Arsenal’s vulnerability to the counterattack was exposed so mercilessly by Manchester United on Sunday that, watching from the stands, 35-year-old Sol Campbell might well have exhaled in relief at being spared from the action. Thomas Vermaelen had been passed fit, which seemed miraculous considering that the defender had been diagnosed with a suspected broken leg after the Gunners’ goalless draw with Aston Villa last Wednesday, and so Campbell was denied his return to Premier League action. But even with their first-choice back four in place, the Arsenal rearguard was eviscerated not once but twice by United’s quick passing as the home side slumped to a 3-1 defeat.
The re-signing of Campbell, whose best days are clearly behind him, is one of many sticks with which Arsenal fans are beginning to beat Arsène Wenger. The failure of Wenger to adequately replace Emmanuel Adebayor’s physical threat up front continues to vex the supporters too. Furthermore, the way in which Manuel Almunia helped Nani’s cross into his own net for the first goal illustrated once again his manager’s laissez-faire attitude to the position of goalkeeper (at the other end, Edwin van der Sar – who was probably born wearing gloves – put in a faultless performance). By the time the referee, Chris Foy, blew for time at the Emirates, thousands of empty seats stared back at Wenger from his position in the dugout. The boos from those fans who had remained in the ground are probably still filling the Frenchman’s ears.
Arsenal have not won a trophy since 2005, a fact that is fast-turning into a cliché thanks to the frequency with which it is repeated. Unless they beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge next Sunday, the Gunners’ only hope of adding to the FA Cup they won on penalties against United five years ago is through the Champions League. Success in that competition is still a possibility for Arsenal, who have FC Porto standing between them and a place in the last eight, but if they are to lift the European Cup in Madrid in May then, in all likelihood, they will have to beat either Manchester United or Chelsea (again) along the way. Or both. Worryingly for Wenger, Arsenal’s two biggest rivals have now put thirteen goals past them in the last four matches involving those clubs at the Emirates – United scored three there in the Champions League last season before adding three more yesterday, while Chelsea knocked four past Arsenal in the league at the end of last season and a further three late last year. It is Arsène Wenger’s recent failure to compete with Arsenal’s main domestic rivals in one-on-one combat that must most worry the club’s fans, and make them fear that their hunt for silverware could continue indefinitely.
Arsenal fans should be extremely wary of lowering their “In Arsène We Trust” banners just yet though. The Frenchman is not just the club’s manager but its architect. Wenger’s current side might be falling short of the standards his teams set in 1998, 2002, and 2004, but his involvement in the club’s global scouting network and its youth development at least means that the team continues to play with the same style as sides featuring Henry, Vieira, and Pires. Since taking charge in 1996, Wenger has conducted a root-and-branch overhaul of Arsenal’s training methods, playing style, and transfer policy. Apart from Sir Alex Ferguson, no other manager wields such power at the club he manages and commands such trust. If Wenger leaves the club his methods will go with him, as well as several players, and Arsenal fans should ask themselves whether that is really a fate worth bringing upon themselves.
