When Tamir Cohen buried his header into the goal it was Deja vu all over again for Arsenal fans who had seen their team drop points despite hammering the goal of their opponents with chance after chance but struggling to add a finishing touch.
Arsenal late season collapses are something that Gunners’ fans have been painfully watching for quite some time now and after their stunning form all through January and February, fans could have been excused for thinking that this season would have been different. But sadly it wasn’t and Arsenal are now nine points behind leaders, Manchester United with just four games to go.
Arsenal’s collapse has been met with a huge uproar with several people descending upon Arsene Wenger and some going even as far as calling for his sacking.
Recently all our articles are too busy predicting the doom of Arsenal and have already written off Arsene Wenger.
Arsene Wenger is to blame for Arsenal’s trophy drought more so this season with some of his decisions being questionable especially regarding transfers. He chose not to sign a defender, a move that cost his team dearly as Thomas Vermaelen is just about to make a return and Sebastian Squillaci has proven to be a huge mistake which is an understatement.
His tactics have been questionable at times and he has stuck with underperforming players like Denilson and Almunia with no reward. And considering Arsenal’s recent predicament people have been quick to rip apart Wenger and his philosophy.
There is no doubt that Wenger is to blame for the collapse this season and unlike previous seasons he has even accepted blame, which is definitely a good sign for us, Arsenal faithful.
But the question to ask is Arsene Wenger only to blame? Is he singlehandedly ruining Arsenal’s title hopes every season?
In my opinion I feel that it is time that the players too start to take responsibility for Arsenal’s trophy drought. By this I don’t mean that Wenger should be cleared of all charges but the players too have to understand the part they play in Arsenal’s trophy drought and it is not all of Arsene Wenger’s doing as some people tend to indicate. If you read some reports and websites you could get the feeling that Wenger was ruining Arsenal when the positives that have been present this season have been masked by the scathing criticism that Wenger has come under.
Arsenal’s critics often harp on the fact that unless Arsenal win a trophy soon their top stars like Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie, Samir Nasri and Jack Wilshere just to name a few will look to leave the club and will be eager to move onto greener pastures where trophies are coming in thick and fast.
But isn’t it time that the players understand that the trophy drought is not simply because a few wrong decisions made by Wenger. It is also due to the mistakes made by the players on the field, which includes mistakes.
Its paramount that the players realize that they all together play for the club of Arsenal. They collectively stand together no matter what whether it be winning a trophy or crashing out of a competition. It is all the players together that form the club that is Arsenal and they must collectively take the credit and blame that comes with playing for a club like Arsenal.
Currently it is Arsene Wenger that is under severe criticism with his players being left off lightly in this regard. For once I have believed that the criticism surrounding Wenger is becoming ridiculously high with most people merely overreacting or exaggerating Arsenal’s faults forgetting the fact that Arsenal are a mere two to three players away from winning a trophy.
The other aspect regarding Arsenal’s recent criticism I find odd is that Wenger is almost singlehandedly being blamed for Arsenal’s poor run disregarding the mistakes made by the players to an alarming extent.
The Arsenal players too have made their own fair share of mistakes this season and this includes players like Nasri and Fabregas, players reportedly unhappy on not winning a trophy.
Fabregas made an extremely costly error against his boyhood club, Barcelona as he gave away possession on the edge of his box at the stroke of half time. Had he not made that mistake, who knows maybe Arsenal would have defeated Barcelona and would still be alive in the Champions League.
Then we have players like Nasri, van Persie and Chamakh who have missed some crucial chances especially off late which has seen Arsenal drop down to third. These players performed admirably when their team needed them but towards the end of the season the these players too have missed crucial chances especially Chamakh and Nasri which if buried could have kept alive Arsenal’s title threat.
In recent matches Arsenal have struggled to break down their opponents and are unable to score goals and rip apart defence’s like they were doing earlier in the season. So we have seen several people call for Arsenal to revert back to the 4-4-2, something Wenger has refused to do.
Going to the 4-4-2 could prove to be a big mistake on the long run and it should only be used occasionally in matches against opponents like Blackburn and Stoke, teams that are organized at the back and difficult to break down.
But it is also understandable why Wenger has persisted with the 4-2-3-1. It is not that Arsenal has struggled to create chances but it is the fact that Arsenal have struggled to add the finishing touches. Even with the 4-2-3-1, Arsenal created several chances that were not buried.
So the problem was Arsenal’s lacklustre finishing and not Arsene Wenger’s tactics. But people were quick to blame his tactics when that was not the case.
Arsene Wenger does have the habit of being one dimensional with his tactics at times but his tactics are not the only reason Arsenal lose. Many of Arsenal’s critics have a common habit of recycling the tactics argument when the reason Arsenal dropped points lie elsewhere and not in Wenger’s tactics.
It is vital that the players realize that it is the fans, manager and themselves that constitute a club and the reason they don’t win can be pinpointed on all three fronts not merely the manager’s. Blaming Wenger no matter the reason Arsenal lost has became a common phenomenon which is sad to see. It is common to see teams repeatedly harping on Wenger when something goes against Arsenal failing to take into consideration the other aspects of losing and drawing a game.
A football team needs to realize that they too have made mistakes which in turn have resulted in disappointment, which in Arsenal’s case represents their six year wait for that elusive trophy.
Players should look to honour their contract and not back away when disappointment arises which is what some reports indicate.
If Arsenal are struggling to win a trophy there are several reasons one of which is Wenger. The players to have played their part and when Arsenal one day end their trophy drought they too will get their due credit.
So it is only fair that right now they too shoulder the responsibility for Arsenal’s trophy drought. Arsenal should collectively rise from their disappointment and look to end their trophy drought, as a team fighting for each other and not individuals.
No comments:
Post a Comment