Saturday Morning Musings: FA Cup or the Exit for Wenger

Respect & admiration for an individual's achievements are one thing, but there are limits. Arsenal fans seem to have reached theirs. After today's 6-0 drubbing at the hands of Chelsea, which follows almost equally embarrassing results at Liverpool (5-1) & Manchester City (6-3) in past months, the Gunners, barring a miracle, are all but out of the title race. Today's match stuck to the script of recent away matches in which Arsenal has played its fiercest Premier League rivals: a very slow start, shoddy defending, early goals followed by poor & undisciplined decision making & a complete lack of confidence. The result? An embarrassing defeat in Arsene Wenger's 1000th match in charge of the club.

The team's performance was gutless. No question. After allowing the 1st goal, a superb left footed strike by Samuel Eto'o, Arsenal lost its shape & completely disappeared. Chelsea sensed their opponent's fear, tasted blood & went for the jugular. The team should be ashamed & embarrassed.

But a bigger responsibility for the loss & Arsenal dropping out of the title race lies with the man honored for managing his 1000th match for the club. The team sheet was flawed from the outset today. Wenger opted for a deep midfield pairing of Mikel Arteta & Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. While Chamberlain has been one of Arsenal's top players of late, Arteta has not been. His form has lagged from last year, he has been caught out of position regularly (matches against Manchester City & Everton stand out) and his pace is not what it used to be. Pairing an offensively inclined Chamberlain & a struggling Arteta was a recipe for disaster & that is what we saw. There was no cover in front of the Arsenal back four early in the match. Why wasn't Mathieu Flamini in the starting 11? He's the closest thing to a pit bull in the midfield for Arsenal. With Arteta in the line-up, Arsenal are an easy side to play against.

If we look at the season as a whole, Arsenal's biggest problem has been squad depth. Injuries to Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil & Jack Wilshere have troubled the Gunners lately & have undoubtedly had an effect on recent form. And, while Arsenal has one of the strongest midfield's in the Premier League, they are still short of high quality cover. But who controls the signing of players? Arsene Wenger. Arsenal's Board of Governors has repeatedly stated that the Gunners' boss has funds to use on signings but for whatever reason, he has chosen not to. The same script applies to depth at the striker position. Even though the most casual fan identified that there was no cover behind Olivier Giroud, Wenger still refused to sign anybody in January. We have seen that after a spectacular 1st half to season, Giroud has cooled off & Arsenal have no Plan B. Ultimately the fingers need to be pointed at Arsene Wenger, as he has full control of the operations at the club.

In the end, whatever sport you play, you play to win the game. Even if you are a cellar dweller & in the lowest position in the league, you play to win. It has been 9 years since won any trophy. Given the amount of money the club makes (8th richest club in soccer) & Arsenal's stature in England, that is really inexcusable to its fans. The fans need urgency from the club, to win trophies now. At any other club at this level, drastic changes would have been made prior to year 5, let alone 10.

Arsene Wenger without a doubt is one of the most respected & brilliant minds of the Premier League. He revolutionized the Premier League with his tactics, has helped to produced some of the most breathtaking football & amazing talents in the EPL's history (Thierry Henry, Cesc Fabregas, & Robert Pires, to name just a few) & guided an unbeaten team in 2003-04. He has helped Arsenal become a financial powerhouse through difficult times of having to pay off a pricey new stadium. But in the end, you play to win & patience is now wearing thin. With Arsenal all but out of the title race, their only real chance of winning silverware this year is the FA Cup. If Arsenal somehow lose to Wigan in the semi-final or in the final, will Wenger return for a 10th season of trophy less football?

Arsene Wenger has repeatedly talked about belief in the past. He has said the key component to his team's success is having a belief in themselves. While there have been moments in the last 2 years where Arsenal's young squad have looked confident & full of pride, there have been moments like today, where the Gunners looked as they had had no belief whatsoever in their abilities. It seems as though belief in the abilities of the legendary manager is also dwindling at the moment. Wenger needs to win the FA Cup to restore that belief in the club's fans. Otherwise this could & probably should be a sad end to a legendary run at the club.