Arsenal and Arsene Wenger remain married
Unwanted but unabashed and unaffected, Arsene Wenger is staying, after all. Following the recent rain of uncertainty over the once assured Arsenal F.C., there is finally an air of definitiveness about the club – they’ve decided to stick with their old man and the discussion ends there, irrespective of what anyone has to say. As much as the ignorance will incite the Arsenal faithful, they can at least look forward to the transfer activity now that Wenger’s contract saga is over.
Needless to say, a large section of the Arsenal faithful would find it a bitter pill to swallow, and even more so because the latest contract renewal isn’t Wenger’s last. While the current deal will see him overtake Alex Ferguson’s tally of 810 Premier League games, another extension would mean that he sets a record that will realistically be never matched by any other manager.
Records aside, it’s time we ask the same question again: What next for Arsenal under Arsene Wenger? More of the age-old kerfuffle and Wenger Out protests, or will Arsenal actually be able to move beyond that and put up a successful title challenge?
The popular consensus was that an FA Cup victory over Chelsea would be a fitting way for the Frenchman to bring down the curtains, as it was back in 2013-14 when the FA Cup win was followed by him penning down a new contract. That’s twice now that Arsene Wenger has missed perhaps the best two chances that he’ll ever get to leave the club on a high, unless he can summon his inner champion and produce something spectacular?
As orgasmic as the thought might be, it seems increasingly unlikely, at least at the moment. The chief problem with Wenger is – and it has been there for some time – that he isn’t ruthless enough in his pursuit of success as Jose Mourinho or Pep Guardiola are. When things were going his way, the idealist in him worked wonders for the club, but as the game has progressed, there’s no room for such niceties anymore.
You do get the feeling that it’s Arsene Wenger’s own players who exemplify that being an idealist at a time when dark arts reign supreme, is a bad option, a big gamble with today’s mavericks. Former Arsenal player Emanuel Petit had a similar view about Wenger not pushing his players enough.
“Winning the FA Cup was important but Arsene needs to be brought more talent in to the club for next season and he must also change his management,” Petit was quoted as saying by The Independent.
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“I think he should put more pressure on his players all the time. When I watched the FA Cup Final, I was surprised – in a good way – the level of intensity on the pitch from the Arsenal players. The pressure on the manager has been very high this season, but most of the players must look at themselves in the mirror and ask ‘did I do everything I could this year in every game I played in?’ The answer is very clear for me – ‘no I didn’t’.”
One might argue that if Wenger can adjust to this particular aspect of his management, which would basically solve a Brobdingnagian chunk of his problems, he’d be right up there competing for the Premier League title. He has shown that he can be flexible enough with his tactics, a change that got him a record 7th FA Cup, so why not leave the obstinacy behind while dealing with the players as well? He has the power to do so if the board’s backing is anything to go by.
Following Arsenal’s pummeling of Chelsea at the Wembley Stadium, one thing that’s clear is that this man still has something left in him. Once again, Wenger was doubted, and once again, he proved his doubters wrong in style. Perhaps, it proves that he still is competent enough, that he is still up for the fight, and when anyone questions that, he is ready with the answer.
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There is life in this old guard yet – we know it – but how he chooses to use it depends solely on Arsene Wenger himself. He’d know that the world will have its eyes on him, the fans will have their expectations on him, and the rivals their share of pressure on him – it’s the sort of situation that may well define how we look back at this wonderful tenure that threatens to turn into a disaster. You decide, Arsene.