Having been in charge of JustArsenal during the stressful final years of Arsene Wenger’s tenure as Arsenal manager, with the hatred and animosity on display between the Arsene Out brigade and the Arsene Knows Best faction, I have heard every single argument for and against Le Prof over the years.
There were always articles explaining why Wenger had outlived his usefullness, and then others from writers like Dan Smith with the warning; “Be careful what you wish for….”
Now it seems that Wenger has given an interview in which he defends his record in the last few years, and this is what Le Prof had to say: “I think people are quite harsh about the last years,” Wenger told the Telegraph.
“In 2016 we finished second in the league. Leicester won but other teams were behind Leicester as well, and Leicester only lost three games. In 2017 we did not qualify for the top four for the first time in 20 years, but we got 75 points.
“People don’t realise. We won the (FA) cup against Chelsea who had just won the championship and had the chance of winning the double. And after, in 2018, we lost the League Cup final against (Manchester) City, we lost in the semi-final of the Europa League against Atletico Madrid but by just one goal.”
Looking back now, when you consider how we have performed since then, we haven’t really improved with any of our new managers.
Yes, Emery got to the Europa League Final but was embarrassed by Chelsea in Baku. Yes Arteta won the FA Cup, but two 8th placed finishes have not made Wenger look bad, especially as Le Prof won a record amount of FA Cups while he was in charge. And despite not finishing in the Top Four, the Frenchman still ensured we were in Europe albeit via the Europa League.
So, in hindsight, do you now think we were a little harsh on Wenger in his final few years?
Sam P