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It's that time of the year again, where the top trending hash-tag in Gooner-world is #WengerOut. I haven't been following Piers Morgan of late, but I can't imagine too much Wenger-love being mentioned in that bubble either, even with the magical capture that is Alexis Sanchez, whose purchase Arsene Wenger masterminded while working on his tan on the shores of Brazil.To be honest, I missed the live telecasts of the two previous matches on how to throw it all away, or of how to 'Arsenal it up' like some tabloids have been sporting as headlines. Replays I've watched.The critics seem to have toned down a tad bit, maybe because they’re cutting the Gunners a little slack due to the resurgence of the well known Arsenal injury curse, or because they can’t quote the ‘trophyless for 9 years and counting’ slogan anymore. Arsene Wenger can’t be blamed a lot too, because he managed a wonderful transfer window with some stunning buys, though he left the fans still wanting for more in the defensive department.Yet, the hounds are back pre-Christmas, and as hard as it is for an Arsenal fan; more so an Arsene Wenger fan, a little critique every season is not going to do too much harm. I’m trying as hard as every other Arsenal fan to figure out what’s wrong with the new system, how this team of achievers has turned into weaklings, hopefully, and i honestly believe, for the short term.
#1 Too dependent on Alexis Sanchez
The team found it hard to get their passing game going in the initial stages of the season, and they still haven't found it, but Alexis has taken to the Premier League like he means business. The rest of the team is clearly still coming to terms with not being able to play off of Giroud up-front. The attempted one-twos have been borderline nonsensical and the new and only way to get the ball into the opposition's box is to let Alexis take it there. It has worked too, bless Alexis.
But how long do we expect him to take the entire burden of goal-scoring? The Chilean is hardly weak of heart or mind (unlike certain Germans), with his roots in the 'survival-of-the-fittest' kind of neighbourhood of Tocopilla, Chile. Yet, if the season continues in this vein, all he is going to end up doing is advertise to the world his skills and his prowess to drive an entire team forward, inviting a host of suitors enriched with oil-money.
Arsenal have shown time and again that we are no match for that kind of money, unless Stan Kroenke decides to really show the money.
#2 FA Cup 2014 - Bane more than a boon
Leave it to Arsenal to thoroughly mess up the semantics of the word 'oneness'. On the 17th of May 2014, this was a team who did every Gooner proud, beginning with the predictable initial screw-up, and for the first time in what seemed to be ages, finding it within themselves to work their way out of an almighty pickle. They had transformed into a team that was not ready to give up easy as previous history had begun to suggest.
With Alexis playing out of his skin, the other team members might as well buy season tickets and act as spectators.
Aaron Ramsey is just a month out of injury, and he’s already burning to score the next FA Cup winner. It’s too early Aaron, we’re still languishing in 6th place, trying to resurrect our League season; snap out of it. Somehow, Cazorla’s form has taken a beating, he seems to have forgotten his scoring boots at Wembley. The frustration with his own finishing is clearly etched on his face, the smirk is now absent.
The defensive midfield duo of Flamini and Arteta bring into the team a wealth of experience, and 62 years of age in total. That's how old my grandmother is. Mathieu Debuchy is out injured, how do only Arsenal players stretch for the ball like that?
Heaven only knows how that brittle body of Mesut Ozil’s survived three seasons unscathed at Real Madrid, with all the competitions they were in. If there is a place to break a player, North London is that place. Arsene Wenger overworked him and banjaxed his ligament/ knee-something. Koscielny, marshalling the defense when the Mertesacker was hibernating, somehow got himself ruled out of action too.
#3 Olivier Giroud a big miss
Olivier, oh handsome Olivier, fractured something. All the Giroud-haters now finally see what we lack up front, corner after corner wasted. He may be slow, he may sometimes over complicate, but he played with heart, he wanted to score winners, he wanted to clear opposition corners at the near post. His well timed and magically weighted lay-offs would have done Alexis a world of good.
A couple seasons ago, when we scored the equalizer against Manchester City at the Etihad, we won plaudits for our celebrations, being the best photo capture of the league and the like. Giroud is back into training, bless him; I’d think he’d be very useful against the lower teams in the League. Let’s pray and hope he gets back on the pitch soon, finds his scoring boots, or well, neck, sooner.
#4 Team looking disinterested
Another possible factor that has possibly led to the degradation of the Arsenal team is the lack of togetherness. This what I’ve been trying to draw light upon, in this article.
This season, it's hard to come by a goal celebration with more than a handful of players. That's what the team has come to. Alexis has to turn around to check which side of the field he has to run over to celebrate, in case his teammates were uninterested in running too far to bridge the gap to high-five him.
Danny Welbeck scored his first hat-trick ever, on the stage of the Champions League, and he had to look over his shoulder to see if anybody was coming over to celebrate with him before Chirstmas.
Rambo is hardly managing a smile when he goes over to congratulate the goal scorer; don't think the cameras miss that, Aaron! This is not the team of last season, this is a new, lazy, unhappy, bored side. The FA Cup was their Mt. Everest, they're done climbing. They’re fatigued fighting for each other, they want this season over even before it’s halfway through. They’re done covering up for a teammates’ error, each one wants to be the headline, and they just can’t seem to beat Alexis to it.
Per’s ever so lengthy hang-over is just adding fuel to fire, or rather, putting out the fire. The one leader we had in the Big German at the back isn’t screaming out at his midfielders anymore, he’s too busy getting his ‘passion’ back.
#5 Arsene Wenger and his tactical inefficiency
Alexis is being overworked week-in, week-out. He has to run out of energy at some point during the course of the season, surely Wenger knows that he needs a breather, at least a substitution when we're ahead. Arsene can see Podolski wants to hammer a few in, why not bring him on with at least twenty minutes to play?
He sticks with his pre-conceived substitutions and just hopes they work out. The fans begged for defensive refurbishments in the summer, but nobody available, was top-top-top quality Wenger material. Thomas Vermaelen gives me too much of a selection headache, so why not let him go? Very smart, Wenger.
The same questions are being asked of the Board again, whether Wenger the marvellous mentor and coach is good enough to balance out Wenger, the poor tactician. And what do you know; Theo Walcott’s contract issue is back on the table; that was quick.
