Arsene, you have a week. If that display was not enough to tell the manager, the fans and the board that there are issues at Arsenal Football Club, then perhaps nothing ever will. For a matchup that looked so even on paper, it was as lopsided a defeat as Arsenal have been handed by a rival in recent memory. Liverpool were never prevented from doing what they wanted to do, and Arsenal never really threatened the Reds’ goal. After just 3 games, there is already fear amongst a growing cross section of supporters that this season is rapidly deteriorating.
Questionable Tactics
In a way, you could almost see what Arsene Wenger was thinking. Getting Alexis Sanchez back in the side, Wenger went with Danny Welbeck up top over new signing Alexandre Lacazette, perhaps hoping to recapture the attack’s form and confidence from the FA Cup last season. Far from the most clinical striker on earth, Danny Welbeck is a hard worker for the team, and the idea was almost certainly to have him lead the press from the front of the line.
In defence, most Arsenal fans could have been forgiven for expecting improvement after Laurent Koscielny finally returned from his suspension, picked up at the end of last season on a reckless, goal saving tackle against Everton. Often last season, Koscielny would hold the Arsenal back line together himself, and one only has to look at matches in which the Frenchman was forced off the pitch to see how important he is to his team.
Perhaps the most perplexing tactical shift that Arsene Wenger has made in the last two matches is the decision to swap Hector Bellerin from his usual spot at right wing back with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who started at left wing back to finish out the FA Cup last season. Again, in theory, one sees what Wenger had in mind, keeping the two best dribblers in the Arsenal XI, Alexis Sanchez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on opposite sides of the formation in search of some balance. The one major problem, and it was plain to see for all last week against Stoke City, is that the young Spanish fullback is clearly not comfortable on the left. Rumour has it that the move was also in an effort to placate Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who has become unsettled at the Emirates here in the final year of his contract. Whether or not that was the primary reasoning being the switch, it is plain for all to see that the experiment is a failed one, with the Gunners conceding 5 goals and scoring none since the switch. Ouch.
Did They Quit or Are They Not a Good Enough?
The single most alarming aspect of Arsenal’s current 2 game slide may be the performance of the players. It has been incredibly rare over the last couple of seasons to see Arsenal so thoroughly outplayed by their opponents. Against all but the most possession oriented, elite competition, Arsenal often control the balance of play, seeing more of the ball than their opponents and creating the bulk of a game’s chances. Not on Sunday. Liverpool looked like the better side for 90 minutes, with a red shirted player seeming to beat out a blue shirt to every single loose ball.
Last season, Arsenal became so adept at clawing back into matches late that it almost followed a script: the Gunners control the balance of play, only to concede a goal to their opponents, leading Wenger’s men to redouble their efforts and, inevitably, Olivier Giroud to steal points back for Arsenal with a late goal. In fact, the opposition scoring a goal was often a catalyst for the Arsenal attack, leading to a sharp increase in effort, focus and results. Thus far in 2017/18, that magic does not seem to have carried over. Sunday’s match saw little improvement or response from the Gunners as Liverpool took the game over with barely any resistance.
It is hard to say whether or not the transfer grumblings around the team this week played a part in the lacklustre performance, but the results speak for themselves. Two of the club’s supposed contract rebels, Alexis and the Ox, played extremely poorly, while one player who was almost a lock for the starting XI when healthy last season, Shkodran Mustafi, was perplexingly left on the bench for Liverpool and their high octane attack. In hindsight, Wenger is probably wishing he had left all 3 out of the side, wth Sanchez, in particular, being hauled off shortly after the second half began, his passing and effort having gotten increasingly erratic.
The Fans
How much leash does an FA Cup victory earn a manager with the fans of the club? As it turns out, about 3 games. Through the summer, the constant calls for Wenger’s job faded into the background, with last season’s tension resolving in a reluctant truce as the team was able to lift its 7th FA a Cup under the erudite Frenchman. Wenger might have walked away after last season had the club gone without a trophy once again, but the late season FA Cup heroics, and the all out effort and drive with which the team won convinced the board to give Wenger 2 more years.
If the club or the more sympathetic among fans started to believe that the fans would get behind the team, and through thick and thin, attempt to propel their team onwards. Surely last season’s frosty home crowds with their blood-curdling chants and their hired planes with ‘Wenger Out’ banners showed the Arsenal faithful how important it is to give their team a proper atmosphere? Sadly, Arsene Wenger seems to have spent the last of his good will with faithful Gooners, and should the team fail to pull themselves out of this troublesome patch, the hostility and unhappiness at the Emirates could quickly get out of hand.
The Road Ahead
Luckily for Arsene Wenger, there are still 3 full days left in the summer transfer window, should he decide that his team needs some rapid changes for the sake of their season. With 3 of the team’s usual starting XI linked with moves away, Arsenal could face huge changes in an attempt to avoid the young season getting away from them. Wenger’s two signings so far this summer have been of high quality and filled needs, with Kolasinac providing youth and strength to the left side of Arsenal’s defence and Alexandre Lacazette to provide clinical finishing when called upon…if Wenger plays him.
Whatever Wenger and the club decide to do, they must right this ship. This Arsenal squad are as talented as any to have graced the Emirates pitch over the last decade, and Wenger has bet on them to carry him to glory one more time before he rides off into the sunset. The way things look now, with just 3 points through 3 matches and teams like Manchester United looking dangerously strong, Arsenal could already be running out of time for a title challenge in 2017/18.
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