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The never ending drama that is Arsenal FC


Let me start off by saying I have utmost respect for Arsene Wenger, and I have always wished him well. What he has done for this football club puts him in the pantheon of greatest managers of all time. He deserves a statue for sure. The day he leaves Arsenal FC will surely be sad, and I'll always thank him for all the magical moments he has given us, and not to mention the beautiful Wengerball, which we absolutely adore.

Needless to say, Arsenal FC are in a slump of a whole new magnitude unseen in the entirety of Wenger's tenure at the club. Form is nonexistent, results are predictably negative, performances have dropped below the standards usually set by a team destined for relegation. Fans have nothing to cheer about, players don't seem to care. The manner of every defeat has remained the same over the past few years. A culture of mediocrity has developed at the club where excellent was the minimum requirement. The board is seemingly happy with this mediocrity.

Throughout the banter era, Arsenal were ridiculed as just a top-4 club. They looked like they are in for the title, but fade out of all competitions in February, and somehow manage to end the season strongly to give renewed hope to fans and players about the next season. Though the banter era has ended, the pattern of the seasons hasn’t changed. One marked difference: we managed to win a few FA cups along the way. Our performances in the league and European competitions are still below par. Heck, I would say they are worse than in the banter era, where we at least went out to better teams.

What has this club come to? What happened to my beloved Arsenal? Where are the players who used to set the pitch alight with their irresistible performances? We used to look forward to Arsenal games, now I just dread them. I can't bear to watch Arsenal lose to teams great and bad. Why am I still watching them then? Hope.

The hope that this group of players is capable of turning it around. Because I have seen them produce some magical football, sometimes against the top teams of Europe. The individual talent is there, each and every player has won some of club football's greatest prizes, and some have even found glory on the international level. So what is going wrong?

There is a general lack of identity to Arsenal these days. The slick one touch passing we gooners have become accustomed to, is not there anymore. The team looks bereft of new ideas. Attackwise, we are as disjointed as a Sunday league team. Our midfield doesn’t tick anymore, and defence needs an upheaval on a massive scale. Tactics are too predictable, and game plans are non-existent. Game management is a long forgotten skill which Arsenal don’t seem to want to employ.

How does one go about fixing this? Is this even fixable? Who stays, who goes? Who comes in? Some of the work has already started, with Sven Mislintat and Raul Sanllehi hired for the roles of Head of Recruitement and Head of Football Relations(which seems a placeholder for Director of Football). Huss Fahmy has joined to handle player contracts, while Dick Law has moved on. Nothing about the on pitch changes yet. I expect the next set of changes to be the manager and players.

Surely, Arsene Wenger's time is up? He cannot seem to get the players motivated, he seems unable to turn the tide around, and he has been the common denominator in the great decline. He has had absolute control over transfers, player contracts, tactics and match day squads. His teams have not made progress in the league or the Champions League. Heck, even in the Europa league, we look unconvincing.

Replacing one man should be a cheaper option, and maybe a different man at the helm can get a different response from these players. One thing that will be guaranteed though: we will see some fresh ideas. We could see players playing knowing that their places aren't warranted. They might fear being dropped following bad performances. Could that lead to better results? Who knows? I mean, it hasn’t been tried yet. We have hit a nadir so low, we might as well give the reins to a different person.

Changing the manager isn’t certain to bring back the positivity. But it might just reignite interest among the fans. It might rejuvenate the players. Right now, the fans couldn’t care less. The stadium was empty for a clash against Manchester City, which is one of the premium games of the season. The rest of the crowd booed the team off the pitch at the end of the dismal first half. What can a different manager get from the crowd, and the players?

Hope is all gooners have left now. Deteriorating hope, but hope nonetheless. Whatever happens, Arsene Wenger needs to go. He deserves a royal farewell, for all that he has done for this great club. I hope he does one last great thing, and sees what he is doing to his legacy, and realizes his mistake.

Victoria Concordia Crescit!

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