat on the road for the first time under Arsene Wenger, Jamie Carragher spoke for Gooners everywhere. He slammed the players, disgusted at Theo Walcott’s post-match comments about Palace wanting it more. He was incensed and showed more anger on behalf of Arsenal than the players could muster between them.
Carragher said that the Arsenal players look like Chelsea when they wanted Mourinho out and no matter how many times the players tell us ‘they’ll do it for Wenger’ they clearly do not want to.
At Cannon Towers as part of the post-Palace autopsy, someone asked ‘when was the last time Arsenal actually played well and won?’ That was an easy one – against Chelsea in September. Six months and 37 games ago – a full league season almost.
In December we sat just 3 points behind Chelsea. Now we’re 21 adrift. It started at Everton and has just got worse. Are we to believe that Arsene Wenger just hasn’t bothered trying to fix it until now?
Because if he could fix it, surely six months is more than enough time.
There is talk that there is a power shift underway in north London, but that’s just nonsense. The season hasn’t ended yet, and while I concede that Arsenal won’t overhaul Tottenham, one swallow does not a summer make. Arsenal have everything in place to succeed- like Chelsea, all they need is a manager who can get that out of the players. There’s no indication this is the start of two decades of north London inferiority, but it doesn’t take much to slide towards that.
Arsene Wenger is not the man to stop this slide.
Perhaps part of Wenger’s problem is that he is delivering in and around what he’s delivered over the past 10 years. He cannot understand why this season is seen as infinitely worse when, point-for-point, we are more or less where we were last season.
But it isn’t just about this season. It’s about the same nonsense every year.
It’s about losing in the same pathetic ways season after season and having a bunch of players who with no backbone.
There are fundamental psychological flaws in this squad and no matter what new players we add into the mix, the same problems persist. They come from the manager and coaching set-up. This bunch do not respond to being given free-reign in a zen-like environment. If ever a set of players existed that needed a great big boot up the arse, it is this lot.
Against Palace, some of them had their bubbles burst as they went to the away fans only to be booed.
The away fans are the best barometer of any club. They support through thick and thin. They sing your name when your losing 8-2 at Old Trafford.
On Monday night, the players were made aware that this simply won’t stand any more.
Was anyone at Arsenal even listening?