Arsene keeps us in suspense
Once again the knives are out for Arsene Wenger and his critics are being very vocal. They want the manager out of the Emirates Stadium after another disappointing Premier League season where there is little chance of them winning the title race. Even Arsene has said this week that they cannot catch Chelsea. He is trying to remedy what he calls Arsenal’s lack of mental strength and has appointed former rugby psychologist Dr Ceri Evans to toughen up his squad. Critics however say it is too little too late and the fact that Arsene will not comment on what he intends to do in June when the season is over is adding fuel to the fire. He should declare, his critics say, because until he does then both Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez will not commit to Arsenal by signing new contracts. A sort of paralysis is hovering over this great club with its foundations in Wenger’s lack of communication about his future. The players feel it and that, many are saying, is the reason they have dropped off the pace.
Champions Leicester are staring at relegation after yet another home defeat 0-3 to Manchester United. However, I am told that the owners are giving their Italian hero of last season a stay of execution and he will not immediately be sacked. (The problem is that a vote of confidence is often followed by the sack!) Claudio’s main problem is that he has apparently lost player confidence in the dressing room with senior players speaking out about confusion on the training ground and during matches. It is as though the manager has given up and just lets his players get on with it. I understand that Claudio spoke with club owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha on Sunday evening (Vichai completed a 12,000 mile round trip from Bangkok to support his manager) and the owner impressed on Claudio that relegation must not happen as the resulting financial impact, due to loss of revenue, would be ruinous for the club. He also issued a statement giving the manager “unwavering support.” Tomorrow’s match against Swansea is a must win situation and then they have to face Sevilla in the Champions League so it is vital that confidence is restored and the manager sorts out the problems, wins back player confidence and retains the backing of the fans.
In a very frank piece in the local newspaper the “Liverpool Echo”, manager Jurgen Klopp did some thinking out loud on his hopes and fears for the Reds. The Echo also talked with fans and here is what Jurgen was reported as saying: “There were signs of some form of revival against Chelsea. The effort and desire was there but we lacked a cutting edge in the final third on occasions. With Sadio Mane returning, hopefully we can now get back on track. I am glad that we didn’t sign anyone in the January transfer window. None of the top sides made any significant signings and it is best to wait until the summer before adding to the squad. Although we missed Mane throughout the month you cannot justify a new signing just to cover one month of football. Players like Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi had the opportunity to step up and fill the void. They didn’t. And it wasn’t the absence of Mane why we conceded three goals against Swansea. There are only 15 games left to play this season so there can be no excuses over fatigue or fixture congestion now. To win the title we would probably need to win all 15 games so a top four place is now more realistic. Anything less than that would be a great shame for a team who have been fantastic for the majority of the campaign.” One thing is sure, if Liverpool want to be amongst the elite of European Football next season in the Champions League, then the attitude when playing the lower ranked clubs needs to change. That is from the heart of Liverpool and the Echo is their paper.
Following the arrival of Gabriel Jesus at Man City, striker Sergio Aguero has attracted the attention of Paris Saint-Germain. Starting the past two games on the bench has not pleased the striker after being the automatic choice striker for the last five and half years. However, if PSG are successful in prising Sergio away it looks like the figure being discussed is around £80million! His wages are around £250,000 a week. It does not help Sergio’s case that he has missed seven matches this season through suspension. If City manager Pep Guardiola decides to play Aguero and Jesus together (what a force that would be!) who does he drop to the bench - Raheem Sterling or Leroy Sane? It is possible that Jesus could move out to the left however he has not been training in that position. One to watch.
I follow events closely at Chelsea, so you can enjoy the latest news and I was interested to hear that Antonio Conte thinks he has a welcome problem. Spanish import Pedro is the one giving him a headache. When Pedro arrived from Spain he found it difficult to adjust to the Premiership but now has scored seven goals from 12 starts and is playing brilliantly. Conte said this week, “Not only is he scoring but his play is fantastic and he is always in the right position to press forward which is what he did at Barcelona.” Conte’s problem is a richness of talent because he also has Diego Costa, Eden Hazard and Willian all competing for a place every week. Conte said, “I think we have four top class players and it allows me to make different choices each week.” Willian is the player who has had to sit out many matches, coming on as a late sub but last season he was the best player at Chelsea so his quality is never in doubt. The manager finished by saying, “For me, selection is never easy because all four are great players and leaving one out is not meant to punish him but I want all four to feel that they are very important.”