UEFA Champions League 2011: Arsene Wenger's Arrogance Will Destroy Arsenal
When the first phase of the UEFA Champions League gets underway on Tuesday afternoon one of the teams that you will hear a lot of talk about is Arsenal. Part of the reason is because the squad is coming off its first Premier League victory of the season, but the biggest reason will be because of Arsene Wenger, who is always a lightning rod for controversy.
Following the Gunners 1-0 win over Swansea on Saturday, Wenger said that he felt this was the start of big things to come for his squad as the Champions League begins.
""The confidence is back now. [We] had not won yet in the league and that had played a big part in our head. In our job, momentum is vital. We just want to play to win. When you look back when we travelled to Udinese [for the Champions League play-off] everyone expected us to win the game and we did, we want the same against Dortmund."
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While you can appreciate a manager having confidence in his squad, Wenger is putting far too much stock into one victory. The squad did show dramatic improvement against Swansea, but the fact remains that they are 1-4-1 in their previous six matches.
The offense has been stagnant and has not shown any sign of improvement as the season has gone on. The defense has been hit-and-miss, with the bottom dropping out in that 8-2 loss to Manchester United on August 28.
The squad did make some nice moves at the end of the transfer period, including the addition of center defender Per Mertesacker, but to think those moves will actually be enough to carry the squad to victory in the Champions League is wishful thinking.
Dortmund has not exactly been lighting the world on fire in Bundesliga competition, but they have a potent offense and the defense and goaltending have been solid.
Arsenal is, on paper at least, the better squad and should win this match. But the Gunners have not played up to their potential all season long and face an uphill battle against Dortmund and throughout the Champions League season.
