Are Arsenal Becoming a Parody Of Their Former Self?

I have never gone into an Arsenal game expecting to lose, preparing myself for disappointment and bracing for that early knock out blow.

This past Sunday Arsenal went to Stamford Bridge with Arsene Wenger in firm belief that his side had overcome their deficiencies from the past week against Manchester United. How wrong he was.

Arsenal, as we’ve seen on many occasions started the game extremely well, having a lot of possession and even threatening on goal, much like they did against United. However, their lack of discipline allowed for a very clumsy mistake at the back and gifted Drogba his first goal of the game.

What is it that has turned wenger’s confident men into a team of uncertainty and mishaps? After all, it was Clichy who left his post, literally, to gift Drogba the opening goal. Would the Clichy of 2007/08 have done the same?

Why is it Arsenal went into two of their biggest games of the season without a recognised striker in the starting line-up? If the Gunners struggled to take aim against a depleted United defence then how could Wenger hope to have any luck against a full strength Chelsea side?

It all comes down to the fact that Wenger is living in a world where he plays by his own rules. He ignores the ever changing climate in football and wishes to stick to his principles. I’m sure any fellow manager would admire what Wenger is doing, working on a shoe-string budget, blooding youngsters and giving them opportunities they would not have at teams like Chelsea or man united. But it has to stop.

It’s a very romantic idea that a team can win the title of arguably the most difficult league in world football, along with a squad made up of very few resources and extremely little experience. As neutrals I’m sure the world would love to see it. It would bring tradition back into a world that is now corrupted by shoddy dealings, clubs going bankrupt and question marks over captains putting the ball in the wrong goal.

 It is a sad insight that Arsenal fans may never see their team comprehensively “batter“, as Sir Alex puts it, any of their rivals, but will continue to be on the receiving end under Wenger. Its sad to know that where once great warriors stood, the likes of Vieira, Henry, Adams, Seaman and other greats from wenger’s era are now replaced by players who have little to no chance of stepping into the mould that past heroes have created.

The great battles which once raged at Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge and even White Hart Lane are now gone. Only silhouettes of past glories remain.