Arsenal fans have certainly been having fun at the expense of Jose Mourinho and all the Chelsea fans over the last couple of days and I’m pretty sure that Arsene Wenger might just have had a few moments of happy reflection to himself as well, if not a large glass of French brandy and a big fat cigar.
We may have got rid of Mourinho, but his war of words will linger in the memory of many a football fan and even though a lot of people disagreed with the direspectful slurs he aimed at the Arsenal boss over the years, I doubt that Wenger will ever be completely free of them until he picks up that Premier League trophy again.
But if the Frenchman does not steer Arsenal to the EPL crown this season, he probably never will. Or that is what the football pundit and former striker Alan Shearer thinks at least. As reported by The Mirror, the all time Premier League top scorer who won the title himself with Blackburn Rovers, reckons that with all the turmoil and uncertainty at all of our EPL rivals, this season offers by far the best opportunity for Arsenal to end over a decade of waiting.
Shearer said, “Arsenal, this is your time. There will not be a better opportunity with what is going on elsewhere — and they need to take it.
“You would have thought by this stage that it would have been a classic tussle between Mourinho, Van Gaal, Pellegrini and Wenger, yet one has gone, the long-term position of the other two is uncertain and Wenger remains the constant.
“On their day there is quite simply nobody better [than Arsenal] in the Premier League. The defence was questioned but only United have conceded less. Up front they can be an irresistible force.”
I don’t always agree with pundits, but I have to agree with Shearer on this one. While there is uncertainty around the futures of Pellegrini and van Gaal this season, it will probably be a different story next year and if Wenger and Arsenal cannot get the job done in these circumstances, how will they cope with a stronger Chelsea, Liverpool, United and City?
It really is now or never Arsene!