A brave but ultimately fruitless win at Bayern Munich has left Arsenal trophy-less again this season. And while the lack of silverware may be overplayed in some quarters yet again – how come they never seem to throw the same statistics at other sides? – the past few months have been particularly frustrating for the club’s fans. At the end of every campaign over the past few years, there has been an element of ‘where do we go from here?’ for supporters and no doubt the club itself, but the worrying thing is there may still not be a clear answer.
The season isn’t over quite yet, of course, because there’s the small matter of qualification for the Champions League to fight for. The two Manchester clubs will undoubtedly snap up spots one and two in the Premier League, but the next two places are up for grabs, and there are several names in the frame. Whether Arsenal’s bedraggled players can rouse themselves for one last push remains to be seen, but the performance in Munich will at least have given them hope.
The frustrations felt by a number of fans have led to more questions being asked about Arsene Wenger’s position at the club than at any other time, and even the relatively laid-back Frenchman has showed signs of increased tetchiness over the past few months. His legendary apparent reluctance to part with any meaningful amounts of money – how many people would like him to be in charge of their personal finances? – has perhaps fuelled those questions, and the lack of transfer activity in January summed up why his methods are under scrutiny.
Perhaps as a PR stunt to appease any potential dissatisfaction, the club have been dropping subtle hints about the huge sum of money Wenger will have at his disposal when the summer comes around. To the more cynical Gooners, however, this represents something of a deja vu moment, because many of them have heard similar talk in the past. The facts about the current squad are pretty stark, though – in amongst the occasional success story there have been several players who simply haven’t performed at the required standard.
Whether Wenger has lost his touch when bringing players in isn’t necessarily clear, but it’s apparent that a whole host of signings over the past few years haven’t quite proved to be masterstrokes. The likes of Marouane Chamakh, Gervinho, Sebastien Squillaci and Andre Santos have all proved to be disappointing, and although Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud have played well in most matches, neither of them are likely to develop into players who will set the Premier League alight week in week out.
The Arsenal boss, and indeed the board, face a Catch-22 situation between now and the start of next season. They know they need to strengthen the squad and to appease the doubters they need to bring in players that are more caviar than sausage sandwich, but if they don’t qualify for the Champions League that will prove difficult. As well as the subsequent drop in income, Arsenal will struggle to bring in the top names if they can only offer the relative backwater of Thursday night Europa League games, or even no Europe at all, and some transfer targets will only offer a polite thanks, but no thanks.
The side’s performances against the big clubs in the Premier League this season suggest they’re not far away from finding the right blend. Although they haven’t won many of these matches, they have only lost narrowly, so it may be that the side isn’t far away from gelling. They have scored plenty of goals along the way, but their defending has at times been calamitous, and the stark truth is that the seasoned internationals who currently protect their goal simply aren’t playing well enough.
Perhaps the first thing on Wenger’s shopping list should be a rough, tough centre-back who can add some steel to the backline, and can bully not only any attackers who happen to be passing but also his fellow players. The captain’s armband, currently wrapped around the sleeve of Thomas Vermaelen and no doubt soon destined for the boy genius Jack Wilshere, should perhaps be temporarily handed to an incoming human wardrobe with the timing of a Sol Campbell, the attitude of a Tony Adams and the snarl of a Steve Bould. Watch this space.
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