Indecision hands Arsenal’s players an easy excuse
When Barcelona were recovering from their 4-0 defeat in Paris Saint-Germain, one of the worst in their modern history, Luis Enrique knew that he needed some grand gesture to get the club back on track, to refocus the players on the big games still ahead of them.
So in his press conference after beating Sporting Gijon 6-1, Enrique said that he would be leaving at the end of the season. The news was not a shock but the timing certainly was, even to the players. But it had the desired effect, ending all the uncertainty, distraction and speculation around the club.
The proof came one week later. Barcelona welcomed PSG back to the Nou Camp, played with clear heads
and a determination to make the most of Enrique’s final days. The rest is history.
It is not hard to see the relevance to Arsenal. The confusion over Arsene Wenger’s future is a cloud hanging over the club, far more so than Enrique at Barcelona, whose departure was very widely expected. And it is having far more of a damaging effect.
Arsenal are in free-fall, having lost four of their last five Premier League games, their worst league record of the long Wenger era. As is no secret, the only teams they have beaten in their last six games are nonleague Sutton United and Lincoln City.
The Arsenal players have clearly realised that Wenger’s future gives them an excuse. Whatever happens over the rest of the season, it will be blamed on Wenger. So there is no fear of the public opprobrium that usually makes sure players keep their standards up. They are free to play as badly as they see fit, knowing that whatever happens it is Wenger – and the board who are trying to keep him on – who will get it in the neck.
That might sound pessimistic but it is the nature of footballers. They often want an excuse and will almost always take one when offered. That is why ‘new manager bounce’ exists, because once a problem is removed the players have nowhere to hide behind. That is why Leicester City are now good again, not because Craig Shakespeare is a better manager than Claudio Ranieri.
This is what is happening at Arsenal right now. All teams can lose matches but Arsenal are losing games with no real professional pride. The way they collapsed in the second half in both Bayern Munich legs, losing 10-2 in total, spoke of a team who did not mind the humiliation of a bad defeat. The way they sleepwalked to defeat at West Bromwich Albion showed the same thing. This is what a team looks like who have lost their standards but know they will not be held accountable.
What Arsenal need to do, if they are to save their season, is return some of that accountability to the squad as quickly as possible. The players need to know that if they keep playing this badly then they will be held responsible. Because they have some big games coming up that could go very wrong.
Arsenal’s next game is against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City at home on 2 April and if City are in a good mood then the Gunners could lose badly. That would be their fifth league defeat in six and, given the fans’ frustration with Wenger and the board, it would become a spitting mutiny at the Emirates. The discord would be so intense, in fact, that the players would be given another free pass.
To imagine that toxic situation is to know why this has to stop now. The cloud of confusion over Wenger’s future has to be removed or else Arsenal’s players will continue to use it. It is the only way to save what remains saveable of Arsenal’s season.
If Wenger has indeed decided to stay then it must be made public before the Manchester City game. Yes, there will be uproar from fans who want a fresh start but Arsenal have run out of popular options. Unless they win the FA Cup, there is never going to be a good moment to break this bad news.
So why not get it out of the way this week? That would at least give the Arsenal fans 11 days to process the news before the City game. It might not clear the air for the run-in but it would help.
Most importantly, it would tell the players what was happening and remove the shield that has been protecting them from blame. Suddenly, they would have to perform for the sake of their reputations, which is not the case right now. Would they produce their own 6-1 moment? At this stage why not try?