With the summer signing of Alexis Sanchez and the prospect of an in form Mesut Ozil in his second season in the premier league many tipped the gunners to be Chelsea's closest challengers for the premier league title this season. With Manchester United still struggling with life after Fergie, Liverpool without Luis Suarez and Manchester City only still in the title race because of Sergio Aguero you do get the feeling Arsenal have missed a good opportunity, or more specifically, Arsene Wenger has.
For many years Arsene Wenger complained of a lack of funds at the Emirates but now has no excuses.
Big money has been spent. Mesut Ozil cost £42.5m and has so far been one of the biggest flops in the last couple of years. He is technically a fantastic player but Wenger insists on playing him out on the wing where the English game is too fast paced for Ozil. Sanchez didn't come cheap either costing £35m but he looks a fantastic signing and he has been like Aguero has been for City so far this season. But Wenger still has big problems. Still conceding goals and he is too stubborn to change his sides style of play. The 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge was a typical Arsenal performance and typical Wenger. Wenger has great faith in his team to beat the top teams by playing their way. Naïve. They get bullied out of the big games time and time again but Wenger is too stubborn to change his tactics.
One of Arsenal's big problems is that they never replaced Patrick Viera, the Arsenal legend was a strong physical presence as well as technically gifted; Paul Pogba was linked in the summer, the Frenchman could have potentially solved Arsenals lack of bite and aggression in midfield but Wenger didn't peruse him. Former gunners skipper Cesc Fabregas was rejected by Wenger in the summer because Arsenal already had signed Mesut Ozil in January.
Fabregas already has 10 assists to his name and is on course to beat Thierry Henry's record of 20 assists in a season while Mesut Ozil is out injured after a poor start to his season. Hindsight ay Arsene.
Danny Welbeck was Arsenal's deadline day signing, the former Manchester United striker cost £16m after Louis Van Gaal stated Welbeck didn't score enough goals to be a United player.
Welbeck is a talented player; he has tremendous pace and movement as well as being tactically impressive but it seems he does most of his best work out wide and despite a decent start to his Arsenal career he has gone missing in the games Arsenal have lost this season; especially against the likes of United and Chelsea. I find it hard to believe Welbeck or Giroud will get the 20 goals mark, a trait your striker needs if you are going to win the premier league.
With 13 games played and the Christmas period approaching Arsenal have won just five league games all season and lost three games, with a handful of daws against teams they should be comfortably beating. Aaron Ramsey hasn't been able to regain his form from last season, which gives another reason to question Wengers ludicrous decision to reject Fabregas.
They are still conceding goals and still weak from set pieces, a situation that you would expect Wenger to have addressed by now.
Arsenal are 13 points behind Chelsea, cementing the realisation that the North London club are already out of the title race before Christmas. Again. 1 trophy is nine years is not good enough for a club who should be continuously challenging for major honours. Arsene Wenger has been a wonderful servant for the gunners, creating the iconic invincible's and assembling some great teams winning premier league titles and other domestic honours but not in recent years. Wenger has struggled during the second half of his Arsenal career and it seems now that previous honours and achievements won't save his job if its another season of settling for the top 4.
Despite Arsenals 1-0 win at West Brom on Saturday, some fans were calling for Wenger to be sacked which will surely be the final nail in the coffin. It is impossible to last in any job in Football without the fans' backing and it seems as though Wenger has now lost it. Diego Simeone and Klopp (Atletico and Dortmund) are the managers on everyone's lips to replace Wenger as fresher ideas are much needed at the Emirates.
