Arsene Wenger: Where does he stand today?

Arsene Wenger is a legend in his own right

It is not clear how or exactly when, but it does seem like both Wenger and Ferguson lost their midas touch when it came to making legends out of academy players somewhere down the line. Maybe the pressure of staying on top got to them, giving them far less time to go and watch a young prospect in the pouring rain, or to visit the prospect’s parents to gauge the player’s potential, physically and mentally, going on his genes and family background.

The fact that Wenger could not produce or discover another Thierry Henry out of the Arsenal youth squad has led to their recent (and by recent, I only mean the past two seasons) slump. Losing Fabregas and Nasri did not help. Losing Van Persie was like getting kicked while you’re already down.

No one could blame him for the departures of star names, I mean, each of the three aforementioned players left the club to become champions, and become champions they did, leaving their former club more deflated than ever before.

Did Wenger throw his hands up and say, “Well, I had a fantastic run, I got you trophies, I became revered in my field, and now that I don’t have my star personnel anymore I’ll just throw in the towel and save some face and not start venting my frustration on poor, undeserving water bottles”? No. Cazorla and Podolski along with Giroud brought in a revival of sorts at the Emirates, and Arsenal denied their North London rivals a Champions League spot. Yet again.

So what exactly can we call Arsene Wenger? Can we call him a genius? Hardly, as he inherited a prosperous and stable football club and met with the standards expected of him in terms of solid metal achievement (although sometimes he did far exceed them). And we cannot take into consideration his stint at Monaco, because no reasonable person measures a manager’s greatness going on his managerial career in France.

A legend? Well if this was 2005, the status would have been assured far beyond doubt. But the blips on the radar are far too many since that FA Cup final win at the Millenium Stadium and the sparks of genius far too less. To say he is a good manager would however be nothing short of spitting on his face. I mean, people consider Roberto Martinez a good manager for Christ’s sake! Surely Wenger is light years better!

So, for all his attractive football (okay Arsene, you have the ‘prettiest wife’ at the Emirates) and his ‘Invincibles’ season and his maximizing the services of Henry, Bergkamp, Fabregas, Van Persie and so on, or even his wholehearted preaching of financial fair play, his little trophy drought sealed a permanent black mark on what would have been a legacy to envy.

Fate just chooses to pick people from translating gigs and give them league titles in England, Spain and Italy, and yet let a man of Wenger’s ability and talent to endure eight years of torment of the highest order.

So where stands Arsene Wenger? In the eyes of true Gooners, a cut above the rest, towering over them as they look up to them with awestruck eyes. To the rest of the world, a great manager who seemed to have lost favour with fate.

Will he ever taste European glory with Arsenal? Well, I’d hardly take the risk of antagonizing myself at the end of the article by jinxing it, would I?