It has been a frustrating season for most Arsenal fans. There have certainly been some glimmers of hope along the way, but for the most part, it has been a season when it has been impossible not to feel that Arsenal have had some glaring weaknesses, which have been further exposed by some bewildering tactical decisions by Arsene Wenger.

On a positive note, Wenger continues to pull rabbits out of a hat. His faith and persistence with a player like Song has again shown that the man is second to none in spotting and developing talent. But I think if arsenal fans were honest with themselves, they would confess that tactical nuance is not Wenger’s strong point. And on the big occasions this season, notably against Chelsea in the FA Cup and in the first leg against Man U, Wenger has got his tactics and team selections wrong.

Take the game against Man U. It is not at all clear to me what Nasri offers us in a deep, central midfield position that Fabregas doesn’t. Nasri is certainly very gifted in possession, and, unlike Denilson, will pick out Arsenal players all day long. But is this really his best position? Surely Nasri’s best attributes are his pace, his ability to run at defenders and his eye for goal. Playing him in a congested, deeper position takes all of this out of his game. Wenger is clearly trying to get more from Nasri, as he can lack influence in wider positions. In the long term, Nasri will have to learn to influence games from the flanks, in the same way that Pires and Zidane could, and the way that Ronaldo and Messi do today. But if we must play him in a central position to get the best out of him now, why not play him off the front man?

By the same token, why on earth is Fabregas playing in the hole, when his best position is in central midfield? He simply can’t run the game playing off a striker in the same way that he can when he is collecting the ball off the defence and has the whole field in front of him. Playing in the Bergkamp position, Fabregas lacks the pace to run at defenders in advanced positions and is often so far forward that that he has few players other than an isolated Adebayor to pass to. Surely he would be better employed in a deeper role where he has the likes of Adebayor, Nasri or Walcott to pick out ahead of him. Wenger’s decision to play Nasri and Cesc out of position in our biggest game of the season was shocking.

There are countless other examples of Wenger’s tactical naivety throughout the season. Not least of which has been Wenger’s decision to consistently play Denilson in a holding position. Given the resources available to him, this season, more than any other time under Wenger’s regime, has been a true test of Wenger’s tactical acumen. This has revealed, perhaps more than ever, that Wenger’s football genius does not extend to tactics.