One Thing Arsene Wenger Doesn't Have As a Manager: Luck

Arsene Wenger is seen by many as one of football's managerial greats. Hugely intelligent, imprinted attacking principles and a strong emphasizes on youth development rather than huge wage bills and over-the-top transfer fees, etc., etc. However, as a huge fan of his, I have finally discovered something that he just simply does not have. Actually, let's be more accurate, it is something that he did have, but somehow lost in the past few season—luck.

Luck plays a huge part in football, there is no doubt about that. Champions League final 2008, John Terry slips, and misses a penalty as the ball strikes the post. Now for those who want to argue that it was a matter of ability that made Terry miss the penalty, please think again. The toughest of mentality is installed in Terry's mind yet the pure matter of luck derived him from picking up Club football's most prestigious trophy.

"What has happened to Arsenal?" "Sack Wenger?" "Time to spend Wenger!" These have been the title in most of the recent articles about Arsenal football club. Yet, I think most do not quite understand what really happened and what problems Wenger is truly facing.

Let's rewind the clock to the beginning of last season, 2007 to 2008. Wenger decides to let Thierry Henry leave the club, despite the fact that the squad had no proven 20-plus goal striker to replace him.

Now I am sure that Wenger didn't want Henry to leave, but the fact is Henry wanted to go and it is simply wrong (at least in Wenger's case) to hold him back after Thierry had given so much to the club. Thankfully, the young team took full responsibility and started the season by storm, scoring freely and was playing, as Robin V. Persie put it, "football from another planet."

Just as the team was in full flow, one of the star performers during this amazing start of the season, V. Persie (who had just scored a brace to secure three points against Sunderland at the Emirates) had gotten injured during an international match. Now all of us know what happened after that, he came back, and got injured again.

He then came back again, but got hurt again. His guaranteed 10-plus goals would've gotten us across the line for the first trophy since 2005. But bad luck restricted his availability, when we most needed it.

When RvP was injured, the Gunners were blessed with another outstanding finisher flourishing, Eduardo Da Silva, the proposed replacement for Henry. The man was scoring from all angles and knocking in crucial goals. However, again we all know what happened here, the classy Croatian went to St. Andrews and had to end his brilliant debut season there. A clumsy challenge unfortunately led to a double fracture on his leg and ankle. His absence meant another 10 less goals to be scored for the Gunners.

Rosicky has been injured since January 2008 until now. No one can deny how important he is to this Arsenal side as he is the player with the most experience in Arsenal's far too inexperienced midfield. The title was lost in April and the Champions League exit followed.

Failure to win any trophies led to money grabbing players such as Hleb and Flamini, who were both essential to Arsenal's midfield engine, leaving the club as they wanted to "challenge for major trophies" (Milan in UEFA Cup...) or was sick of the City and wanted to leave "hectic London" (is Barcelona that much quieter?).

In a four man midfield, two of them departed, one has been injured for over a year, and the final one, perhaps the most talented and important to the team, was being over-used, even during the summer where a normal 20 year old would be enjoying the sun and getting drunk every other night. Fabregas will not regret that, obviously, as he won the first major trophy in his career. (Can't compare F.A. Cup to Euro Championships...) But his heroic efforts for Spain meant Arsenal had to start the season without him, as he was given more time to rest than others, and thus, less fit to start the season.

Fabregas did not return to the first team until the CL qualifier against Twente. He wasn't at his best this season due to the fact that he is simply exhausted from all the football he has played. He was handed the captaincy after Gallas's embarrassing public outburst. His form started to improve and so did the team. 

But, just as Wenger thought it couldn't get any worse, the new skipper got caught in a challenge by Alonso during the match against Liverpool, damaged his medial ligaments and will be out until April. There is nothing anyone can do but to pray to god that we will still be in the race for fourth place, and the CL + FA Cup by that time.

With three of his midfield partners injured, Fabregas have had to lead the midfield very much all by himself. Though Theo Walcott has shown considerable improvements this season. Terrorizing defenders with his direct running and improved final delivery. However, just as he was hitting peak form, he dislocated a shoulder whilst training with the England squad. Another one of our better midfielders gone...

So, first Van Persie, then Rosicky and Eduardo, which already cost us one title challenge and Champions League progression. Now Fabregas and Walcott are sidelined and with the uncontrollable departures of Flamini and Hleb, has left us almost no chance to win any trophies again this season. Injuries are very much down to luck, and Wenger just seems to be running out of it. But that is not all.

When you are so down to your bare bones, you will have to use all the resources you have. Let's make one thing clear first, the current Arsenal midfield is class, at least on paper. Rosicky, Fabregas, Nasri, Arshavin, and Walcott, it is like a dream team on Football Manager. But with three of them out injured and one of them yet to adapt to the EPL, the team seems to be lacking players in this department.

No.'s 26 and 27 are both my "least favorable" players at Arsenal. But who else is available? Diaby is out now as well, so the only midfielders we have are Song, Denilson, Nasri, and Eboue. Some might argue that Ramsey, Wilshere, and Vela should be given a chance to play.

But it is so important not to damage their confidence now, the team is playing so poorly that every game they start might actually have adverse and serious effects on their developments as a footballer. With young players, the last thing you want is for them to start questioning their own ability.

So again, it is not Wenger's fault that he has to play Eboue, it is just pure logic. Yet he is being blamed by fans that he has lost his mind! Wenger is not blind and I am sure he can see the fact that Eboue is just losing the plot. He is even more hated by Arsenal fans than Cygan and Stepanovs!!

Bendtner, again, who else is going to play instead of him? Eduardo is out, Adebayor is off form (and injured now) and RvP can't start every single game if we want him to stay fit for the rest of the season. There is no choice for Wenger, but to play this clumsy and wasteful Dane. When fans keep asking for a plan B, a big striker for another option, they blame Wenger, now Wenger is playing him and the fans are still blaming him.

Money doesn't grow on trees at Arsenal, we can probably go out and rebuild a whole, brand new team. But that team will need time to gel and the risk would be failing to build a good enough team to win trophies and to repay debts. Imagine Arsenal as another Leeds Utd...Who would want that?

I have not even started to mention the refereeing decisions which cost us games yet. Yes, Wenger might have been wrong to place too much trust to Denilson, Diaby, and Song at the start of the season, but to be honest here, we have all praised these three players, they have all shown great abilities before, yet, when the one thing they can't do is handle pressure. When they are thrown onto the big stage, in the starting 11, in the EPL or Champions League, they just all seem to struggle, or at least, far too too inconsistent.

So again, what is Wenger to do? Buy now to replace these youngsters who have so much potential? Or let them develop and place trust in them since youngsters after all needs the manager's trust in order to have confidence to express themselves.

The players are letting the manager down. Although the manager has the responsibility to accept the blame, it is far from the truth that Wenger is "out of his mind," and it is unbelievable to hear anyone wanting him out of the club!!

We should consider what problems he is facing before criticizing him.