Arsenal find themselves at a crossroads. Stick with Arsene Wenger, the club’s most successful manager ever, but one who many think has reached a glass ceiling in the modern game. Or the alternative – replace the Frenchman with another man, with new ideas and a fresh approach.
This most important transition in the club’s history will need to be handled carefully, that’s for sure. Wenger says that he’s made up his mind, but whatever the decision, the fan-base is so split on this one that many will need convincing either way.
Saturday’s 3-1 defeat to West Brom at the Hawthorns will have done supporters of the ‘Wenger In’ camp no favours. Arsenal looked toothless as they succumbed to a damaging defeat at the hands of the Baggies. West Brom exposed Arsenal badly at set-pieces, with defender Craig Dawson scoring a brace from two corners that leaves Arsenal five points adrift of the top four.
The mess that was Arsenal’s defence last Saturday was not what you would expect of a Champions League team, not one bit. Add to this the recent 10-2 aggregate drubbing by Bayern Munich and you can see why the most serious questions of Arsene Wenger’s reign are being asked.
But would a change in manager change Arsenal’s fortunes? Are fans really confident that a new man would come in and do a better job? If Arsenal get the transition between Wenger and his eventual replacement wrong it could set the club back years, and prove extremely damaging in the long term.
As has recently been seen at Manchester United, the turmoil of replacing a long-time coach can be significant. The Red Devils have had to spend vast sums of money to regain some sort of momentum. Whilst Arsenal are not short of a penny or two, they can’t match United in this way, so any drop off could inflict more serious, long-lasting damage on the North-Londoners than the men from Manchester.
When looking at the list of potential replacements , you see there are not many top level coaches available. Luis Enrique has only ever impressed in the unique environment of Barcelona, where he has a front three of Messi, Suarez and Neymar at his disposal. Max Allegri failed at AC Milan, before impressing at a Juventus side who have dominated Serie A for years, the team has a strong core of extremely experienced pros. Neither coach will have the same level of quality or experience available to them at Arsenal.
Diego Simeone has also been spoken about, but would he really leave Atletico? Even if he did the squad would need such a massive overhaul to go from the beautiful, art-like football Arsene Wenger has instilled, to the relentless, efficient, machine-like play Simeone demands of his men.
Arsenal fans should be careful what they wish for, now may not be the right time for such a monumental change. The focus should be on finishing the season strongly and ensuring Champions League football remains on the agenda at the Emirates next term. The Gunner’s ability to attract and keep hold of top players like Ozil and Sanchez may depend on it.