5 key issues with Arsenal FC at present

Alongside season previews and transfer assessments, it now seems obligatory for football journalists everywhere to write an annual dissection of the latest instalment of the 'crisis' brewing at the Emirates. This term, it was the 4-0 thumping by Liverpool on Sunday which has left supporters and neutrals alike questioning the very foundations of Arsenal FC.

Gunners legend Ian Wright was one of the most recent to come out and lambast the club for what he described as "an absolute shambles" of a performance at Anfield.

Pundits have naturally been quick to point the finger at Arsene Wenger, who only signed a two-year contract extension in May, but it appears there are multiple issues on and off the field for Arsenal. In an attempt to drill beneath the passion and frustration clouding the situation, I have taken a step back to logically assess what are the key problems currently facing Arsenal as the season starts to unfold...

The Wenger Power Dynamic

Having attained the titles of Arsenal's longest serving and most successful manager, it's fair to say that Arsene Wenger is entitled to decide when and how he departs his beloved club and the contract extension in May emphasised that reality. That said, the control the Frenchman has over every aspect of how the club is run is, quite simply, unhealthy and damaging.

When the now 67-year-old arrived at Highbury just over twenty years ago, he introduced strict dietary regulations for his players and aided the club's transition to London Colney training centre, where his playing system could be better implemented. These were early signs of a man who liked power and now he quite simply has too much.

The departure of former Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein in 2007 can be pinpointed as the beginning of the end; the moment Arsene established absolute power over everything from transfers to ticket prices. There is not another club worldwide where one man has so much power and it's not a beneficial set-up for the club or for Arsene himself. The veteran manager needs to begin delegating so that the club can operate efficiently in every department, on and off the field.

Want-away starlets

Mesut Ozil has refused to sign a new contract with Arsenal

It's being treated like something new, but one must only reflect on the Van Persie and Fabregas sagas of the past decade to see that top players looking for moves away from Arsenal has, sadly, become the norm. Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Özil's refusals to sign new deals with the club have exacerbated the existing problems and the former especially looks set for a move away from the club before the window shuts.

Along with the aforementioned two, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is also angling for a transfer away with rumours suggesting Chelsea and Arsenal have agreed a deal for the former Southampton midfielder.

Whilst poor tactics and a simple lack of quality had their part to play in Sunday's defeat to Liverpool, another contributing factor was the evident lack of enthusiasm and desire from the Arsenal players to play for the badge.

As the £200 million purchase of Neymar and ongoing speculation surrounding Philippe Coutinho suggest, money is no longer talking but roaring in football and consequently, clubs will struggle to keep hold of want-away stars. The solution for Arsenal is simple but challenging; offload such players and replace them quickly.

Tricky transfers

Arsenal are interested in signing Johnny Evans (c) from West Brom

As scattergun as the aforementioned tactic of replacing want-away players may sound, it's this ruthlessness in the market which Arsenal severely lack at the moment. The additions of Schalke's Sead Kolašinac and Alexandre Lacazette from Lyon this summer outlines that Arsenal can still attract star quality but the window has been a poor one so far overall.

In terms of new additions, it can be said that Arsenal need defensive reinforcements to compensate for the loss of Gabriel and the impending departure of Shkodran Mustafi, whilst an experienced holding midfielder and potential replacement for Alexis Sanchez would not go amiss either.

Unfortunately for the Arsenal faithful, business has, as usual, been left far too late to be concluded correctly and so the best the Gunners can hope for are some successful panic buys.

SkySports are just one source suggesting the Gunners are eyeing a move for West Brom's Jonny Evans to bulk-up at the back. With Leicester City and Manchester City both interested too however, Arsenal's negotiating power will be put to the test and they will need to significantly build on the £21 million bid from the Foxes which has already been rejected.

Transfers have frequently proven harder than they've needed to be for Arsenal in the past decade and it stems from a blend of poor timing, a convoluted interpretation of the market and too much say from Arsene Wenger.

Angered fanbase

In a survey carried out by 'FootballGroundMap' at the end of last season, the Emirates, tied with West Ham's Olympic Stadium, was voted as having the worst atmosphere of any other Premier League ground.

Although more a byproduct of the existing problems at Arsenal, it is therefore clear that the divide and anger of the club's supporters is another issue Arsene and co. must deal with quickly.

Spearheaded by an enraged Piers Morgan, a celebrity supporter of the club who often takes to Twitter to grill Wenger, the Arsenal fans were quick to voice their desire for the French manager to leave the club in the wake of the Liverpool result.

Despite the problem not emanating entirely from Arsene, it is nonetheless becoming increasingly difficult for those loyal to Wenger to defend their beloved manager and the discontent amongst the fans is translating to the pitch, creating a toxic paradox.

Just how do you appease such a large fanbase then? The easy answer seems to be to sack Wenger but that is never going to happen, especially with reports suggesting Stan Kroenke contacted the Frenchman following Sunday to give him his backing.

What is needed is a change in attitude of the players, better delegation of coaching roles within the club and a few key signings to replace those desiring moves away. That should at least calm the riled supporters until the next capitulation.

Big occasion struggles

Arsenal failed to fire when they needed it most

Another heavy defeat at the hands of a Premier League heavyweight and immediately the statistics underpinning Arsenal's top six record flood in. Now the desolate figures state that the Gunners have won just two of their last 21 matches away to a 'top six' club.

It's not only a failure to win which is disappointing however, but those results have regularly featured humiliating score-lines such as the 8-2 mauling at Old Trafford six years ago and the 5-1 drubbing by Liverpool again in 2014.

With Arsenal's first eleven by no means significantly inferior to the other five outfits on paper, it is clearly a psychological issue and it emanates from another key issue regularly brought up in the wake of such displays - the team's clear lack of a true leader.

Petr Cech was rumoured to give the players more of a dressing down than Wenger himself post-match but even he seemed silenced when Arsenal conceded the handful of goals they did at Anfield. There are no players shouting, no players directing and no players organising. When Arsenal let in goals, it seems expected by the players and there's very little anger or aggression from the individuals on the pitch.

Arsenal evidently have too many issues than can be resolved by a few more days in the transfer window and a two-week international break but a good leader is compulsory if a club is to win titles.

There is no-one at the club currently capable of grabbing the players by the scruff of the neck and telling them that their recent performances have been beyond sub-standard and until those players are directly told such home-truths, Arsenal will stagnate and fall away.