
As I prepare to wrap up the blog following yet another season of abject failure, I thought it only fair to submit to my pained readership a recap of how things lie within the Arsenal squad with the same fearless honesty as I do every season.
Wojciecjh Szczesny
Szczesny has regressed since last season, probably because there was no genuine competition for his place, so he got complacent and arrogant. He’s a decent keeper but still has a lot to learn and is not yet of the calibre required for a side that’s supposed to hold expectations of challenging for major trophies. Arsenal’s goalkeeping farce continues unabated.
Lukasz Fabianski
Has hardly played this season after he made his feelings clear about not wanting to stay at the club. Came in when Szczesny was dropped and did OK, but there wasn’t much pressure on him and no doubt given the chance long-term he wouldn’t be able to hack it. As Fabianski is criminally overpaid there is likely to be problems finding a buyer, so expect him to go out on loan next season, with Arsenal stumping up his wages.
Vito Mannone
Not up to it.
Bacary Sagna
Wants to leave and will no doubt get his wish. I doubt he’ll be missed though as he’s always been poor going forward and Wenger has demotivated him and ruined his confidence to the extent that he’s clearly not the player Arsenal bought. Like Walcott, Sagna’s upturn in form of late is clearly all about putting himself in the shop window, earlier in the season he was woeful.
Nacho Monreal
To early to make an assessment. From what I’ve seen looks half-decent but is unlikely to improve any further under Wenger – defenders never do.
Per Mertesacker
Adequate, but no more than that, Mertesacker lacks pace, knows it and therefore tends to panic in one-on-ones and make elementary mistakes. Considering his height and experience you’d expect him to be way more commanding at defending set-pieces, but he’s no better than any other player. Mertesacker’s simply not good enough to play in a side with the sort of expectations Arsenal supposedly possess – and anyone who thinks he is has completely lost sight of the calibre of defender a side needs to compete for a major title.
Sebastien Squillaci
The sorry sum of £11.1m has been blown on transfer fees + wages for this overpaid joke that refuses to leave.
Thomas Vermaelen
Four years at the club and he’s regressed every season. Giving him the captaincy has had an adverse effect as Vermaelen didn’t seem to want the responsibility of it and his (already poor) form suffered from the added pressure. A good defender, destroyed by Wenger due to inept training and lousy man management, for his own benefit, Vermaelen should be looking to leave – and I wouldn’t be surprised if he did, or blame him either.
Carl Jenkinson
An honest and likeable player that brings the ball forward to better effect than Sagna but has a lot to learn about defending. Seeing as he won’t develop defensively under Wenger’s stewardship, Arsenal need a new right back when Sagna leaves.
Laurent Koscielny
Has good games and bad games, but is largely unpredictable and prone to dropping massive clangers at any given moment. Usually, the bigger and more pressurised the game the bigger the mistakes he tends to make. A decent bench warmer, but no more than that.
Kieran Gibbs
Not the perfect defender but is becoming a more efficient attacker and his pace is a valuable weapon. Unfortunately, however, Gibbs has a horrendous injury record and, like Diaby, is clearly not up to the rigours of Premier League football. 48 starts in 6 years is shocking and he’s eating up the wage bill. As he’s decent enough to attract bids, Arsenal should look to sell and use the money to buy a new left back.
Abou Diaby
Have sympathy for his predicament but the amount of money Diaby has cost the club for so little contribution is beyond a joke. That the Arsenal board have allowed Wenger to subsidise this idiotic pet project is a perfect example of the misplaced power he holds. The player surely has to be let go of when his contract expires next summer.
Aaron Ramsey
Received undeserved criticism after being played out of position for months on end, but let’s face it, while Ramsey has a great engine and decent ball retention (sideways), he’s average. The player lacks creativity, character and bottle, especially in front of goal – he’s no DM either. Grossly overpaid, Arsenal need to find a buyer.
Tomas Rosicky
Probably my favourite Arsenal player at present. Great attitude and always positive on the field of play, he tries to make things happen while everyone else is passing it sideways, and doesn’t constantly talk out his arse to the press. However, as we all know, Rosicky can’t stay fit for more than 2 games in a row. Averaging 13 starts per season, the huge wage expenditure is completely unproductive. He’s 33 in October too, so he’ll soon be on the slippery slope downwards. Arsenal need to sell while there is value left in him, or offer a rolling one-year contract with reduced salary.
Santi Cazorla
Although not world class, Cazorla’s been a positive signing and is a player that brings a lot to the team. Scored 12 goals, which is decent, even though half of those were against Reading and Aston Villa. Needs to produce in the big games, although not much sign of that this season.
Mikel Arteta
Continue to be baffled why Arteta plays in a defensive midfield role, Alex Song would have done better there this season. A good, honest pro with an excellent attitude – albeit a bit too ‘nice’ on the pitch, to all intents and purposes he’s been Arsenal’s captain this season, but his talent is being completely wasted. Arsenal STILL desperately needs a top class DM that can protect the fragile back four.
Francis Coquelin
Wenger evidently doesn’t rate/trust him and I don’t believe he will amount to anything so should be looking to loan or sell him on.
Jack Wilshere
Slightly overrated yet you would like to think still has another level in him (under the right manager) – he could become world class but doesn’t deliver nearly enough end product to be considered so yet. Would like to see Wilshere played out wide for a few games where he can have more of an attacking impact – he often plays too deep. Assists aren’t great and two goals this season is a very poor return for a player of his talent. More concerning, however, is how he’s slowly but surely being physically destroyed by Wenger who is to blame for perpetually rushing him back from injury and never resting him when he’s fit.
Andrey Arshavin
Lazy sod’s bleeding the club dry. In retrospect a stupid buy as Wenger had no intention of playing him through the middle and it was obvious Arshavin doesn’t have the characteristics of a hard-working winger. Fairly or unfairly, Arshavin always was a special case and needed to be treated like one – Wenger didn’t and has paid the price by wasting a £15m transfer fee and £16m in wages for 14 starts a season (8 in the past two).
Lukas Podolski
As I said when we bought him: “My gut instinct is that Podolski will be a decent signing, but far from prolific – and if he’s stuck out wide, the goals might dry up as they have for Germany.” His former coach warned of his lack of work ethic, and subsequently Wenger has dropped him because of it. Some say he’s been injured all season, sounds like bollocks to me. 9 Premier League goals is feeble, 2 away from home is pathetic. Arsenal should look to sell while the German still has value.
Alex-Oxlade Chamberlain
Has made an impact as a sub at times, but the season has probably not gone as the youngster planned with relatively few starts. £12m is beginning to look like a daft fee and whilst Oxlade-Chamberlain has considerable development in him, as we have seen with dozens of young players under Wenger, subscribing to that improvement as a certainty is as much a fantasy as reality.
Olivier Giroud
As I said when we bought him: “Giroud could be good, but he’s not a signing I would get excited about, and like Chamakh, he could just as easily become a victim of Wenger’s inability to play to his strengths.” Truth is, he’s looked isolated up front and his frequent glaring misses demonstrate that he doesn’t possess the killer instinct expected by a club of Arsenal’s stature. 11 league goals is hardly emphatic (even Chamakh got 7 in his first season), and considering his height and physical stature, 1 PL goal away from home is quite frankly a laughable contribution. Holds the ball up well, but if you’re going to compete for the title or Champions League the idea of having Giroud as your only striker is quite frankly preposterous and just goes to prove Wenger’s total and utter lack of ambition.
Gervinho
Doesn’t seem to know what he’s doing half the time. His performances have been mostly abysmal and he’s not fit to wear the Arsenal shirt. £10.5m was a ludicrous price; whoever scouted him should be flayed.
Theo Walcott
Played very well when he thought other clubs might be interested in him, but when he realised they weren’t signed a paltry 3-year contract extension and his form has reverted to type. Finishing has improved, but his all round game remains limited and if you examine where his goals have come from it’s usually against divisional dregs. Criminally overpaid, he had Arsenal over a barrel, which speaks volumes in itself. Walcott is a useful tool as a sub (although highly questionable at £100k a week), but a complete tool for any other purpose. Arsenal need a winger with more guile and creativity than Walcott can provide.
Summary
Coming 4th or 5th does not impress me, and this is probably the worst Arsenal side since the late 1960s. Why? Because it's the worst in Wenger or George Graham's reign, which itself stretches back almost 30 years, and the club has won nothing for 8 seasons now and remains in decline. For as long as Wenger is in charge then next season's drought will continue to 9 trophyless years, which would mark the club's third worst trophy drought in its history post-1930.
The performances this season have been dire with even most of the wins completely devoid of character, including against some of the worst clubs in the division. I can't remember a single genuinely impressive performance this season except perhaps the 2-0 away win at Liverpool back in September and the 2-0 win at Bayern, but that was the second leg of a match that was already done and dusted in the first leg.
Whatever way you look at this season, it’s clearly been blemished by underachievement, with no progress whatsoever – only decline, albeit small decline. In footballing terms, Arsenal have been mediocre to watch and the season has been tainted by genuinely embarrassing cup exits, an inability to defeat all five of the club’s competitors for a Champions League spot, bar Tottenham (because Adebayor got sent off), and not a hint of a challenge for the Premier League or Champions League.
The quality of football has been mostly dull and tedious with very few standout performances, while only a couple of players have performed consistently across the season.
I doubt there will be much to talk about over the summer either, as the usual depressing nonsense we’re treated to regarding Arsenal having to sell another world class player is now redundant; Arsenal have no world class players left.
Sagna will leave no doubt, but the papers won’t drum up a fuss about that.
There is only one solution to Arsenal’s malaise; get rid of the vastly overpaid, overrated, ambitionless egomaniac that’s been allowed to influence how the club is run from top to bottom to grievous effect, backed by a boardroom of inept dullards.
Until that’s fixed, the club’s dead – there is no hope; zero future.
I strongly urge all Arsenal fans to boycott the final home game against Wigan on 12 May, but this seems unlikely as the players will still be fighting for a CL spot. Unfortunately, this is the Arsenal supporters’ only chance to make a statement of intent regarding season ticket renewals before another summer of lies and spin commences with nothing achieved at the end of it.
Negative? Yes. But where’s the positives? Yes, Arsenal are in a good run of form at the minute but it’s too little too late as usual. Besides, who have we played in the last 10 games? Stoke (2 wins in 15), Sunderland (0 wins in 9 up to O’Neill getting sacked), Villa (on the edge of relegation), Reading (down), Norwich (1 win in 15 before Arsenal played them), and Swansea, West Brom and Fulham – of which the form of all three has nosedived since they secured their Premier League status yet could clearly no longer qualify for European competition.
Everything’s explainable, and despite recording numerous wins against distinctly average opposition Arsenal could not win any of those matches convincingly, except against the bottom club Reading. The other two games, Everton and Spurs, Arsenal only got 1 point.
Sadly, anyone who thinks there has been a significant reversal of fortunes in recent weeks is deluded - and there are plenty of those about. Too many fans are still caught in the trap of everlasting hope emitted by a handful of self-defeating, cowardly bloggers that have pretty much thrown the towel in to serve their stubborn readership of pro-Wenger subordinates. These ‘fans’, who seem more than happy to fester in mediocrity indefinitely than admit that change is desperately needed remain oblivious to the only rational conclusion left, that their lord and master is an overrated failure, and it's time for him to be shown the door.
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