What an abject disgrace yesterday's game was. Three utter humiliations against title rivals is simply not good enough. I think Wenger is a great team-builder, he can get good players in and get the team playing well together but he is tactically inept. He just cannot improvise or adapt to changing circumstances on the pitch. He's starting to remind me of Sven when he was England boss, just sitting on his hands hoping for the best. The one-size-fits-all theory on Wenger's approach to big games has been mentioned on this forum many times and I think its the most plausible explanation for our shocking results against the strongest teams. I remember Fabregas talking about Wenger's style when he started playing for Barca, saying that Wenger doesn't get the team to study the way their opponents are going to play, just to focus on their own game. This approach works against the lesser teams, but when we come up against a tactically aware manager with top players at his disposal, we don't fight them. We just try to get our passing game going regardless of the tactics our opponents are using to disrupt it. Wrighty said something interesting after the game yesterday. He said in big games away from home, you have to keep it tight and focused at the start. We didn't do that at Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea. We just thought that if we played our game, we would steamroller over them. This approach hasn't worked for years, yet Wenger persists with it. I think it's a sign that it's not just the personnel issues that are responsible for these disasters, it's the manager as well. If we had a top class striker up front, I think we would be several points better off at this stage in the season. However, we had a lot of top performers on the pitch like Cazorla, Sagna, Mert and Kos and still played with no heart, no tactical awareness and no focus. We just don't seem motivated. I have said before that we have improved this season, our consistency, particularly in the first half of the season, was much improved over previous seasons. However, it looks like we'll get 4th again anyway. We have improved but not enough! We have a top stadium. We have a solid financial foundation with cash available. We have a very good squad. We have a proud history. We will more than likely have Champion's League football next season. These are all attractive qualities that could interest TOP managers. I think that, regretfully, Wenger's time at the club should finish at the end of the season. Thoughts?
Yup, hope Wenger goes out on a high by winning the cup, a fresh new direction is badly needed, Wenger has taken us as far as he can, his record against the big sides in the past 5 years shows he's lost it and can't get it done anymore, we also seem to be getting worse in the big games now as these thrashings have shown.
More or less agree with every word and I've said the same about Wenger re: tactics and approach to big games for many years. I also remember when Pires was at Villa and he said something about Wenger never really concentrating on the defensive side of the game.
Agree with all the comments. Arsene Wenger has done a great job at Arsenal - the move to the Emirates, training facilities and all the time operating on a limited budget. However he does seem to be tactically naïve against the other top teams which has cost us dearly. I do hope we can win the FA cup & allow AW to go on a high. Then comes the problem of a replacement.
Totally agree with everything said. Wenger keeps talking about our quality but against better teams it is not there. We have desperately needed a top striker since RVP left but in spite of what Wenger may think Giroud ain't that person. Man City, Liverpool and Chelsea all have quality strikers who are frequently match winners and in the top 5 Premier League list scorers. We are consistently humiliated against the top sides and until Wenger realises we really do need a class striker then we are not title contenders. Goals win matches not pretty passing.
Agree with the op, spot on with Wenger's assessment. I had hopes of a possible title victory but I just can't ignore our performances against the very best teams and managers. He's been left behind now and he just doesnt see it or know how anymore. Its probably a bit of both. We are on target for another top 4 finish but that's it for this season. The FA cup can go either way.
Wenger does have a lot of good things going for him as a manager, he's a great coach, and he's great at building sides, but he lacks tactical awareness. Even when he had the invincible side, they never done anything of note in the CL, and cling to a 5-1 win over Roma in the group stage, as some sort of crowning achievement. They just play the same way regardless of opposition, and you can't do that against the top sides, as they know exactly what to expect from you, and have the players to stop you. The only team recently that's had success in Europe playing the same against everyone was Barcelona, but they had the exceptional players to do it, and even they have now been found out. You need to vary your style of play, so that you don't become to predictable
We cannot continue to hide behind the lack of a decent striker upfront to hide Wenger's deficiencies, how many strikers were on the score sheet yesterday eh? Wenger really has lost the plot, it also appears no one can tell him where he is going wrong. If any manager had lost in that manner yesterday, they will immediately be under pressure..... Not AW it seems, his 3year contract has already been prepared, just waiting for his signature it seems. It pains me to read about the Mourinho's analysis, smirking about how they came for the kill and the match was over in 10mins! AW is becoming a laughing stock and he is taking our great club with him. Mourinho has really humiliated him, both off the pitch and on it.... Expert in Failure!
Nicked this from another forum: P15. W1. D1. L13. That's our record away from home against the other members of the top 4 over the last 5 years. WOW! This is truly staggering. The words "specialist in failure" ringing true.
Quite remarkable, even our side who have been in disarray all season under Moyes managed to get 4 points off you, yet all the other big sides have whooped us
