Arsene Wenger has appealed to Arsenal fans to see past the gloom that he believes the media have projected around the club. Unfortunately we do not need the media to tell us that all is not well at our football club. The problems are clear to any observer when we struggle on the pitch and when there is a large turnover in players. This tells us, without any spin from the media, that something is wrong.
An Interview with the manager was aired on Sky before Tuesday night’s Champions League game in which we saw Arsene relaxed and in good spirits. This has been a rarity as whenever he has been faced with criticism from the press in the last couple of seasons he has dismissed it out of hand as if the questioner doesn’t know what he is talking about. This has been a big problem for Wenger because the questions that he is being asked are what a number of Arsenal fans are also thinking.
Certain sensationalist reporters will always get the manager’s back up and often do nothing more than perpetuate their own fabricated stories, particularly in the transfer window but there are some that will reflect the views of Arsenal fans in their questioning and when the manager dismisses those questions as idiotic then some fans will begin to feel aggrieved that the manager appears to be burying his head in the sand. This aggravation has now spread and there are audible signs of dissatisfaction in some sections of the support. If the manager had been more understanding of what many fans feel are very legitimate concerns then he may have been in a stronger position. Instead, as it stands, a number of fans want to see him gone whilst a majority are rapidly losing patience with his apparent ignorance of very obvious problems.
Thankfully, the interview that aired on Tuesday showed him admitting the problems that he has faced and that he knew the team needed strengthening. He said he would spend £40 million on a player if he could find the right one and as he spoke it was as if we were turning the clock back five years. He was likeable and you found yourself willing him to do well as he spoke. It is possible that the Fabregas saga has shocked him into action and although the interview will not solves any problems, it helped to restore The Arse’s faith in a man who is facing the biggest challenge of his career.
The team looked a mess against Udinese but there are many redeeming features in this squad. We just have to hope the manager can continue to trim the excess to allow it’s best features to grow.