Manchester United vs. Arsenal: 5 Reasons to Feel Torn over Arsene Wenger

It's not easy being Arsene Wenger these days.

Players keep leaving, his rivals keep improving and Arsenal keeps falling behind. On Sunday, the three combined in the cruelest way possible as Arsenal lost 8-2 at Manchester United. Without former stars Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, the Gunners had no hope against a young but talented United side. Meanwhile, Cesc seems to be settling in at Barcelona, and Nasri played a starring role in Manchester City's destruction of Tottenham Hotspur.

That 8-2 defeat at the hands of Manchester United on Sunday served as the club's worst loss since it went by the name Woolwich Arsenal back in the late 19th century. The fact that the loss came under Arsene Wenger, the most successful manager in club history, means that we'll be discussing it for days or even weeks. As straightforward as an 8-2 game can seem, it's more complicated than a good team thumping a bad one.

One of the reasons is that Wenger, who has managed Arsenal to three Premier League titles since taking over in 1996, has done more for the club than perhaps any other manager, from unprecedented success on the pitch to watching over the construction of the new Emirates Stadium.

But after Sunday, many fans and media outlets are calling for his head. Instead of 'Arsene Knows,' it's now more like 'Arsene Goes—Or Else.'

They're angry about what's happened to Arsenal—the Gunners currently sit 17th in the Premier League table with one point from three matches—but they also have plenty of good points about why Wenger should go.

But while Wenger has his share of critics, he also has his supporters. And like his detractors, they also have good points about why he should stay.

So as Arsenal heads into what looks like another season without silverware, here are five good reasons to feel torn over Arsene Wenger.

Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri: Traitors, Opportunists or Just Plain Smart?

After years of flirting with a return to Barcelona, Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas finally rejoined his boyhood club in a move reportedly worth £29 million. That happened August 15.

Less than two weeks later, former teammate Samir Nasri signed with Manchester City in a move worth around £25 million.

Both are 24 years old. Both became major contributors at young ages for Arsenal. Both earned their fame under Arsene Wenger's guidance. And both spurned him for another club.

It's easy to feel sorry for Wenger. As his supporters will argue, he developed both of them. He took them from being young unknowns to world-class players in only a few years. He gave them fame, and then they left.

But as Wenger's critics will point out, he should have had a backup plan. Players leave. Teams change. Clubs have to move on. As fans love to say, no player is bigger than the club.

Cesc's interest in Barcelona (and vice versa) was no secret. Last year around this time, Cesc looked ready to make the move. But he stayed for another year, apparently out of respect for Wenger.

Nasri's move was a little more unexpected. But seeing as Arsenal hasn't won a piece of silverware since the 2005 FA Cup, and has regressed every year since, Wenger should have known Nasri would be looking for an ambitious club. And when Manchester City offered money that Arsenal couldn't match, Nasri was eventually going to take it.

So does that make Cesc and Nasri traitors? Hardly. Business is a major part of modern professional football. Players want to earn as much as they can while they are at their peak. And they want to play for teams that have the best chance to win trophies.

Cesc went for the latter. Nasri went for the former. And it's hard to blame either.

Injuries, Suspensions and Depth

Arsene Wenger didn't have a full squad to choose from Sunday. Eight players were unavailable due to injuries and suspensions. Combine that with the transfers of Cesc and Nasri, and that's 10 first-team players unavailable to Wenger.

One of the biggest losses was 19-year-old midfielder Jack Wilshere. Though small in stature, Wilshere provides some of the toughness Arsenal lacked Sunday against United. And he also offers speed and creativity, two more traits Arsenal missed (though in honesty, the Gunners lacked almost every good trait).

While Wilshere and his seven other missing teammates would have helped Arsenal's chances, Wenger shouldn't use that as an excuse. Part of a manager's job is to create depth. And part of the challenge of the Premier League is the test of a team's character and depth over 38 matches.

Wenger's stubborn refusal to strengthen his squad over the summer hurt him Sunday. And it could hurt him more in the future as fans continue to turn on him.

Youth Against Youth

Arsenal was young against Manchester United. And as Wenger's supporters point out, such a young team was destined to struggle against mighty Manchester United.

But United was even younger.

Here are the starting lineups, with ages in parentheses of Arsenal and Manchester United from Sunday's match.

Arsenal

Wojciech Szczesny (21)

Laurent Koscielny (25)

Johan Djourou (24)

Armand Traore (21)

Carl Jenkinson (19)

Aaron Ramsey (20)

Francis Coquelin (20)

Andrei Arshavin (30)

Theo Walcott (22)

Robin van Persie (28)

Tomas Rosicky (30)

Average age: 23.64

Manchester United

David De Gea (20)

Jonny Evans (23)

Phil Jones (19)

Patrice Evra (30)

Chris Smalling (21)

Anderson (23)

Tom Cleverley (22)

Ashley Young (26)

Nani (24)

Wayne Rooney (25)

Danny Welbeck (20)

Average age: 22.73

As you can see, Arsenal's average age was almost a whole year greater than Manchester United's. And that was with Arsenal missing eight first-team players.

Youth and inexperience are no excuses for Arsenal. Finding the right mix is the problem, and that's on Wenger.

What Have You Done for Me Lately?

Arsene Wenger has won more than any other Arsenal manager. He has won the Premier League title three times (1997-98, 2001-02 and 2003-04) and the FA Cup four times (1998, 2002, '03 and '05).

From 1998-2005, Arsenal never finished outside the top two.

But since then, Arsenal has struggled. The Gunners have finished fourth, fourth, third, fourth, third and fourth since the 2005-06 season, and they haven't won any silverware since the 2005 FA Cup.

Arsene Wenger is the club's best all-time manager. But it's been a long time since he won anything.

Arsenal and Money

Arsenal is financially stable.

The club plays in a beautiful, modern, state-of-the-art stadium.

It pays its bills on time, and the future is bright according to the bottom line.

And Arsene Wenger is partially responsible.

Thanks to his policy of buying young, unproven players, Wenger has saved millions in the transfer market over the years. And thanks to his skills developing those players, the club has made millions in the transfer market.

Meanwhile, he presided over the move from an outdated, tiny stadium into a larger one that allows Arsenal to compete more equally with bigger spenders like Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City.

The only thing is, Arsenal never seems to be able to do anything like that.

Even though Arsenal is flush with cash (for a football club, that is), Wenger is still reluctant to splash big money in the transfer market. And even though big money doesn't necessarily guarantee success, it can mean the difference between getting a proven, experienced player, and getting a young, inexperienced player.

Right now, Arsenal has too much of the latter, but Wenger still won't spend. He's done a great job developing talent over the years, and the club is in great financial shape thanks to him.

But what good do those things do when Arsenal get beat 8-2?