Arsenal could yet finish the season in the top four and win the FA Cup, but should that change our perception of Arsene Wenger?
Arsenal won again on the weekend to keep their slim hopes of a top four finish alive. Even if they fail to qualify for the Champions League, they have a chance to win silverware in the FA Cup against Chelsea on May 27. But should either of those things cause us, and more importantly the club, to reassess our/their position on Arsene Wenger? In our weekly roundtable, FanSided’s soccer staff debate.
Wenger isn’t past it yet
James Dudko, @JamesDudko
Taken in its broader context, Arsenal’s 2016-17 season is proof the club aren’t just struggling to make progress, but are actually going backwards under manager Arsene Wenger — even if he wins a seventh FA Cup by beating Premier League champions Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, May 27.
Yet viewed in isolation, Arsenal’s finish to this season, and its implications for the next campaign, prove Wenger should stay. The Frenchman’s contract expires this summer, but a new deal makes sense for the Gunners, despite another collapse in the title race and one-sided exit from the Champions League.
The argument looks flimsy with fifth place in the league and the prospect of no Champions League soccer for the first time in 20 years very real. West Ham’s 4-0 surrender at home to Liverpool means the Gunners need to win their last two games and count on already-relegated Middlesbrough taking points off the Reds at Anfield next week.
It’s more likely Wenger’s men are destined for the Europa League next season, something that could push star duo and contract rebels Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil out the door. Yet if the marquee pair leave, Arsenal will recover so long as Wenger is still calling the shots.
You only need to look at the way his team is finishing this season for proof the Frenchman still has what it takes. Not convinced? How about some numbers? How about six wins out of the last seven across all competitions.
Those victories have come after Wenger switched his formation to three at the back. Since the manager with a career-long fidelity to the back four introduced a 3-4-1-2, Arsenal have been terrific defensively, conceding just five times.
One of those goals was Peter Crouch’s handball in Saturday’s 4-1 win at Stoke. The Gunners have hated their trips to the Potteries, but were purring this weekend, playing with a style long a signature under Wenger, but one seen too seldom this season.
Arsenal’s adherence to attractive, free-flowing soccer under Wenger is a badge of honor, particularly with the sport as a whole leaning increasingly toward pragmatism and negation. Mesut Ozil’s goal against Stoke, as well as Olivier Giroud’s to seal the 2-0 away win at Southampton, are proof Wenger’s artisans have their swagger back.
Shaping a new formation to ensure both defensive solidity and creative fluency going forward is proof Wenger isn’t the tactical slouch his critics would have you believe.
Arsenal’s new 3-4-1-2 also shows another Wenger trait Arsenal need. The performances of 21-year-old center-back Rob Holding have rightly been lauded recently. His ascension shows Wenger still has an eye for developing young gems.
Holding was signed for just £2 million last summer after Bolton had suffered relegation from England’s second tier. How many other top Premier League managers would have the guts to put their faith in a youngster from the Championship?
Wenger’s faith in youth is also behind the resurgence of 22-year-old Hector Bellerin, who has revived his form by moving to wing-back in the new formation. Bellerin’s emergence since 2014, along with attacking midfielder Alex Iwobi making the breakthrough last season, shows Arsenal are still willing to develop their own stars instead of buying them.
Development will become the watchword for a side who won’t be able to attract big names if they’re languishing in the Europa League. Wenger’s ability to spot a bargain like Holding will be key.
Arsenal may be cash rich, but they still don’t have the spending power of Chelsea and Manchester City, nor the draw of Manchester United. So Wenger will have to lower his sights in the transfer market and still find quality. He’s already started based on the rumors the club have agreed a free transfer deal for Schalke 04 left-back Sead Kolasinac.
Unearthing talent on a budget was how Wenger made his name as a manager. Ironically, a season in the Europa League may get him back to his roots after an ill-fated spell spending big since 2013.
Wenger’s greater comfort working under the radar may not be the best thing for Arsenal long-term. Yet it could be the best way to ensure a likely stay in the Europa League is just a temporary blip, not the start of years in the wilderness.
Of course, Wenger can still prove his worth long before then by bettering Antonio Conte and Chelsea at Wembley. He’d become the only manager to beat Conte twice this season, after also besting Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola. So much for being a relic of the past.
Lifting the cup again would also make it three in the last four years for Arsenal. If the next manager won three trophies in four years, it’s hard to believe fans would be calling for him to go.
Wenger is still the best manager to take care of Arsenal, even if it’s just for the short-term.
FA Cup and top four would not be progress
Peter Johnstone, @9PniJ2
Arsenal managed to keep their slim hopes of a top four finish alive this weekend with an impressive away win at Stoke. Arsene Wenger has long argued that a top four finish is an adequate season’s performance but for the first time in almost 20 years his side may not achieve this feat.
The Gunners’ season has mostly disappointed their fans but they could still have a trophy should they beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final. However, is this really what Arsenal fans want to see? Can Wenger still cling on to a domestic cup and fourth place as justifiable reasons for keeping him in charge? No.
Arsenal were always a good side. Wenger made them a truly great one by combining a winning mentality with an attractive and (formerly) revolutionary style of play. These days, that doesn’t feel like enough.
The other top sides have changed and adapted in order to win the league while Arsenal have remained the same. In the majority of recent seasons, the Gunners have showed periods of great promise but over the course of the year have lacked consistency at key moments. Wenger can point to significant injury lists in some seasons but this year their best players in defense, midfield and attack have featured in the majority of their games.
The outcome is still the same. The French manager’s stubborn approach to signing players coupled with his tunnel vision when it comes to playing style is why Arsenal are stuck in this rut. Arsenal are unlikely to finish fourth this season and the club need to use this as the main reason to let Wenger go.
Even if the Gunners miraculously finished fourth and lifted the FA Cup another season under Wenger should be considered madness. Everyone knows what Arsenal have become now, and that’s deterring bigger players from signing with them. The fact Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez have remained with the club as long as they have is a miracle in itself. If they’re still around in September it will be because of a new managerial appointment. The longer Wenger clings on for life as Arsenal manager, the more he tarnishes a wonderful career.
The positive Gunners fans (all 10 of them) might suggest finishing outside the top four could be exactly what Wenger needs to get himself back in gear. This is an interesting theory, but it’s too risky in an age where the best sides are constantly changing their manager in order to win trophies.
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A more realistic theory is that the Frenchman doesn’t know what a relief it could be to finally part ways with the club. Arsenal has been Wenger’s life for more than two decades, and it’s understandable he’s reluctant to leave a place that has given him so much (and that he’s given so much).
But a person who is comfortable is not the one you want leading your club. The best managers are the ones who are always on edge, the ones constantly thinking of different ways to approach the game and win. Wenger no doubt retains his old desire, but the past several seasons have revealed an inability to translate that desire into tangible results. An FA Cup win and top four finish would be nice, but they would not be progress.