The maxims: ‘In Arsene We Trust’ and ‘Arsene Knows’ have both defined and been used to desecrate Wenger throughout these largely barren 10 years at Arsenal, where two FA Cups have been added to the trophy cabinet.
They’ve been badges of honour in the sense for all the discontent in the seats of the Emirates
But at the same time it can also be a stick to beat the club with as this blind loyalty has failed to
address the wider picture: maybe Arsenal have been drifting for too long and Wenger’s success of sustained Champions League football and the odd cup run is, in fact, underachievement. While Arsenal remain devoted to Wenger, their supposed more volatile rivals are slowly passing them with the sort of long-term planning once the vanguard of the Gunners.
On the transfer front, Wenger’s magic touch is waning. Having lost his monopoly on the French market, his last signing where the club were able to buy an unheralded player and develop them into a diamond was, with respect to the emerging Joel Campbell, Laurent Koscielny back in 2010. Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Petr Cech have all been excellent additions but their talents were well established.
Arsenal still largely operate within the transfer model of Wenger having autonomous control. Without getting too deep into the pros and cons surrounding the director of football debate, that structure both in the Premier League and Europe, is not just the future it’s the present. Five of the Premier League’s top eight have some kind of collective approach – Leicester, Tottenham, Manchester City, Southampton and Liverpool.
However flawed the processes have been at City and Liverpool, it’s clear the English top flight is realising in such a competitive and nuanced transfer market, managers cannot be expected to succeed with the same kind of efficiency as before.
In analysing Wenger, given his 19 years in north London, you cannot help but hold him against English football’s other lord of longevity – Sir Alex Ferguson. What ultimately made Ferguson so special was his ability to adapt; how he dealt with players, style, how he set his teams up, in what sort of individuals he signed. As stubborn as the Scot was, he learnt from mistakes and adapted accordingly. Arsenal have evolved from a possession-based side into a counter-attacking team but the same types of players are signed and the attitudes and faultlines remain. Wenger has numbed his principles to sign Sanchez, Ozil and Cech, but that’s about it.
They can still win the Premier League – but it looks a long shot – and they remain in the Champions League – however progress to the quarter-finals looks unlikely.
But in Arsene they trust. The board’s conviction highlighted by that when it became clear Pep Guardiola was available, nobody from Arsenal contacted the Catalan. A manager whose ethos is perfectly suited to continue the legacy cultivated by the Frenchman. Therefore the club dismissing Wenger looks a distant prospect.
Once trail blazers, Arsenal remain largely governed by the same trusted methods and ideals. Concepts that look increasingly outdated with each season.
