Arsenal and Arsen Wenger

Discuss........

no other aspiring top 4 club would accept 8 years without success. Nor would they almost seemingly encourage their best talent out the door. However, Arsenal are without doubt the best run football club in the country in terms of financial stability and income generation. (I'm excluding Utd as most income goes to cover interest payments!).

I would argue that Arsenal fans get the easiest nights sleep in terms of knowing that their club won't have hit a financial crisis on a yellow ticker bar on channel 405 in the morning.

Wenger is accused of not spending money, but didnt he lay out £20 million on Cazorla, £12m on Podolski etc... I wonder how big the war chest actually is? But then recouped £24m on RVP and about £12m on Song? (Arsenal fans)

I'm not sure he needs to spend any more money, he just needs to spend the money he has got on better players. Monreal is a great start, just need more of them.

I agree with Rich. I think Arsenal are incredibly well managed as a business. Lots of good learnings there. On the pitch unfortunately Wenger has got caught up in his own hype too much. His spending is not really in line with the teams requirements - for every Ryan Giggs you need a Steve Bruce and there are no ugly players at Arsenal. There's lots of skill, huge levels of potential and a some star quality but there's also a lack of strength, leadership and fight. The best sides combine both types of quality. Even Barcelona or Spain have a streak of nasty when needed.

I've always admired Wenger for the way his teams play and how he develops players but scouting has caught up with his early head start. Getting Ljungberg, Pires and Petit ahead of the pack or identifying the potential of Henry, Bergkamp or Vieira who all failed in Italy used to be unique but now Swansea, Newcastle, West Brom and others have proven to be just as capable. The advantages are gone and the identification of gaps in the team/squad are poor. I feel it could be time to freshen things up at the Emirates.

Rob@Inter wrote:

I agree with Rich. I think Arsenal are incredibly well managed as a business. Lots of good learnings there. On the pitch unfortunately Wenger has got caught up in his own hype too much. His spending is not really in line with the teams requirements - for every Ryan Giggs you need a Steve Bruce and there are no ugly players at Arsenal. There's lots of skill, huge levels of potential and a some star quality but there's also a lack of strength, leadership and fight. The best sides combine both types of quality. Even Barcelona or Spain have a streak of nasty when needed.

I've always admired Wenger for the way his teams play and how he develops players but scouting has caught up with his early head start. Getting Ljungberg, Pires and Petit ahead of the pack or identifying the potential of Henry, Bergkamp or Vieira who all failed in Italy used to be unique but now Swansea, Newcastle, West Brom and others have proven to be just as capable. The advantages are gone and the identification of gaps in the team/squad are poor. I feel it could be time to freshen things up at the Emirates.

Agree with all of this but i think his lack of tactical ineptitude is now really letting him down. Wenger only plays one way using players to change the dynamic on the pitch in a completely opposite way to Mourinho. This is great when the players on the pitch are better (or at least equal to those at other teams) but when you come up against a better team of players, you are more likely to lose the game.

This, I think, is why Arsenal often fail to get results against some of the smaller clubs who come to stop Arsenal playing football (look at the way Inter managed to beat Barca in the CL, or the way Chelsea did last year). Arsene has no plan B and that I think is his biggest downfall.

As an Arsenal fan, I think its the case of thanks for the 16 years or so but time to pass them mantle onto someone else - who else though is the question?

His main problem is his coat.

Tom may have nailed it. Genius.

i agree with Rob

arsenal havent had anybody who can 'mix it' since the days of Petit and viera.

Theyre inability to go away from home or even at home theses days and grind out a result when the pretty slick football isnt working is costing them dearly.

theyve had defensive frailties for years but the likes of Van persie, Fabreas and co ie world class players, have been able to dig them out of sticky situations and get the points and the results

But these players are gone, the replacements arnt good enough and the same defensive frailties remain that only compound and highlight the fact that these players have been sold to pasteurs new.

Yes Arsen has probably thebest netspend of most manager in the game and should be comended for this but after however many years he still fails to recognise the fact that his side have no backbone which in my book is a massive floor on his behalf.

Until he addresses this problem and brings in some real steele to the side theyll go on missing out on trophies.

Arsene is a purist and there seems to be little place in today's society for purists.

And did anyone see Barca last night??

Rob@Inter wrote:

And did anyone see Barca last night??

Yep, they were pretty ordinary tbh - like watching Arsenal against a side content in sitting back, defending deep and hitting on the counter.

Still think Barca will go through...

Personally I do think Barca are in desperate need of a plan B. As silly as that sounds, they are gonna go out the Champions League in successive years to teams who just fllod the middle of the park and bore them out the game.

Barca really depend on Messi to much and when he doesn't fire then there is not enough firepower to get them through, Pedro and Sanchez are not out and out forwards and David Villa just is not the same since his bad injury, you can play Iniesta and Fabregas in forward positions but again these 2 are world class midfielders not 25 goals a season strikers. Being without there manager for parts of the season can't help. Sill one of the greatest sides in history but like Tom said no plan B at the moment although they only need a plan B a few games a season, when they had Etoo, Henry and then Ibra there was a plan B, think they need to buy an out an out striker in the summer a Mario Gomez, Levondoski, etc and not another midfielder (Wiltshire?)

Just watched the hi-lights versus Villa. There's some class at Arsenal for sure. Wilshere and Cazorla stand out. On the other hand Giroud is finding the step up from Ligue 1 a step too far and the defence just can't defend. Lucky Villa are poor and Benteke had an off day. Not sure £70m is enough for Arsene this summer.