The Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is not just the oldest serving manager in the English Premier League. At the risk of alienating opinion, let me stick my neck out and say that he is also one of the most criticized. He certainly has been by a lot of JustArsenal readers lately!
The jury is still divided on whether any of the jibes thrown regularly at Wenger make sense. Being a fan of his club management and player development, I sometimes wonder if the criticism goes a little too far.
Especially, the latest tirade from the Sky Sports pundits – Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher makes one wonder if Wenger is sometimes a soft target. Neville claimed that Wenger is ‘naïve or arrogant’ to believe that he can win the league with his current set of players and should be buying more players with character.
Wenger took time to hit back at the criticism and was critical of the so-called pundits who base the discussions on their personal views. The French tactician is not averse to taking constructive criticism but views the latest tirade as rubbish.
Wenger said: “The only thing I want is that, when people have opinions, it is documented and worked-out before – especially when it is football specialists.
“It is not just about talking.
“I accept you can be right and I can be wrong, but what you do not want is just an opinion that comes out just because you feel like that”
In a sense, Wenger is right when he says that the pundits focus their discussion more on their pre-conceived notion of the players and the managers rather than talk about the on-pitch action.
The comments by Neville should not be taken too personally by Wenger because we all know that the current day specialist commentators want to sensationalize trivial things. There could be some truth in the fact that Wenger has made mistakes in the transfer market.
But, Wenger is correct when he says that the pundits should focus more on the game happening on the pitch than their personal views. His long period of management at the Emirates has seen him take criticism by his chin and he wouldn’t shy away from another – so long as it is a feedback. This should put to bed Neville’s headless comments.
Sridhar
Cavani will be a gooner by Monday
I hope so dude.
That would really put some fire back in our bellies
If he does come here, I hope Ozil, Cazorla, Alexis can help him regain Napoli form. He was better at Napoli then PSG. He scored over 75 League goals in three years. I think 30 goals in his final year
At 28, he could give us 4-5 very good years.
what’s the Source of ur hope fred?
DeadLine day?……….and if he ain’t a gunner by monday, what would u do? *pointing down a cliff*
No because on Monday even at 6pm there will still be 24hours till the window shuts
Klopp will also be a gunner my Monday.
It’s been a long week on JA.
No transfers no football.
At least we had football
when we had the 2 ECL qualifiers 🙂
Just a long week of Wenger in Wenger out
and with no football to test our theories.
Time for a change..
Klopp in
New medical staff
David dein back
Suarez, pogba and varane
Akb’s out
high on the adrenaline……. L()L
Of course Wenger should be criticized! Anybody making 8 Million Pounds a year to do a specific job, can and will be pen to criticism if their performance is below par.
Arsenal is one of the four teams in the top of the league in England. The others are constantly challenging for 1st place, some years they succeed others they dont, but they get back the next year with a better squad and try again. We are not doing that. In the last 12 years we have been usually 4th sometimes 3rd. This is not enough to warrant a job for life with an *M salary.
Wenger is not doing enough on transfers, tactically, or inspirationally to move this team beyond where its stuck. He needs to go.
Wenger is his own biggest Critic!…………
Wenger is shameful kaunt.
Jose mourinho was right wenger is specialist in failure. Piers Morgan and Stewart robson are right. Wenger and his slaves are wrong. G. Neville is tight too.
Did Jamie carragher tell u Neville was tight?
Wenger said: “The only thing I want is that, when people have opinions, it is documented and worked-out before – especially when it is football specialists…………………..You don’t need to be a specialist to see that year after year WENGER fails to deliver, no ambition just do the needful to keep the owners happy………one point could be true, we have good players under different management Klopp, Simeone, they could actually win the title, but certainly will not happen with WENGER……
I agree with u mate. If u people don’t believe in MIA GUNNER FAN and me I have got 2 words for u sock it
These players should be sold flamini, arteta, mertesaker and giroud.
is it a coincidence that all the players u listed are wenger’s favourite?
@ MONEYTALKS Not only they will not be sold, but they will be offer Contract extensions by sugar daddy WENGER, meanwhile he sold RVP to our main rival, result they won the Title……this man lost his touch a long time ago, is pathetic watching him completely clueless sitting on his arse watching Donkey Giroud missing opportunities while OX and Walcott are rotting on the bench……it’s getting old year after year having this debate instead of looking forward to a title or be contender in the CL
11 years without premier league title feels like 110 years ago
Not for WENGER and his AKB’s they feel it was yesterday…….
FFP is dead an buried. Arsenal never be able to match the spending power of City, Chelshit, Utd.
200k/week for De Bruyne who has won nothing and has just one single good season is scandalous. 150M pounds outlays for this summer alone.
Unless we got a sugar daddy taking over from Silent Stan, the odd is always against us to win the EPL, that fact won’t change whoever our manager is. We will be like Atletico or Dortmund who may win the league once in a long while – they actually have better chance than us with only 2 and 1 team dominate their league respectively. If you cannot accept that fact you will be a very frustrated fan every single season.
wenger naive for believing in ffp. nobody else did.
Too many opinions based on perception not facts. But then again some people hate facts .
Wenger has got some things wrong but others right.
There is the perception of weakness …and that I’m afraid will go on for a long time. But we are over that stage now. And for a while now.
Our team today, as it stands is weaker than our opposition,who are spending money to strengthen even more.
That is not a perception that is a fact.
Fact is we have not won the PL in 12 years
Fact is we were 12 points off Chelsea last year
Fact is we were 4 points off City last year
Fact is both teams spent serious money and strengthened their squad
Fact is we only strengthened in one position a position where we were not too weak tbh
Fact is in the PL there are 4-5 top teams unlike other top leagues
Fact is we are already 5 points off City
Fact is you snooze you loose
@Jimbeam…….Thanks For the FACTFUL outLay….. Good to see it being written down for him to read , understand and with a spare copy to take home to the rest of the AKB family!