Arsene Wenger Has Reached the End of the Road at Arsenal

Few managers have undergone as many revivals in fortune as Arsene Wenger has had during his time at Arsenal.

It’s a testament to both his longevity in the role—he is the longest-serving manager in the football league by almost 10 years—and his resilience.

However, the Gunners' 3-2 defeat at Stoke may have finally confirmed what many have opined for some time—it really is time the club parted ways with the veteran Frenchman.

The scoreline from the weekend was flattering to Arsenal, who were 3-0 down at half-time having been comprehensively outplayed for the first 45 minutes. Things improved in two second-half minutes when Wenger's men scored twice—once from a hotly contested penalty—while Stoke had a fourth goal controversially ruled out.

This may have been acceptable had they been faced with a side the quality of Chelsea, but Stoke have thus far been at best inconsistent and, at worst, highly predictable. Their use of the counter-attack is by far their most potent weapon but is easily combated.

The fact that Mark Hughes' men were able to defeat Manchester City at the Etihad early on but lost to Burnley at home more recently is testament to that.

The result leaves Arsenal 13 points adrift of the top of the league, and despite being sixth, they’re currently closer to the relegation zone than the top spot. Tactically, Wenger has set the team up fairly well, showing plenty of flexibility by switching between a 4-1-4-1 and a 4-2-3-1 depending on the situation.

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The issues have stemmed from his failure, which borders on unwillingness, to sculpt a balanced squad. The team is blessed with several talented wingers and attacking midfielders.

However, two critical areas—defence and defensive midfield—are sorely lacking. Wenger has had multiple transfer windows to address these issues, yet has systematically failed to do so.

The team began the season with just seven recognised defenders, and the loss of Laurent Koscielny and Mathieu Debuchy to injury has proved disastrous.

Defensive midfield may seem like less of a priority than the back line, but with Arsenal's expansive playing philosophy, having a reliable anchor is absolutely essential. Mathieu Flamini has performed admirably, but he isn't the world-class talent that Arsenal need.

Wenger seems to have pinned his hopes on the return of the injury-beset Abou Diaby to solve the problem. However, Diaby's injury record is so dire that for a club in Arsenal's financial position to be doing so borders on ludicrous.

Even if he was to return, there's virtually no chance that his confidence in the tackle won't have diminished. He has also somewhat benefited from Wizard of Oz syndrome, where the fact that nobody has seen him play in so long has inflated his reputation to a level that his career so far has scarcely warranted.

There are also questions about Wenger's ability as a man manager. In his early years, which were by far his most successful, the dressing room was dominated by big personalities such as Patrick Vieira. There were plenty of players who had experienced success elsewhere and didn't need a manager to lift the pressure from their shoulders.

Conversely, the current Arsenal squad boasts a crop of young players who have graduated through the ranks. While this is rightly a source of pride for the club and its fans, it also comes with issues.

Prior to last season's victory in the FA Cup, Arsenal's barren spell of titles had stretched for nine years. Much of this had to do with the pressure that had gradually built up on the players—many of whom had never won a senior title by virtue of having only played for the Gunners.

Of course, Wenger deserves colossal respect for his achievements, but the fact is that he has long been guilty of idealism when it comes to building squads.

Of the "Invincibles" side, defensive fulcrums—and captain and vice-captain, respectively—Vieira and Ray Parlour were both at the club before Wenger joined (although he may have played a role in the former’s arrival).

Tasked with choosing between someone who can shore up the defence and someone who can contribute to a flowing attack, there's always only going to be one winner in his mind.

Wenger shouldn't just leave for the club's sake but for his own. He deserves to be remembered as a great, a rival to Herbert Chapman for the title of best manager in the club's history.

A couple more years of decline and it's entirely possible that he will forever be remembered with a saddening blot on his copybook.