In June 2013, Chief Executive Ivan Gazidis stated that Arsenal “should be able to compete at a level like a club such as Bayern Munich” and “the extraordinarily ambitious” Club wanted to be “competing at the very top end of the game and … competing to win the Premier League and competing to win the Champions League.” Following another abject performance at Chelsea, Arsenal’s title challenge was all but mathematically over even quicker than in the stadium repayment resource-stretched 2008, 2010 & 2011 title-chasing implosions. In the December Arsenal Audit, 15 significant barriers to Monsieur Wenger winning the Premier League for the first time in 13 years were highlighted. Six in particular conspired against him at Stamford Bridge:
• Away matches against overtly physical teams
• An enduring passivity over game management - particularly against the newer breed of modern managers
• Record from half-time to the 70th minute – immediately after Monsieur Wenger’s half-time team talks
• Late and tactically mediocre substitutions
• A terrible record against key Premier League rivals
• Overcoming Chelsea’s then nine point advantage.

Similarly, barring an unprecedented miracle, Monsieur Wenger’s UEFA Champions League campaign is also over too – after Bayern Munich subjected Arsenal to another 5 -1 humbling. Beyond admirably consistent qualification, Monsieur Wenger’s woeful record in the competition continued with Arsenal set for a 7th successive round of 16 exit. Since Gazidis boasted of the Club’s extraordinary ambition, Arsenal have lost five games by four or more goals.

In part one Arsenal Audit reviews the February matches through the portal of the wider failings that are usually detailed in part two. For this month, part two is devoted to a new Arsenal manager special. Even one of Monsieur Wenger’s main public disciples, Martin Keown, was shaken in the Bayern television studio aftermath, but he soon recanted and, remained ever devoted to his former manager, suggested his reign would carry on for at least another season. Keown concluded “If he was to go at the end of the season I'm not sure the club would be ready. Which manager they would turn to?” It is claimed that Arsenal are ready and have drawn a four-man shortlist as a contingency plan should Monsieur Wenger decide to go. In a part two we examine those candidates, and whether or not Arsenal Audit’s preferred candidate is likely to be the manager of Arsenal next season.

Chelsea 3 – 1 Arsenal
Given the 18 -point swing since another Arsenal autumnal home false dawn, even the most ardent disciple of Monsieur Wenger would have gone into the match with little optimism as Arsenal strived to rescue their title campaign by doing the double over Chelsea for the first time since the Invincibles. Having dabbled with modern management approaches by making a half-time tactical substitution in the home defeat to Watford, Monsieur Wenger had another go even before kick-off. With all the ‘2s’ unavailable except Francis Coquelin, his sacrosanct 4-2-3-1 was ditched in favour of 4-3-3 of Coquelin flanked by the two Alexes (Iwobi and Chamberlain). Mesut Özil was moved to the left flank, Theo Walcott - whose failure to track back lead to the first goal assault - returned to the starting line-up, and Alexis to the false-9 position. All three were as totally anonymous as the midfield three were totally out-muscled (otherwise lawfully). Not least Coquelin who Hazard, in the 53rd minute, shrugged off to leave him on his backside before breezing past Arsenal’s centre-back mannequins. The tactical substitutions still waited to the 65th and 69th minutes. Once Petr Cech had seemed to forget his change of Club with former Arsenal captain Fabregas, now Chelsea squad player, presented with an easy opportunity to make it 3-0, Arsenal’s plan B Oliver Giroud scored another, late, goal. Ironically, it was Arsenal’s 13th headed goal of the season, the Premier League leaders in such. Not the leadership Monsieur Wenger wanted as Chelsea’s points advantage was extended to 12. Since the humbling at Arsenal Conte has deployed a fluid 3-4-3 formation and Chelsea have been almost unstoppable. They essentially defend with five players, the three centre-backs and two holding midfielders, and attack with five players with the wing-backs joining Chelsea’s three forwards. Their propensity to overload the opposition back four was evident with their opener.

Arsenal 2 – 0 Hull City
Another barrier was Monsieur Wenger’s insufficient rotation to keep players physically and mentally fresh. The team selection against Hull exemplified his innate conservatism and over-loyalty to a hard-core of players regardless of performance, and not trusting emerging alternatives. Even despite the Champions League first leg at Bayern Munich on Wednesday, Kieran Gibbs’ deserving start was the only change from trusted figures who had been so abject at Chelsea. Mohammed Elneny, fresh from scoring the opening goal in the African Cup of Nations final was on the bench along with Danny Welbeck and Lucas Perez. Perez’s tracking back, which started the scorpion goal, and offensive contributions in his limited game time made no impact on his propensity to select Theo Walcott whose failure to track back for Chelsea’s opening goal and anonymous performance was of no consequence to Monsieur Wenger.

Hull may have still been in the relegation zone, but their performances under their young new up and coming manager, Marco Silva, at Chelsea and Manchester United and at home to Liverpool were way better than those by Arsenal in the corresponding fixtures. The players are now comfortable switching from 4-3-3 to 4-5-1 out of position and playing three at the back and Silva prowled his technical area ensuring that the players preserved the shapes he had relentlessly worked on in training, having cancelled days off. It seemed to pay off and with Hull attacking Arsenal with purpose and Walcott was duly absent without leave for two of the first three Hull attacks. The high press was not in evidence, Francis Coquelin sat deep, and match was to be the tenth match in a row in which Arsenal had been outrun in kilometres. At 1-0 with Hull battling well Mohammed Elneny was understandably brought on for Theo Walcott, to shore things up (69th minute). Inexplicably, two attacking substitutions followed after 82 minutes and the again excellent Chamberlain, looking comfortable in the makeshift ‘2’, was yet again denied 90 minutes. Despite a far from convincing performance, and with much help from Mark Clattenburg, Arsenal won 2-0 with a late, less convincing, Alexis penalty giving the false no. 9 a late second goal to seal a much needed win.

Bayern Munich 5 – 1 Arsenal
Monsieur Wenger’s recent dabbles with a few aspects of the modern management game continued and a 4-4-1-1 replaced the usually sacrosanct 4-2-3-1, with an out-of-form Mesut Özil in a nominal central role behind the false-9 Alexis. With Arsenal, as expected, forced to concede significant possession, this is one of those matches that Olivier Giroud may have provided a useful outlet. Whilst that would have clearly sacrificed pace on potential counter-attacks, that could have been offset by the experience and all round game of Danny Welbeck. This season has been regularly dogged by Arsenal’s left flank being exposed; but, tonight no less than Robben and Lahm were offered the freedom of that part of Munich. That Arsenal’s best player, was their number 2 (but somehow Champions League) goalkeeper and he still conceded five (blameless) goals says it all. Collectively and individually it was considerably more abject than the performance at Stamford Bridge. Which was no mean feat.

Having got themselves back into the game with a better first half finish, Arsenal’s terrible record this season from half-time to the 70th minute, immediately after Monsieur Wenger’s half-time team talks, dogged them again. With Captain Koscielny going off injured, three goals were conceded in 11 minutes. The improvements in Arsenal’s central spine of goalkeeper, centre-backs, defensive midfield, No. 10 and (false) 9 has been increasingly on the wane. Petr Cech’s powers have continued to diminish and Mesut Özil hasn’t been able to impose himself on the big stage. But, two players at opposite ends of Monsieur Wenger’s acquisitional spectrum exemplifed increasing central problems and the dismal evening. Arsenal Audit has long stood by the combative merits of the internal solution Francis Coquelin. But having been muscled off the ball to initiate Hazard’s goal for Chelsea, his parting of the red flank for Robben and his favoured left foot and his stats of zero tackles in the match and just six completed passes (none for 45 minutes until just before his substitution) out of nine in his 77 minutes were simply unacceptable. (Even the anonymous Özil somehow managed six tackles). Since his excellent start following his £35m signing, Skodran Mustafi’s recent performances are also in freefall. Mustafi, beaten in the air for the second, had an impromptu and unnecessary conversation with Hector Bellerin who was under no threat on the right flank and the dominant Thiago gratefully waltzed through the middle for their third. With Arsenal in total meltdown, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain reprised his old habit of losing the ball in dangerous positions and Bayern repeated their group stage humbling of Arsenal in November 2015.

Sutton United 2 – 0 Arsenal
After the Allianz Arena, Munich Arsenal travelled to part-time non-league Sutton’s 3G artificial pitch at the Borough Sports Ground, Gander Green Lane. Ospina, Mustafi, Iwobi and Xhaka (booked for a needless professional foul high up the pitch, but otherwise excellent) survived and Monsieur Wenger fielded a strong match 18. Ainsley Maitland-Niles had to make do with a substitute’s appearance, replacing Jeff Reine Adelaide who again looked physically short at this early stage of his career (and might benefit from a lower league loan?). Sensibly, Danny Welbeck’s comeback wasn’t risked on such a pitch which certainly seemed to present Arsenal some problems in passing and ball control. Captain Walcott, having failed to get a touch on the ever-hungry Lucas Perez’s earlier goal resulting cross added the second to give him his 100th goal for the Club. Monsieur Wenger’s assertion that Arsenal had two world class goalkeepers looked evermore ridiculous with, fresh from his Munich shot-stopping heroics, David Ospina’s woeful distribution skills and enfeebled command of his penalty box were shown up even here. Even more ridiculous was, once again, a Monsieur Wenger substitution – no matter how much Alexis Sanchez wanted a game and had still to sign a new contract, or how much all the watching home fans enjoyed it. Sutton’s Chairman thought it was a real touch of class. The gift of a presentation silver canon, Theo Walcott signing shirts in the home dressing room afterwards, all players leaving their shirts and Arsenal plans to gift Sutton £50,000 after FA rules prevented the Premier League club giving their share of the gate receipts were altogether more classy. If only Monsieur Wenger had honoured travelling Arsenal fans more often in the competition, not least those that travelled to Old Trafford this month in 2008. Given how the FA Cup semi-finals seem likely to shape up, Monsieur Wenger will probably have to overcome his terrible record against key Premier League rivals, to record a 7th FA Cup triumph.

Sources Conte:
https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2017/feb/05/arsenal-surprise-element-thwarted-chelsea-system-arsene-wenger-antonio-conte

Silva lining:
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/feb/03/marco-silva-manager-hull-city-no-days-off-liverpool

Pass:
http://news.arseblog.com/2017/02/bayern-munich-5-1-arsenal-by-the-numbers/

https://twitter.com/Squawka/status/831990506531995648

Class:
http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/arsene-wenger-sent-alexis-sanchez-on-to-honour-the-occasion-writes-sutton-chairman-bruce-elliott-a3472461.html

http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/sutton-plan-to-spend-arsenals-50k-donation-on-facilities-upgrade-and-kids-community-scheme-a3472386.html

https://twitter.com/AmyLewisSport/status/834037299780386816

Extraordinary ambition:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/arsenal-chief-ivan-gazidis-qa-1936217

Who would they turn to:
http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/martin-keown-expects-arsene-wenger-to-be-given-oneyear-contract-to-allow-arsenal-time-to-find-a-new-a3466006.html

Contingency plan:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38994846