Kevin Whitcher
“When you have just the trousers on it’s easy to take them trousers off as well. When you’re naked completely you have to find a shirt and try to put it on again and that you’re dressed normally again.”
It was Arsene’s Eric Cantona seagulls moment. But this was not a player making an analogy about being persecuted by the press, rather a manager talking about his team’s confidence in a way that suggested, some time after he had lost his dressing room, he is losing his marbles.
A fourth defeat in a row, a fifth defeat in the last six matches, the eighth defeat of the calendar year and a tenth Premier League defeat of the current campaign (that’s an average of more than one every three games). Arsenal now sit 33 points behind the league leaders and even Arsene Wenger has admitted a return to the top four is very unlikely, nine games remaining and a gap of 13 points to fourth placed Tottenham. The run-in this season is in theory an easy one, but this is no normal season.
Not one single member of the board of directors made the trip to The Amex Stadium to represent the club. Josh Kroenke is supposedly in London to run the rule over his father’s interest, and Ivan Gazidis has missed more matches than usual this season, both home and away. Ken Friar normally makes such trips, but is now 83 years old. Club Secretary David Mills did attend on behalf of the board. Aside from that, the club faces I recognised in the director’s box were Pat Rice and a trio of Wenger cronies – Primorac, Peyton and Lehmann. I looked at the dugout when Arsenal were 2-0 down and I could just see a line of long faces who were probably wondering about their job prospects in the immediate future.
The game? Brighton showed greater organisation, self-belief, commitment and desire. Defensively, they did enough against a largely uninspired Gunners’ attack. Calum Chambers was asked to play right back against a very pacey left-winger in the form of Izquierdo. Hector Bellerin was presumably dropped for expressing an interest in playing elsewhere, in a game in which he would surely have done a better job than Chambers, but maybe Brighton weren’t even scouted ahead of the fixture. Jack Wilshere returned to the side in the absence of Aaron Ramsey, rested ahead of the trip to Milan. Wilshere was one of the few players to demonstrate a genuine desire to compete in the Gunners’ line-up, which has become a familiar story. It seems unlikely he will be at the club beyond the summer, even though he is exactly what’s needed at the moment in terms of attitude.
Defensively, Arsenal were poor for both goals. Zonal marking at the corner that saw the first gave the Brighton player on the back post the opportunity to win the ball, Cech caught in no-man’s land as he failed to beat him to it. For the second, Koscielny gave the ball away cheaply, Mustafi was beaten in the air and Glenn Murray’s header wriggled under Cech. It wasn’t pretty viewing. The home fans sung their approval of Arsene Wenger and the travelling support did the opposite.
Arsenal rallied, scoring before half-time thanks to Xhaka and Aubameyang combining, and Koscielny hit the post with a header soon after. Second half, it was largely a tale of Arsenal dominating possession and Brighton soaking it up. There were a couple of occasions when Arsenal got wide near the byline, which at least provided a way into the Seagulls’ box, but for the most part it was a lot of sideways stuff trying to find the eye of the needle. Chances to shoot (and get a rebound) were spurned in preference of keeping possession. There were a couple of decent efforts from Ozil and Aubameyang, but for the most part, we are talking impotence.
So the home side held out and celebrated wildly at the end. For them, it was a big scalp. And for their commitment, they deserved the three points. Arsene Wenger claimed player fatigue for the poor start, stating the Thursday – Sunday – Thursday – Sunday schedule. But few of his players played in all four matches – specifically because he was able to field a weakened side against Ostersunds in the second leg. And anyway, isn’t playing twice a week what a club of Arsenal’s stature should aspire to at this stage of the season? If they don’t have the squad to cope with the task of playing twice a week, who’s fault is that, exactly?
I don’t think there can be too many who believe Arsenal can get back into the Champions League via the top four. So the real question (and let’s assume that Carlo Ancelotti will be in charge next season) is whether there is a better chance of winning the Europa League under the Italian (who I believe is ready to start) or the current manager. Arsene’s record in two-legged ties in Europe over recent seasons is not the stuff to inspire confidence. For one, defensively, his team is not set up to win a two-legged tie. They've lost the know-how to do that. The League Cup semi-final against Chelsea was against familiar opposition, and the Ostersunds tie could easily have ended in tears.
What the club require is the new manager bounce, although Carlo Ancelotti will be able to have a positive effect for far longer than an initial period because of both his experience and also the work that is going on at the club towards the future. We can expect a lot of ins and outs this summer for starters. By the end of the summer of 2020 (after three summer transfer windows) the squad will be largely unrecognisable from today’s and the club will be ready to have a tilt a genuine tilt at the title for the first time since 2008. The two seasons before will be required to reverse the damage done to the club over the last decade, which has created the current pitiful situation.
So realistically, once everyone accepts that Arsene Wenger is toast, the question is whether or not to wait till the end of May or bite the bullet now. His exit strategy, whether it’s before the end of the season or not, will happen like this. Arsene can never officially be sacked. He is celebrated on pretty much ever wall inside the new stadium. So, the board, or Kroenke, will tell him his time is up. He will be paid off for the remaining time of his contract (which would happen if he were given his cards), but he will be allowed to make the announcement that he has decided to step down for the good of the club. His pride will not want the alternative. It will be a statement issued through the club, with no public appearance. Arsene will probably be abroad when the statement is released, just to avoid the press. He’s too proud to actually explain himself to the media, to admit his failure, in person.
Imagine this. The decision is made this morning. The statement is issued this evening and Ancelotti is announced to the press first thing Tuesday morning. The Italian takes training and has the opportunity to assess the players for the remaining nine Premier League matches of the season, and whatever extra games he can get in Europe. Can you imagine the reaction of the players? The fans? The atmosphere around the club? It’s a no brainer.
In reality, Arsene will be allowed to meddle on until the end of the season so that his exit can be managed in a less hasty manner. So the pride of one man holds back the necessary changes to be made, and handicaps his successor even further.
Before I end, some gallows humour from Doktor Schneide, texted to me at full time… ”This is just terminal decline now. We’re about as upwardly mobile as a breeze block”
Arsene has always stated that his priority is what is best for Arsenal Football Club. If that were the honest truth, he’d hand in a genuine resignation letter this morning and sacrifice the £10 million plus he is due for the remainder of his contract. But Arsene’s priorities are not what he would have you believe. He’s going nowhere until he’s forced to, because he genuinely believes he can turn this shambles around. He’s in a lonely place.
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