Bouncing back from a 3-2 defeat to Stoke City and some rather shocking scenes at a nearby train station the weekend prior, Arsenal returned to form on Saturday with a resounding 4-1 win over Newcastle in the Premier League.
To some, it was a form of redemption for both the manager and the fans as ‘Wenger’ chants echoed around the stadium. But the Magpies win hasn’t changed anything; the Gunners are still faced with a plethora of long-term problems, many of which stem from their manager.
With that in mind, here’s FIVE reasons why Wenger’s 18 years at the club should still be brought to an end as soon as possible.
Beating teams like Newcastle has never been Arsenal’s problem
Arsene Wenger’s name rang around the Emirates Stadium on Saturday amid an emphatic 4-1 win over Newcastle, as if the Frenchman had somehow redeemed himself from the atrocities of the Stoke City defeat.
But claiming three points against the Premier League’s rank-and-file opposition, such as Newcastle, has never been Arsenal’s problem under Wenger. In fact, the Magpies have beaten the Gunners just twice in their last 23 encounters, spanning ten years.
Newcastle may be enjoying a strong patch of form of late, winning seven of their last nine prior to Saturday – including a 2-1 win over previously undefeated Premier League leaders Chelsea.
But few envisaged a win for the Emirates visitors so neither the result not the scoreline was particularly surprising. If one defeat doesn’t make a whole season, neither does one victory – especially against a side as ordinary as the Tynesiders.
But beating heavyweight opposition still is
On the other hand, grabbing vital wins against the Premier League’s and Europe’s big boys is still a major problem for Arsenal.
They’ve already lost to Chelsea, Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund this season, whilst also holding out for draws against Manchester City, Everton and Tottenham.
Overall, the only sides they’ve beaten that finished in the Premier League’s top half last year are Newcastle (10th) and Southampton (8th), which just isn’t good enough for a Champions League standard club.
The 2-0 defeat to Chelsea constitutes a particular worry; Arsene Wenger is yet to win against a Jose Mourinho side in a competitive fixture. If the two managers were in a league of their own, Mourinho would have 26 points compared to Wenger’s five from their twelve encounters, with a goal difference of 15.
Arsenal apologists will be quick to point out the spending power at Mourinho’s disposal during this period, compared to the financial restrictions placed upon Wenger as a result of the Emirates stadium.
But the new ground is built and Chelsea are still one of the Premier League’s financial powerhouses – that situation will never change. If Wenger can’t overcome the fiscal disparity between the clubs with ingenuity on the pitch, the Gunners need to find a manager who can.
Inexcusable mistakes in the transfer market
How Arsenal entered this season with one defender than last year, despite their defensive depth being tested on plenty enough occasions during the 2013-14 campaign, is quite frankly beyond me.
Carl Jenkinson, Thomas Vermaelen and Bacary Sagna were replaced with just Calum Chambers and Mathieu Debuchy during the summer and resultantly, the Gunners were once again forced into fielding a full-back at centre-half on Saturday.
It didn’t make a difference on the outcome against Newcastle but has undoubtedly cost the North Londoners on several occasions already this season. Would Arsenal have lost against Manchester United, Swansea and Stoke City with two top centre-halves at full health?
It seems far less likely considering all fixtures were decided by just the one goal, and with Arsenal’s historic injury problems well known, Wenger should have anticipated the need for another centre-back in his squad.
In other industries, such ignorance would probably constitute malpractice.
On Saturday, pundit Alan Smith attributed it to Wenger’s hesitance in the transfer market and that’s certainly a fair point – the north Londoners spent the majority of the summer slowly courting Greek centre-back Kostas Manolas for example, but he was eventually allowed to join Roma in late August with seemingly little fuss from Arsenal.
Long-term refusal to strengthen in key areas
And it’s not just this summer where Wenger’s transfer record should be questioned. He’s persistently ignored obvious gaps in Arsenal’s squad in favour of more fanciful signings, such as Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil.
Few dispute the quality of the ex-La Liga duo, the former netting nine times in his first 14 Premier League appearances and the latter a bona fide World Cup winner, but that’s almost £80million spent on an area of the squad where the Gunners already boast formidable options.
Meanwhile, Arsenal’s midfield has been left in an absolute mess, lacking any sort of conventional balance. The only out-and-out defensive midfielders on the roster are Mathieu Flamini and Francis Coquellin, but neither would look out of place at a bottom half Premier League club.
Wenger told beIN Sport he wants a physical midfielder like Vieira or Petit earlier this season, but he’s had plenty of opportunities to buy one already since the departure of Alex Song two years ago.
A £30million investment in holding midfield could completely transform the Gunners, as most Arsenal fans will willingly argue. Unfortunately however, Wenger appears too stubborn to agree.
Suddenly, finishing fourth is a good thing again
There was something worrying about the mood in the Sky Sports studio after Arsenal’s win over Newcastle.
Suddenly, the pundits were talking about Arsenal again as if taking fourth spot for another year is a good thing – an acceptable achievement of a club their size, a club that currently has a bigger wage budget than Chelsea.
Already 13 points behind the league leaders after just 16 games, it appears another Champions League qualification campaign is all Gunners fans can realistically hope for this season – yet again.
Wenger recently claimed Arsenal have been involved in countless title races over the last decade, but the stats don’t lie and they’ve finished on average 16 points off the top in the last nine years, with their closest campaign being a five point margin way back in 2007/08. A fourth-place finish this year would constitute the seventh in their last ten campaigns for the north Londoners.
In that time, we’ve seen the rises and falls of Tottenham, Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool to name a few. But if supporting those clubs is like a rollercoaster ride with inevitable highs and lows, supporting Arsenal is like being on the teacups.
If the Gunners ever wish to escape their purgatorial state between third and fourth, they need a change in management.