From Paul Griffin : problems lie with Wenger and the Board
Much has been made of the Gabriel sending off in the aftermath of our defeat to Chelsea.
To solely focus on that would be masking the problems we currently have at the moment.
For instance, Zouma’s goal from a set-piece had nothing to do with being down to 10 men and more our consistent weakness at defending from them.
This is a regular occurring theme over the years in this area and it’s all down to the failure of the manager to address this issue adequately.
We can mention the failure to strengthen the team in the summer but there’s more to management than just buying players.
Tactically setting up the team and organising it to the desired level also comes into it and you only have to see sides like A.Madrid and B.Dortmund in recent years with less resources than us doing it under Simeone and Klopp.
Two clubs that have shown us up in how to do things right. Even taking the spending side alone, too much talk focused on who was available as if there were no players out there that could have improved the squad.
I’m happy Cech arrived but there was also players of the standard of Alderweireld available who could have improved us.
Krychowiak could have been acquired by activating his buyout clause of just over £21m and would have also given us the added bonus of his versatility where he can play at centre back.
That price tag is the going rate in the market for a top defensive midfield player and you only have to look at the money paid for Schneiderlin and Matic.
As much as I like Coquelin, he maybe good enough as a player for a top 4 Champions League qualification finish, but to go that extra mile to win the league and go far in the Champions League, I would have serious reservations.
Sometimes too it is necessary to take a chance on someone with potential as you see United doing with Martial.
Arsene Wenger and his worldwide scouting system are paid well to spot this potential around the world.
This is the fourth season Giroud has started the season as our main striker and it’s quite staggering we haven’t found someone in that period that is significantly better than him. All may have been solved had Wenger gone the extra yard by bidding further for Suarez but refused to do so other than the £40m+£1 bid.
Yet shortly afterwards pays more for Ozil who is an inferior player to Suarez. I still can’t get head around this to this day.
I think this passive behaviour to the transfer market in the summer was a deliberate judgement call in his belief in the team as it stands now.
That beggars belief when looking at that we finished third, got beat by an average Monaco side in Europe and needed extra time to beat a Championship team in Reading in a semi-final of the FA Cup.
You would think we were winning everything in sight with our policy in the transfer market.
Bayern, after winning the treble in 2012 under Heynckes, still felt the need to strengthen that following summer. Likewise Barca even with a transfer ban signing Arda Turan and Alex Vidal.
We on the other hand just stand still watching others get on with their business.
Wenger can continually behave like this in transfer window after transfer window as he knows he has no accountability on him from Kroenke and the board where he is fully aware he will never get sacked in the process.
At no other club, could a manager take a judgement call by putting things off to the next transfer window, as that manager knows full well he might not be in the job at that time.
What keeps the fans faith at any club is that there is accountability if the sufficient standards of a club aren’t reached.
That is sadly lacking at our club and it is why fans are understandably displaying their anger at the current situations.
I for one see no other option, other than Wenger leaving, for Arsenal to fulfil their potential as a club.
Myles says:
Thanks for a measured review where the club now stands.
It’s a one-man show since David Dein left.
The biggest club in Europe’s richest city has nobody to manage the manager.
Scouts recommend, Wenger dithers, club stagnates, Wenger blames the ref twice a week now.
IT’S NEVER HIS FAULT.
PS. Glad someone else rates Alderweireld as highly as I do.