I remember when Wenger’s departure was finalised after a stint of 22 years and providing the fans with countless memories to cherish, everybody around the club seemed full of joy that he was leaving. It was certainly not the kind of departing gesture he deserved after toiling hard for this institution.
But was getting rid of him really the answer? The initial couple of months under new manager Unai Emery saw massive improvements in Arsenal’s performances. They were on a roll for the first few weeks and looked all set to finish in the top-four. But the gaps soon started to appear and by December Arsenal was caught in a tussle with Chelsea for the final CL qualifying spot.
Could it be possible that the problems at Arsenal run deeper, that can’t be solved by merely making a managerial change. And it is evident from last night’s match against Rennes that the transition will not be as smooth as they would have hoped for.
A comparable situation to Manchester United
A sudden change after 22 years of stability was bound to cause serious problem for Arsenal. The situation could be compared to Sir Alex Ferguson retiring at the end of 2012-13 campaign. He left behind an ageing squad out of which only he could have squeezed out a title victory.
One key difference between Arsenal and United is that the former had started recruiting for their next manager halfway into Wenger’s final season. On top of that they also made a few more quality additions. Because of which Unai Emery had a much better squad at his disposal than David Moyes, whose only buy in his first summer was Marouane Fellaini on deadline day.
Cracks begin to appear
Arsenal has done really good business in the summer transfer market. After playing some thrilling football in the earlier part of the season the cracks have now begin to show. Even Pep Guardiola found it difficult to adjust to the Premier League and Emery should be let off the hook if he is struggling.
But yesterday’s result against Rennes sure is a cause of concern mainly because Emery knows this competition inside-out. He has won it twice with Sevilla. Questions need to be asked about the formation that he used wherein he decided to play without wide players and deployed Mikhitaryan at right-back. This afforded the Rennes wide-men and full backs a lot of space which they exploited to score their first two goals.
What followed next is a greater cause of concern for Arsenal. Rennes’ third goal came after a counter-attack which started after Arsenal lost the ball from a throw-in deep in the opposition half. Take nothing away from the Rennes’ players who combined for the goal, but Arsenal’s lack of motivation to recover the ball is a worrying sign.
How this affects betting odds
Manchester United’s upturn in form means that Arsenal will find it hard to finish in the top-four. And given the inconsistent season they have had it is likely that they will lose more matches in the league till the end of the season. Responsible gambling is the key to winning big amount, and placing bets on Arsenal surely is not the best option right now.
For Arsenal fans this side of the Atlantic there are various other gambling avenues. Online casinos are the perfect fit for Canadian players at present. Canada Casinos offer a wide array of slots and card games which can be played online anytime, anywhere. They are very reputed in Canada mainly because of their transparent system and reliable payment mechanisms.
Coming back to football, in my opinion the discharging Wenger of his duties wasn’t the answer for Arsenal in the short term. Stubborn as he was it was his team which he had built piece by piece and had more knowledge about it than anybody else. He alone can’t be blamed for their dry spell in terms of trophies when the club owners were unwilling to spend big money on players that he wanted.