Arsène Wenger: Same Old Class

[A_G]

He lost 7 games out of 38 last season and came second. Is that a collapse?

Yes. At the halfway stage of the season:

After that:

I blame the players more than the manager but that was the definition of a collapse.

 

[Swallow]

Yes. At the halfway stage of the season:

After that:

I blame the players more than the manager but that was the definition of a collapse.

Very fair point.

 

[Lancelot]

If we have yet another collapse this season, where do we collectively draw the line and just say Arsène doesn't have what it takes to take this group to the next level?

Personally, I would answer your question in two separate parts, mate.

Firstly, I honestly think that we should give Wenger his due credit and view him as a self-critical manager who constantly and objectively assesses his own performance for the good of our football club.

Once you establish that into your thought process, then your subsequent evaluation of him will result in trust. I genuinely believe that he will make the right decision at the end of the season; if, god forbid, the worst come to pass, I think that he will happily accept his limits and walk away like a true gentleman.

Secondly and in my opinion, there seems to be a hint in Wenger's past interviews that he has identified these 'collapses' as a result of our talented young players having their professional careers given to them on a silver platter, like a bunch of elite and spoilt brats if you will. Something that inherently weakens their ability to handle heavy or unexpected losses.

We know that Wenger is not a motivator type, so he likes his players to talk to each other during the half time, etc. and, through that, he decided to buy players like Xhaka, Mustafi and Perez in order to add the much-needed steel to our dressing room.

Also, we're beginning to see the improvement in the way we handle our injuries this season with extra precautions being taken and players being ahead of their return schedule. It's evident now that such curse not only hinders our ability to field a starting player, but also prevents healthy competition within the squad for a spot in our line-up. The knock-on effect of players' injury on our compact squad is quite simply devastating.

Those attempts to address the problems have filled me with confidence that Wenger is still very much capable of finding a logical solution.

I would be more than willing to trust him to find other possible answers as well if adding those 3 players and whatever we are doing in the physioroom don't resolve our 'collapses' and poor injury record.

So, at least for me, the line shouldn't be drawn until the final day of his new contract at the earliest.

 

[Garrincha]

There will be a big exodus & we will drop like a stone if Wenger leaves against the players desires. Their opinions matter not ours. Just look how many big contracts are up 2017, 2018 & 2019. No coincidence.

 

[Swallow]

Let's hope last season does not repeat itself. We have a squad better placed to mitigate the factors which went against us last year.

 

[Makingtrax]

Yes. At the halfway stage of the season:

After that:

I blame the players more than the manager but that was the definition of a collapse.

Very fair point.

That's not a fair point at all . . . your not comparing like with like

The first half of the season we got 39 points and we were equal top.

The second half we got 32 points and ended up second.

So the second half was worse than the first by 7 points . . . that is not a collapse. All teams go through sections of the season where they're not as good as others. F*** me.

Chelsea ending up 10th and Mourinho getting one of the best managers jobs in football is both a collapse and a travesty.

We're Arsenal supporters, why aren't we bigging up our club instead of going to ridiculous lengths to make our team and manager look worse than they should be.

 

[Jury]

It's pure and unadulterated spin to say that Arsenal were a clusterf*** last season. The anti-Wenger lobby on here use the phrase all the time.

We came second. What does say about the other eighteen EPL teams beneath us . . . is there even a word more derogatory than 'clusterf*ck' for their seasons.

Its absolute f***ing nonsense is what it is.

What's patent unadulterated nonsense is using the performance of other teams to gage how well you did. You know it's pathetic and desperate, I know it is, and from what I've read this whole forum does, because I've never seen anybody else dare use that line of defence. Every time I read it, I die a little inside.

 

[carlito'sway]

I have some serious reservation on the use of the word "collapse". Yes, the season did not end the way we ended but this is way over dramatizing to call it a collapse. It would have been a one would we have been out of the top for or God forbid finish where Chelsea ended. That was a collapse, if there ever was one.
In addition, it seems that we are losing all sense of perspective when analyzing our own failures as well as our opponent (LCFC) rather unprecedented set of circumstances.
Our season was disappointing we can't deny that but I will always take exception of this sort of over the top statements.

 

[redwhiteAustrian]

What's patent unadulterated nonsense is using the performance of other teams to gage how well you did. You know it it's pathetic and desperate, I know it is and from what I've read, this whole forum does, because I've never seen anybody else dare use that line of defence. Every time I read it, I die a little inside.

Exactly.

We were the only top team with both, a settled squad and a settled manager/staff. Halfway through the season we were sitting on Top, as @American_Gooner pointed out above. Yet we came up second in the end, with some distance to Leicester as well.

That just wasn't good enough, simples.

 

[Penn_]

We didn't collapse we lost our first choice midfield. Alexis was also out wasn't he?

 

[Makingtrax]

What's patent unadulterated nonsense is using the performance of other teams to gage how well you did. You know it it's pathetic and desperate, I know it is and from what I've read, this whole forum does, because I've never seen anybody else dare use that line of defence. Every time I read it, I die a little inside.

Big admirer of your banter mate, but not a clue what that means.

I always thought that's how the system works - your performance is continually measured against others using what's called league tables. It's a hierarchical system involving rewards and sanctions. If you see it different I'd be interested in your perspective.

 

[A_G]

After beating Leicester at the Emirates in February:
1 Leicester P26 53pts
2 Tottenham P26 51pts
3 Arsenal P26 51pts
4 Man City P26 47pts

6 matchdays later:
1 Leicester P34 73pts
2 Tottenham P33 65pts
3 Man City P33 60pts
4 Arsenal P33 60pts

The second half we got 32 points and ended up second.

That 32 points figure is a bit misleading, don't really think results picked up after the team was out of the title race are relevant here. Again this isn't about pinning it all on Wenger, as I said I put most of the blame on the players but I'm not sure how you honestly say the team didn't collapse. Going from a 2 point game to 13 points after 6 matches is some drop off.

 

[Gooner Zig]

We ****ing lost to Man United U/18s and Swansea reserves within the space of a week.

A collapse, is a collapse, is a collapse. It was the most collapsy of collapses.

 

[Jury]

Big admirer of your banter mate, but not a clue what that means.

I always thought that's how the system works - your performance is continually measured against others using what's called league tables. It's a hierarchical system involving rewards and sanctions. If you see it different I'd be interested in your perspective.

What, so Chelsea, Man Utd and City all underperformed, so that makes it ok that we did? That's absurd.

How can you call the willingness to look deeper than the '2', which says you finished second, 'spin'? It's called analysis ffs. There's a story behind that '2', and it makes for painfully crap, but very familiar reading.

You'll have another chance to get a better look at it this season. Sky plus it this time.

 

[Trilly]

How do we know other high calibre managers won't make themselves available once the Arsenal position becomes vacant? It's got to be one of the most lucrative positions in world football from a location, prestige and pay POV.

That's a fair point. As arsenal fans we're not used to wrestling players away from other clubs. Can't even think of us doing that for a manager.

 

[Makingtrax]

After beating Leicester at the Emirates in February:
1 Leicester P26 53pts
2 Tottenham P26 51pts
3 Arsenal P26 51pts
4 Man City P26 47pts

6 matchdays later:
1 Leicester P34 73pts
2 Tottenham P33 65pts
3 Man City P33 60pts
4 Arsenal P33 60pts



That 32 points figure is a bit misleading, don't really think results picked up after the team was out of the title race are relevant here. Again this isn't about pinning it all on Wenger, as I said I put most of the blame on the players but I'm not sure how you honestly say the team didn't collapse. Going from a 2 point game to 13 points after 6 matches is some drop off.

We're debating semantics here.

There was disappointing dip in the second half of the season that stopped us winning the league. We all know that.

If some want to call it a clusterf**** and a collapse, we also all know what the agenda is behind the hype. So let's leave it at that.

 

[maxxspeed]

I don't call what we did last year has a collapse, I call it not having proper replacement in the squad

 

[Jury]

When can a 'clusterfuck' be 'spin'?

 

[Garrincha]

After that date we played Liverpool, Stoke, United, Sp**s, Everton, West Ham & City all away from home. It was a false position with a very favorable first half of the season.

 

[Jury]

'Clusterfuck' covers the whole act. Before, during and after. Add all the events together, and it's a clusterfuck. We were faced with the might of Leicester to overcome, and all their resources. We failed miserably in the end. They won going away.