Following a negative world cup, the anticipation ahead of another season of free flowing football at the Grove is high.
The manager's enjoyment of football is expressed through the style that the Arse have become synonimous with and although frustration with a lack of silverware is threatening to boil over, at least we have been priviliged enough to see the most entertaining years of our clubs history.
However, the cause of the negative approach during the world cup was the desire to win. All managers, players and fans want is to win, including Wenger, but during the World Cup everyone involved appeared to become obsessed with stopping the other teams rather than trying to win. Arsene Wenger has the mental strength to rise above that style and aim for a combination of entertainment and success but in recent years that appears to have become a hindrance to our chances of success which may or may not be acceptable.
We love watching Arsenal play but that passion would remain no matter what style of play the manager adopts. So there is a strong argument for the manager to take a more pragmatic approach in order to give us a better chance of winning silverware. However, if every football tournament in the world becomes as cynical as the latest World Cup, many would soon lose interest in every game other than those involving their clubs. We should be proud that the Arse are one of the few teams in the world that consistently look to provide entertainment and play the beautiful game.
Roll on Barnet on Saturday.