Arsenal Has No Fight, No Bite and No Heart: Arsene Wenger Has Run Out of Ideas

Arsene Wenger is a man living on his past success, much of which he owes to former Arsenal managers, in particular the legendary George Graham.

The Arsenal of today is nothing like the Arsenal of the mid-80s and early 90s.

Today's squad is far superior in terms of creativity, flair and panache. The level of individual ability has increased massively, and aside from Barcelona, Arsenal is quite possibly the most 'enjoyable' team to watch playing a game of football.

The step-up in quality is attributed to Arsene Wenger's keen eye for spotting and developing young talents with a knack for the extraordinary, which he has brought to Arsenal over the years.

But has the transformation from 'Boring Arsenal', as they were nicknamed during the George Graham era, to today's exciting group of attacking-minded players benefited Arsenal in all aspects?

Arsenal under George Graham (1986 - 1995)

Graham, who played for Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal was most recognized for his time as a Gunner between 1966-1972.
He was appointed manager of Arsenal in 1986 and turned the club into one of the most dominant teams in England during his time.

With the tough-tackling, committed Tony Adams and Lee Dixon in his side, Graham added Martin Keown and Nigel Winterburn to the club to create a famously strong defensive entity.

Complimenting the all-English defensive line were key players such as legendary striker Ian Wright and the hard-working Ray Parlour.

The team was adept at grinding out results, leading to the unflattering nickname 'Boring Arsenal'. Boring, but winning.

Arsenal were heavily reliant on their five Englishmen at the back, including international goalkeeper David Seaman, as they went on to win two league titles, two league cups, an FA Cup and the European Cup Winners Cup with Graham in charge.

Arsenal under Arsene Wenger (1996 - )

After the short managerial spells of Stewart Houston and Bruce Rioch (who notably brought in David Platt and Dennis Bergkamp), obscure Frenchman Arsene Wenger took the reigns as Arsenal manager in 1996, joining from Japanese outfit Nagoya Grampus Eight, much to the surprise of many fans.

Inheriting an already formidable side with the likes of the aforementioned Bergkamp, Parlour, Wright, Seaman and a highly experienced and reliable back-four unit, Wenger nearly had it ready-made as he guided Arsenal to the Double in his first full season in 1998.

Wenger, renowned for his ability to spot talent, brought in and developed notable Arsenal players such as Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Fredrik Ljunberg and Gilberto Silva.

But it's not every day you uncover a world beater in the shape of Thierry Henry.

Francis Jeffers, Pascal Cygan, Igors Stepanovs, Kaba Diawara, Julio Baptista, Phillippe Senderos and Mikael Silvestre are just some of the flops Wenger has signed for Arsenal over the years.

Prolific French hitman Henry massively contributed to Arsenal's success during his spell with the club, scoring a staggering 174 goals in 254 league appearances, and it is impossible to imagine Arsenal achieving anywhere near as much success without the striker's astronomic impact.

To this date, Wenger has won three league titles and four FA Cups, and he is considered the club's most successful manager in history.

A lot of pretty passing, but where are the results?

Arsenal have not won a single trophy since the FA Cup in 2005.

Strong believers in the 'Arsenal way' that Wenger has instilled at the club will tell you that the Gunners play the best football in the world, bar Barcelona.

That may very well be true, but with Wenger last showing he was capable of bringing silverware to Arsenal six years ago, why have fans only recently started asking questions?

Looking at what Wenger has achieved with the club, it's hard to criticise the man who they have previously labeled a genius. And in turn, the man has become more cocksure and stubborn in his beliefs.

Thierry Henry opted to move away from the club in 2007 when he realised he had a better chance of winning trophies with Barcelona, the same team who had beaten Arsenal in the Champions League final the year before.

It is similar to the Cesc Fabregas situation nowadays, with the former Barca man keen on a move back to his home country following his frustration with the lack of ambition at the Emirates Stadium. His love for the club (and his five-year contract) has so far kept him at Arsenal, but how much longer before one of the best midfielders in the world becomes disillusioned with the sinking ship that is Arsenal under Wenger?

Sacrificing experience for promise and never admitting failure

Midfield luminaries such as Patrick Vieira and Mathieu Flamini were given up on too easily, often due to Wenger's adamant frugal stance which saw some players seek more lucrative deals elsewhere. 

But the release of Brazilian international Gilberto Silva in 2008 epitomizes Wenger's turn for the worst. Why was a capable, established Brazil starter, who had proven himself to be an asset to the Arsenal team that had won titles, let go in favour of an inexperienced 18-year-old Denilson?

Given essentially the same defensive midfield role in the team, Denilson was handed a 'special talent' visa to be eligible for a switch to England, where he has been a disappointing figure for Arsenal in the past four years and never once been capped for his national team.

The problematic goalkeeping saga, which has been ongoing for years, sees Manuel Almunia keeping hold of the No. 1 jersey for as long as he is fit, despite an Arsenal career riddled with high-profile mistakes that have cost the team valuable points.

While on a decent run of form since Almunia's injury during the home defeat to West Bromwich Albion in late September, Lukasz Fabianski is still an incosistent performer and lightyears away from becoming world-class.

Players like Nicklas Bendtner and Carlos Vela are also yet to justify Wenger's faith in them, with the latter seemingly held on to as an eternal substitute on the Gunners bench.

You only have to look at fellow Mexico international Javier Hernandez and what he has achieved in his short stint with Manchester United, to realise that Carlos Vela is just another flop which Wenger will not admit to.

Vela has the potential to succeed in Europe, and will likely find his way when he does finally leave Arsenal for a lesser club, but Wenger has already signaled to the player he is not interested in his services following the arrival of Morocco striker Marouane Chamakh and with a pecking order which includes Netherlands international Robin van Persie and Denmark star Nicklas Bendtner.

Maturing, improving but distinctly lacking a winning mentality

Simply said, Arsenal lose games that Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham and perhaps even Liverpool, in their worst shape in years, would not dare to.

The team seems to have lacked the winning mentality that characterises champions since the middle of the decade when proven players moved on and the reigns were handed to this previously inexperienced group of youngsters.

The now experienced batch seem to have matured and progressed, but lack the desire, steel and commitment to grind out results the way top teams do.

This could well be down to Wenger's unwavering confidence in the players he has handpicked for a bright future at the club, and his reluctance to deny them first-team football even when they are far from their best.

But can a club of Arsenal's magnitude sit idly by while the current crop of players seems nowhere near achieving what is expected of them, while the man who is in charge of the project keeps making the same excuses as he did last year, the previous one and the one before that?


Excellent financial position, so where are the world-class signings?

Earlier in the year, Arsenal's financial position was revealed to be overwhelmingly positive, as it was announced that the club is on course to rid itself of debts it had accumulated in order to build the modern, 60,000 capacity Emirates Stadium.

The Arsenal faithful was assured that there is plenty of money to invest in players in order to help the club progress, but how wisely is the money being spent?

After admitting his defence needs shoring up, Wenger signed centre-backs Laurent Koscielny and Sebastian Squillaci at a cost in the region of €8 million each, in order to replace former 'Invincible' Kolo Toure, who sought a move away to Manchester City, and William Gallas, who was a controversial figure at Arsenal and moved to bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur on a free transfer.

Whether the defence has improved as a result of these changes is still very much debatable, and perhaps the statistics at the end of the season will better help analyse the move - but one thing is for sure, these are not the recruits which the fans have been longing for.

In addition to the centre-back problem, fans and pundits alike have been screaming out for the need for a world-class 'keeper to be brought in, and Wenger has all but admitted that he intended to replace under-fire first choice 'keeper Manuel Almunia during the summer transfer window.

Yet, incredibly, the club had reportedly negotiated for Fulham stopper Mark Schwarzer for the best portion of the transfer window, only for talks to collapse as Arsenal were reluctant to meet Fulham's demands of a €4 million transfer fee.

For a club that boasts the finest financial situation in the world of football, there is a worrying lack of world-class signings and ambition to spend funds where necessary.

The future

Arsene Wenger's contribution to Arsenal has been great, and he has deservedly won the respect of all Arsenal supporters for his past achievements.

However, despite his past success at the club, and his status as one of the world's best managers, he seems to be running out of ideas at the Emirates Stadium.

With Le Professeur recently signing a contract extension to take his tenure to the club to June 2014, it is likely that he will see out the remainder of his new contract before making way for a new boss.

This article was originally published on IMScouting.com.