By Chidozie Ehirim
Editor
As the dust settles following Arsenal’s catastrophic loss
away to Crystal Palace on Monday, a large section of fans and pundits alike have
continued their criticism of Gunners coach Arsene Wenger.
Many believe a new voice; along with fresh ideas will
transform a team currently under performing, to one that could actually
challenge, both domestically and in Europe.
Despite consistently qualifying for Champions League since his
arrival, Wenger has only been able to lead his team to one final in 2005. Since
then, they have reached the last 16 on multiple occasions only to be picked
apart and exposed by quality opposition.
This lack of progress coupled with season after season of perceived
mediocrity has increased the anger and frustration at the Emirates, culminating
in ugly scenes including fellow fans fighting each other, the booing of players
and the unfurling of banners calling for Wenger to leave. Trying times indeed.
There are many reasons why some Arsenal fans and pundits
have been calling for Wenger to leave. We have picked out three of them.
Poor tactics
The first ten years of Wenger’s tenure at Arsenal was an
undoubted success. In that time he led the Gunners to three Premier League
titles and four FA Cups. His teams blended a solid defence with a
free flowing and devastating attack that overwhelmed opposing defences. He also utilized a highly effective 4-3-3 formation. Due to the quality of the
players he had at his disposal, he very rarely had need to vary the formation,
whether home or away.
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| Under pressure |
The second half of his time at Arsenal though has seen
significantly less success. This is in large part is due to Wenger’s lack of tactical
flexibility. Arsenal are renowned for their current use of the 4-2-3-1 formation with
seemingly few additional instructions from Wenger. This has meant that opposing
teams have been able to defend well against them rendering Arsenal
highly predictable.
As well as this, Arsenal appear to have the balance between
defence and attack wrong. Time and time again they have found themselves ahead
in games but rather than close them out, they have opted to continue their
attacks when the sensible option would be to hold on to a lead by adopting a
more pragmatic shape.
Poor coaching
Wenger is renowned for giving his players freedom and the
opportunity to express themselves. He has been rightfully praised for this approach
but it does have its drawbacks, especially for a team where too much freedom
and not enough actual coaching is evident.
Former Gunners legend and captain, Patrick Viera, when
giving an interview to The Independent
in January 2016, seemed to offer a veiled criticism of Wenger’s coaching style. When asked to choose who, between Jose
Mourinho and Wenger, was the better coach.
He said: "Jose, he's the manager who had more influence on me. "Why? Because he was the one who impressed me the most on his work ethic. He knew everything about the opposition, the strength and weaknesses"
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| Patrick Viera in action |
He went on to add "His detail was unbelievable, everything was so clear about what he wanted from each player. I don't know what happened at Chelsea but he always got the best out of his players. Arsene is more concentrated on his own team. He gives freedom to players to express themselves. It's a different style"
Time and time again, Arsenal's failure to prepare for opposing teams has resulted in them losing games they would have won for it not for better more detailed orientated coaching. The modern game is still a simple won but good, effective coaching is still a basic ingredient for success
Dictatorial nature
Arsenal’s loss away to West Bromwich Albion a few weeks ago, highlighted
another key issue. Their poor defending. The Gunners were humbled 3-1, two of
the goals they conceded were the result of poor defending from corner kicks.
Many fans turned their attention to accomplished centre back
and former Arsenal player Steve Bould who is currently the assistant coach.
Many have questioned whether Bould actually has any say in the coaching of the
players and for good reason.
One of the sources of frustration amongst Arsenal fans is
the amount of power that Wenger appears to have at Arsenal. A football
manager should have overall control but should also be open to
ideas offered by his coaching staff. The more contribution and input form these
coaches, the better, more flexible and more organized a team will be.
The great Alex Ferguson himself was open to contributions
from his coaching staff. As successful as he was, he frequently updated and varied his approach and on his long reign at United had a number of different coaches. Steve McLaren, Carlos
Queiroz and Mike Phelan the most notable.
For the fans and
pundits calling for Wenger to relinquish some power and to allow other voices
to hold sway, they may be disappointed. At 67, Wenger as a coach, is at an age
where change might not be so likely.
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