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Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano confirmed that the managerial career of Arsene Wenger would not end in European glory.
Atletico Madrid were far from their best but prevailed 2-1 on aggregate over the two legs against Arsenal to ensure a spot in the Europa League Final on the 17th of May in Lyon, where they will face Marseille. The insipid display by Arsenal will now mean that Arsene Wenger ends his Arsenal reign against Huddersfield Town at the John Smith Stadium.
This ending, when compared to the only other man who sustained such longevity in the modern era (Sir Alex Ferguson), is in complete contrast. Ferguson guided his Manchester United team to the Premier League title in the 2012/13 season, ending his managerial career with an incredible 13th Premier League winners medal.
Wenger’s record over his 22 years with Arsenal is indeed impressive, including three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups. The glaring omission from these achievements though is no European success for Arsenal or Wenger.
This, I believe, does put the greatness of Wenger’s legacy with Arsenal into question especially when you compare him to Ferguson, Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola, who have all conquered Europe.
Arsenal’s lack of trophies, as well as competitiveness within the Premier League and Europe, have seen them slide behind the likes of the two Manchester Clubs as well as Chelsea, Liverpool and even most recently Tottenham.
Wenger, who entered the Premier League as a revolutionist with Arsenal back in 1996, seemed to lose his way and the ability to adapt with the modern game. Wenger’s most famous Arsenal side, the Invincibles of 2003/04, was the epitome of the Wenger philosophy which displayed great team strength and character mixed with individual technique and quality.
This mix of character and technique though has been lost within the Arsenal fabric as the ability to play eye-catching football has continued under Wenger but the leadership and accountability have eroded. Characters such as Patrick Viera and Tony Adams no longer exist within the Arsenal team and the ability for Wenger’s teams to be bullied has become more apparent through the years.
The move from Highbury to the Emirates was meant to confirm and cement Arsenal’s status as one of the largest global football brands. The Emirates though, besides the occasional FA cup, has seen the trophies dry up and in the process Arsenal’s inability to not only compete within England but on the European stage as well.
Wenger and Arsenal have made countless excuses over about lack of money and not being able to compete with the riches of others such as Chelsea and the two Manchester clubs. Wenger, though, has spent money especially on the likes of Mesut Ozil, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre Emerick Aubameyang in recent times which negates the claim that Arsenal are unable to compete financially.
(AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
A more glaring omission has been Wenger’s inability to strengthen his defence and purchase a true ball winning midfielder to support his array of attacking stars. Wenger has constantly defended his transfer policy but the results and lack of trophies paints a very different story.
Wenger in his pomp was able to develop and nurture young talent such as Cesc Fabregas and even convert Thierry Henry from a winger into one of the most feared Premier League strikers of his generation.
This magic, though, seems to have departed Wenger in his later years as players such as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who left for Liverpool, seemed to stagnate at Arsenal. The stagnation of players at Arsenal has fed into the debate on whether Wenger overstayed his time at Arsenal and if he should have left the Arsenal managerial position seasons ago.
The answer to this is ‘yes’, Wenger’s defiance and the lack of real leadership from the Arsenal board has led to a situation where the incoming manager, whoever that may be, now must rebuild Arsenal to be once again competing for the biggest trophies.
With all this though, there is no denying Arsene Wenger did bring a new approach and revolutionised English football when he arrived. The tactical nous, as well as the strict preparation he implemented at Arsenal from diets to recovery, was soon being replicated across all Premier League clubs.
His teams of the late 90’s and early 2000’s brought great joy even if you were not an Arsenal supporter and the great modern rivalry between Manchester United and Arsenal was born.
The Arsenal touchline will be strange to look at next season without Arsene Wenger, but in the modern game change is essential and Arsenal now must begin to move forward as they look to once again reach the summit of the English game.
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