Arsenal FC: If Arsene Wenger Leaves, Who Fills in His Footsteps for 2011?

The compounding misery of Arsenal's drubbing to Manchester United must first be put into perspective. We were desperately weakened, with multiple injuries and suspensions destroying our first team lineup.

Just to play Francis Coquelin in his debut match against the might of Manchester emphasises the total depletion of the Arsenal lineup.

Nevertheless, the result was disgraceful. The tactics used were seemingly non-existent throughout most of the second half. If you consistently allow strikers and wingers to run at inexperienced/incapable defenders, then of course you are going to concede masses of goals.

Wenger's time has run. But if he were to leave now, who would replace him? Not only do managerial changes cause mass change within the administration (bye bye Pat Rice), but it would have a destabilising effect on the whole team, and at this stage, Arsenal would almost be better off biding their time and getting through to Christmas in the hunt for all three of the competitions which perhaps we could win. 

Arsenal's squad has been plagued by injuries. It seems that an overhaul of the medical department could be needed a la AC Milan, where players' fitness and so forth is constantly monitored using revolutionary computer technology. One needs to look no further than Australia, where team doctors use technology to calculate the distance and time that a player would spend on the field before he reaches a "peak injury period."

Do players do enough to recover? In AFL (the Australian national sport) players wake in the early hours of the morning for ice baths and recovery after the day's game. 

By early in the morning, I mean 2 a.m. 

But if Arsene were to leave, where would we look for replacements? Obviously a caretaker coach would probably take over for a period (God forbid if it were Pat Rice), and then Arsenal would have to go fishing in a very limited pond.

Rudi Garcia is probably on the envisaged shortlist. Coach of Lille, he has led them to a Ligue 1 title, plays in an attacking vein similar to Arsenal, is relatively youthful, and is not afraid to spend to get results. It would be a near seamless transition, and I'm sure that he would be shocked to arrive at the club and see the embarrassment of riches, financially speaking, waiting for him. And he's French.

Ralf Rangnick could be another possibility. Renowned for being fiercely protective of his players, Rangnick took 1899 Hoffenheim to back to back promotions and are now entrenched in the Bundesliga. He is now at Schalke 04, but would undoubtedly jump on the opportunity to coach Arsenal, with the significant resources available.

Guus Hiddink is another man who could quite easily take control at Arsenal. He has had phenomenal success with South Korea and Australia, as well as with Chelsea, and with the Blues out of the running, and Guus reportedly unhappy with Turkey, he could firm as a possibility.

And of course Pep Guardiola. The bookmakers favourite, this would be a dream matchup, but it realistically should be at longer odds than the Arsenal-Man U scoreline.

At least Arsenal are closing in on a record—most consecutive red cards. Impressive.