The Arsenal legendary striker Nwankwo Kanu has been interviewed in his native Nigeria about Arsene Wenger’s woes and the failure of Arsenal to make a serious challenge for the Premier League title, and he is adamant that it is unfair for the Arsenal fans to blame everything on Wenger because he has been in charge for so long. “In terms of years, yes, Wenger has stayed long, but it is for the board of the club to decide.” Kanu said.
“Every Arsenal fan wants the Premier League trophy, they have won enough of the FA Cup. As a true Arsenal fan, an ex-player of the club for that matter, I want them to make waves, to achieve something.
“If as a player, I’m playing for a club, sometimes it is not the coach that you look at. You look at yourself and say I want to win the league. And as a team sport, every player should stand up and ask ‘what is happening to us’.
“I don’t see football from the point that only the coach will have to do this, do that, no. If you have good players and they believe they are good, then they have to show you they are good, not only showing the coach, but as well the whole club that they are good.”
Yes I know Wenger picks the players, but it does seem to be much more common nowadays that the players on the pitch just don’t seem to put in a shift or look ready to fight for the points.
Can we really blame Wenger for everything?
Sam P
Not for everything of course, but for the most of the what happens on the pitch.
It is Wenger who:
– picks his favorite players
– is responsible for the players brought in
– is responsible for the tactics (or the lack of them)
– motivates the players (well he clearly doesn’t)
– is mainly responsible for the direction of our footballing performance and half the problem why we are in this situation (100 millions worth of players out of contract next summer)
Well one of them scored the winning goal against Swansea. If he wasn’t on the pitch guess what is going to happen. When another one isn’t in the team, the substitute creates few to non scoring chances. At justasenal we like eat our cake and have it .
@Juhi
Yes, this is how a fan that is sentimentally attached to players makes comment.
Don’t blame our “superstar”, it is the manager. The coach should be able to slap the players if unable to execute the tactics, any motivation that works.
However, when the Manager caution the players who held meeting to apportion blames, that they do not have such right and power, they refused to play for the team again, and created all manners of shenanigan. but what did you comment Mr Juhi then.
Without Wenger it would be much much worse.
In the short term, no, but we’re not talking about the short term! When I say “short term”, I apply that to new manager’s, especially ones new to the league. They need time to adjust, to make the squad their own, etc. Wenger has a huge advantage because he’s had years of experience in Premiership, and has worked with the majority of his squad for probably around 5/6 years on average, per player. And that’s why I don’t blame the players anymore.
Walcott has no footballing brain, and most fans have wanted him gone for years. Should we have a go at him, or the man who keeps using him, and has kept him at the club for 11 years? Should’ve we have slated Arteta more for under performing as a DM, or criticise the man who decided that Arteta would be a fantastic DM? All manager’s get it wrong with players from time to time, but when your manager sticks by rubbish players for years, then only one person can be criticised. You can apply this to most players at Arsenal. Then you have the tactics. Wenger doesn’t give his players enough tactical help before, and during games. Half the time, they look completely lost, and bereft of ideas, especially against top teams.
Of course not everything is Wenger’s fault, Kroenke is the other major problem, and although Ivan comes out with some ridiculous quotes/analogies, I don’t think he’s really part of the problem, as he doesn’t really have any power. He can’t sack Wenger, and he couldn’t even get a director of football through the door, after Wenger publicly humiliated him on that subject. In fact, Ivan is probably about the only person in the hierarchy (manager included) that’s performing well! Although I am not a fan of his.
In reality, we need to remove EVERYONE in power at Arsenal, to finally start progressing again. I think we’re so bad on the pitch at the moment, that it will improve after Wenger, but we still have the problem with Kroenke long term.
In reality we need to invest a billion dollars to compete with the likes of Chelsea, City, and Utd. And that’s just in our league. Then there are the likes of Barca, RM, and PSG. So stop talking out of your arse. If anything, Wenger has overachieved with the crap that he’s had to work for years. Until Kroenke is in charge, you’ll know see a single dime invested in the club. And nothing will change with or without Wenger in charge.
I don’t see many blaming Wenger for everything.
But we haven’t challenged for the PL title for many years, and these are the problems, that we seem to have constantly:
1) We are letting in too many goals
2 ) “Physical teams” often seem to be able to beat us
3) We always loose too many points in the internal games against top opponents
4) We always have too many injuries
5) We have many matches, where the team seem unmotivated for at least one half
In a single match or even a few matches, you can blame individual players or even the whole team for problems like the above. But when they are recurring problems in many years, I really only see one person, who has the responsibility.
If I don’t do my job, I get canned, simple as that. So do you think the guy who makes 8mil quid a year is not doing his? He does, and he does it extremely well, hence he’s still in charge. When the objectives will change from balancing the books and making profit to “get me the title in 2 years or you’re gone” then we’ll see a different Arsenal. Until then nothing will change, with or without Wenger. So you’re barking up the wrong tree here, buddy.
According to Kroenke, Gadzidis and Wenger himself their target is the EPL so if you believe the evil axis Wenger is failing.
If the players play in their natural position, and playing badly, blame the players.
But if the players playing out of their natural position, and play badly, blame the manager aka wenger.
We change from 442 to 343, to more security for defend, but replace coqelin who are pure dm with xhaka, a cm that force to became deep lying playmaker, and his performance is mediocer so far..
The answer to the last line question which the article asks is: No, we cannot blame Wenger for absolutely everything BUT he is to blame for the vast majority of our ills, for numerous reasons. Who buys, coaches, selects and makes the formations we use? Wenger! Who has not bought or really properly tried to bring in a pivotal QUALITY powerful and mobile CDM for the last decade? Wenger! Who has brought in a load of rubbish CB’s since Sol Campbell left? Wenger, with Kos being the only exception! Who does not do his homework on opponents style and formation and who also doesn’t even think it necessary? Wenger! Who fails to motivate most of our players to give their utmost and regularly? Wenger! Who thinks the 70th minute for making subs is always the only answer? Wenger? Who won’t properly spend even the money he is allowed to spend but instead just tells us he could have had this or that player, quote “we almost got Ronaldo, years ago” ? Wenger! Who can never prevent the annual injury crisis? Wenger! There is plenty more but I am losing the will to live while this fossil remains. All his fault then? NO ! JUST ABOUT 90%
OF course you can’t blame him for everything ,but everything football related yes he runs that side of the club without interference from anyone ,here is a man who blames everything and everyone other than ever looking at himself when the team loses a game ,for how many years has the club been crying out for a world-class dm ,he refused to buy player’s to compliment ozil and Sanchez ,yes 100 percent ,a better manager would get more from the same players..
I think we can blame the players and Wenger to a degree with the main problem Kanu seems to have. More fight, he says the players need to fight more which we can all agree on. We know they are capable of it but its not something that comes natural to them all. They have it in them, or at least we can pick a side that should bring the fight to our opponent, but we prefer it easy without the heavy challenges. We can up our tempo but again we fall into a comfort zone of keeping the ball and thinking we are on top in the game. We need to be fast passing, we need to fight for loose balls like every-time its a loose ball in front of the keeper. Kanu’s team done that, they brought it to the game esp when they knew the opposition would be difficult to beat without it. We have some players who are not very capable at that stuff, that’s when Wenger comes into it. The players need to ask themselves some questions, are you giving it your best shot.
He is to blame for choosing Ozil, Ramsey, and Giroud even if they don’t perform. These are the same players who miss lots of scoring chances, and they get dispossessed easily. They complain about not playing champions league, but they were in the field of play to finish fourth or above, but they didn’t do it
If a company is performing worse than expected, you don’t blame the staff, you blame the manager, director, and owner.
The manager is supposed to manage the staff so that they do the job as required, so if the staff (Players) are not good enough then yes, you blame the manager (Wenger).
If the manager is not capable of managing the staff properly, then you blame the board of directors (Keswick, Gazidis, & Co.) and the owner (Kroenke).
So yes, you can blame Wenger for everything that happens on the pitch. Then you can blame the directors and owner for not having a manager that gets it right on the pitch.
Wenger is in charge of deciding who is in the squad, coaching the players, motivating the players, tactics, formations and picking the team.
For almost a generation he has not been able to do most of these tasks at a top level which is why we have fallen behind the monied teams as well as spuds whose manager has shown what can happen with a decent manager.
And AKB’s please do not go on about 3 FA Cup wins in 12 years as that is not a competition that top clubs take seriously Only (6 games and nobody plays their first team).
Kroenke and Gadzidis have a lot they arre guilty of but they are not in charge of the above. Their biggest mistakes are not giving the manager some tough targets to work towards and renewing his contract.
It’s down to multiple parties: Management and Arsene for not better seizing the transfer window opportunities and letting so many players go into last year of contract, Arsene for making some truly bizarre player selection choices at times, and some of the players some or most of the time for not playing flat out with full commitment.