Reasons for and Against Arsenal Sacking Arsene Wenger

To say that Arsenal have had a rocky start to the season is a massive understatement. The Gunners are still outside of the top four and have collapsed on several occasions against big and small teams alike.

It is not as if this is an anomalous season during a run of sterling title-challenging campaigns. After finishing in the top two during each of his first eight seasons as manager, Arsene Wenger has failed to guide his team to such a level since.

Starting in the 2005-06 season, Arsenal began to bounce between third and fourth place. The Gunners failed to win a trophy for season after season as they transitioned to the Emirates Stadium, and they came to be defined by their misfirings.

Wenger bears a significant portion of the responsibility for Arsenal's precipitous and prolonged decline because he orchestrated the quick sales of many of the Invincibles.

The undefeated team of 2003-04 was so successful because it had a healthy blend of youth and experience. Yet the most respected and talented elder heads, such as Patrick Vieira, Robert Pires, Gilberto Silva and even Thierry Henry were jettisoned within a couple of seasons.

Arsenal were left with an inexperienced squad that for years failed to pair its attacking nous with defensive stability and consistency.

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Seemingly out of nowhere, though, the Gunners began to find some form at the beginning of last season and mount a very credible title challenge. As Aaron Ramsey flourished and fans cheered £42.5 million Mesut Ozil, it appeared that Wenger was experiencing a renaissance.

Arsenal broke their trophy duck with one of the sturdiest defenses in England, but injuries to Ramsey and Theo Walcott eventually proved too much. Wenger could not push his team over the line, and Arsenal slumped to fourth.

Gunners fans thought that this was the season when their team would finally tussle with the big boys. Liberated from the constraints of the Emirates Stadium debt, Wenger continued to purchase top talent, and refreshed both defense, attack and goalkeeper.

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But his transfer-market logic was once again utterly incomprehensible. No layperson will probably ever know why Wenger decided to go into the season with two senior central defenders, but that blunder has caused the team to drop most of their points this season.

Consequently, many have wondered whether Wenger still has the ability to innovate his tactics and motivate Arsenal to play for him.

The criticism flares up after losses and disappointing draws, of course, indicating that a lot of it might just be reactionary. But recurring pattens in those losses and draws give reason to doubt Wenger's ability to address common problems.

The Gunners seem to have been mentally fragile for over a season now, and are utterly unable to beat the big teams. After getting bashed on multiple occasions last year, Arsenal lost to Manchester United at home and conceded a 96th-minute equalizer against Liverpool.

Fans are tired of hearing the same excuses after every such match, and the fact that nothing has changed indicates Wenger's inability to improve things. Arsenal continue to be vulnerable on the counterattack and struggle to kill off matches.

But not all of Arsenal's problems are the manager's fault.

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While he does not often rotate his team, he is surely not responsible for the tragicomic litany of injuries with which the Gunners have had to cope this season and in previous years. Arsenal currently have almost their entire midfield out and have never played their first-choice XI this season.

Now, they would not have to have played full-backs as center-backs for weeks if adequate depth was acquired. But numerous key players have been out for long periods, and Wenger often does not have much choice in who to start or throw on off the bench.

We can fault him for not varying his lineups enough, but there is rarely any significant variation he is able to do.

Wenger tends to be constrained by circumstances outside his control, leading to him getting blamed for problems he should have handled better but for which he is not entirely at fault.

Star players obviously still want to play for Wenger, but one wonders if he can still get the best out of all of them in one starting XI. He has three more years on his contract and will almost certainly not be fired, ensuring that we will get the answer to this question.

For now, Arsenal are starting to win again, and it is crucial for Wenger to guide his team through the busy winter period unscathed. Fans have already accepted that the fourth-place trophy will once again be the goal this season.

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