When is enough not enough – how about three Premier League titles (’98, ’02 & ’04) and four FA Cups (’98, ’02, ’03 & ’05). For a perfectionist such as Arsene Wenger you can bet that it’s never enough. If Arsenal fails to advance against Liverpool on Tuesday night in the Champions League the ache will felt deeply as it will be three years since he last tasted that perfection in the form of silverware.
Three years is the longest trophy drought for the man known as the Professor since he arrived on English shores and took the reigns of Arsenal FC in 1996. In those days he was known as ‘Arsene Who’, no one calls him that anymore but one can’t help but wonder whether the three time Manager of the Year is beginning to lose his alchemists touch in the winning department?
You’ll find no argument from me regarding the quality of football that the Gunners have sometimes displayed this year. On occasions its reach a height that I’ve never seen before. The fluency, movement and sheer exhilaration of 100mph football being played flawlessly would take your breath away and it looked for much of the season that his boldness and belief in his kids would be rewarded – but then the lights were turned out.
Some may ask ‘where it all went wrong’ while others may say that this grand experiment in re-inventing football is a year ahead of schedule and that there were bound to be the odd hic-cup along the way.
If we look back at the campaign, Wenger’s decision not to aggressively enter the transfer market in July ’07 and in January ‘08 initially looked sound as they’ve topped the table for a total of 23 weeks. He only spent $16 million on Bakari Sagna and Lassana Diarra (who later moved to Portsmouth at a profit!) but its money that was not spent that looks like eventually hurting him.
I like many pundits thought that the squad while bursting with fresh, new and exciting talent was dangerously paper thin and above all lacked a ‘big’ personality. This has been borne out since the strange 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Manchester United in the 5th round of the FA Cup. What was once fast and stylish has now become slow and ponderous – it’s as though they’re punch drunk.
You can point to the win in Milan, which was epic, as was the comeback against Bolton last weekend but if you swing enough you’re bound to eventually connect. What’s missing is the stinging jab that’s landed over and over again.
Of course ‘Big’ personalities cost ‘big’ money and although Patrick Vieira, Sol Campbell and Thierry Henry were all past their ‘sell-by-dates’ when Wenger wisely moved them out, their charisma and strength of personality has not been replaced. It wasn’t that he didn’t have a war chest though and when you consider that his three main challengers have spent in excess of $200 million since 2007, you have to wonder why the Emirates purse has been kept stashed firmly in his codpiece. For sure the players that have replaced the three ‘Highbury Titans’ are fitter and younger but it takes years to own a dressing room. When you look at the current behavior of club skipper, William Gallas, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.
Supposedly Henry had too much of a say in the dressing room and with his diminishing skills was the reason that he was let go. Fair enough Arsene, I say but who is in charge now?
I know Wenger takes great pleasure in developing talent and his record is second to none but I can’t help but wonder whether he’s letting his ego get in the way of signing someone to boss his club where it matters – out on the park.
If you believe that Cesc Fabregas or Mathieu Flamini are the future, you’re correct, but they are not the complete finished article…yet!
At the end of the day Arsene Wenger wants to be in charge – he is in charge – he rules Arsenal and the Emirates, however, he needs to make available some space on his throne - for someone who is going to cost him a lot of money - and who will arrive in North London with an ego as big as his if not bigger.
Currently there is no danger of Wenger getting fired, in fact uttering that phrase would be considered sacrilegious but with football increasingly becoming more about the bottom line, Arsene Wenger and Arsenal Football Club need to start winning trophies again.
