da dobrowin： When Arsene Wenger first arrived in the Premier League in 1996, he was a revolutionary – an intellectual one at that. His once-unique views on diet, fitness, training, philosophy and transfer policy that went on to be adopted by the entirety of the English top flight, combined with the attire and demeanour of a maths teacher, earned Wenger the well-fitting nickname, Le Professeur.
da 888casino： But like many revolutions headed by intellectuals, like every figurehead of revolt against the old order, Wenger is now an outdated, stubborn, dogmatic and seemingly immovable tyrant, with the persistence of his ideology holding Arsenal back.
Indeed, Le Professeur once came with connotations of an all-knowing, ever-anticipating visionary. Now however, it forms the moniker of a dreaded dictator, like Colonel Gaddafi, General Stalin or Chairman Mao.
The socialist comparisons may seem superficial, but there is something very 1980s USSR about Arsenal at the minute. That was the period where Eastern Europe’s controlled economy began to stagnate whilst the standard of living continued to improve in the West, and in perfect parody, the Gunners haven’t finished higher than third or lower than fourth in the Premier League in the last nine years.
Already 13 points behind league leaders Chelsea, it seems Champions League qualification is yet again the only achievement – if it even counts as one anymore – Arsenal fans can hope for this season.
There’s nothing wrong with consistency but consider the financial powerhouses that have developed in that period. Chelsea are very much the capitalists to Arsenal’s communism and it speaks volumes that the Gunners haven’t won a league title since their London rivals’ first in 2005. Manchester City have now overtaken them too.
Wenger apologists will be quick to point out the financial obligations of the newly-built Emirates stadium, but blaming it all on the powers of the purse is a complete fallacy. Arsene Wenger has never beaten Jose Mourinho in a Premier League fixture from twelve attempts – that has nothing to do with transfer budgets.
In reality, the philosophy that once made Arsenal so great has manifested into a bizarre dystopian version of it’s former self. The Invincibles were the best technical side of their generation in the Premier League, but they were also blessed with strength, power, resilience and leadership. Now, the Gunners’ lack of variety, with almost every player following a similar model of being lightweight, diminutive and creative in nature, makes them worryingly one-dimensional and dangerously predictable.
Mourinho worked how out to beat Arsenal a decade ago and printed out the cheat codes for the rest of the Premier League, Sir Alex Ferguson has a whole chapter devoted to exploiting the Gunners’ philosophical flaws in his latest autobiography, yet the lack of evolution to Wenger’s ideology – the constant ignorance to essential Premier League requisites such as athleticism and power – sees the north Londoners concede the same types of goal and make the same mistakes on an almost weekly basis.
Arsenal fans know this already and they’ve made their feelings perfectly clear. Yet Wenger, perhaps stubborn, perhaps arrogant, continues in his defiance like an ideological fanatic determined to live or die by his sword.
One could argue that about plenty of managers in Premier League employment; Louis van Gaal, Brendan Rodgers and Roberto Martinez, amongst others, are equal in their purist idealism. But all of those can be held to account when things go wrong, all of those would eventually get the sack for poor results or a lack of long-term progress.
Wenger however, despite Arsenal’s stagnation, has continually held onto power. He should have left in the summer on the high of the FA Cup, but instead agreed a new three-year contract. The lingering concern is that, once again, like a dictatorship, Wenger’s 18-year run has seen the north London club institutionalise itself around him.
Consequentially, rather than considering the possibilities of potential success with another manager, the vast majority of Arsenal fans have spent the last decade fretting what life would be like without Le Prof and how debasing his departure could be. Only recently have they decided a change in the dug-out, compared to the prolonging of their fourth-place purgatory, is probably a risk worth taking.
It’s the biased propaganda, so far removed from reality, that I personally find the most grating. This week, Wenger argued that Arsenal have ‘fought many times for the title. People always remember who won it but the fight has been very tight for long periods in each of the last eight or nine years.’
But when exactly? In the space of the last nine seasons, the Gunners have finished on average 16 points off the top, and their closest campaign was way back in 2007-08, finishing five points behind Manchester United.
Even last season, when the north Londoners were seven points short of Manchester City and spent 128 days in pole position – the most of any Premier League side – there was always a feeling that their title bid would inevitably, all-too-predictably crumble. Arsenal’s FA Cup, their first trophy in nine years, was seen as a major triumph, but to Chelsea, Liverpool or City last season, it would have been viewed as a disappointing consolation.
The problem with tyrants is that when they’re eventually overthrown, it’s always bloody and they often leave an enormous mess behind them. Wenger’s recorded sensational success and created fantastic memories at Arsenal, but he’s now at a point where he’ll eventually be remembered for all the wrong reasons.
A metaphorical public guillotine is still unlikely, but do not be fooled – Wenger’s dogmatic, stagnating tyranny is continually pushing supporters towards revolt. Eventually, something has to give.
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