We have all heard from players, including a wide number of Arsenal stars, after a poor performance or result that they have let the manager and the fans down. I have said it myself a number of times when trying to defend Arsene Wenger after a disappointment that it is not as if he sends them out with the order to not try.
But just as every season seems to be full of the same old issues for Arsenal in general, is the failure of certain Arsenal stars to play to their potential on a regular basis, perhaps caused by the same thing, Wenger. There is no doubt that management is about many things, including tactics and assembling the right squad and setting up the side with the right balance.
But if we have learned anything from Leicester City and Claudio Ranieri this season, and also from the difference in Chelsea from one season to the next, is that the motivation of the players to play for the boss is a massive part of a team’s success, or lack of it.
Look at it this way Arsenal fans, we know that the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Theo Walcott, Alexis Sanchez, Olivier Giroud and other Gunners have the ability, so why do they do not show it from year to year or even throughout one season? It seems to me that we only see the best from them when the players feel they have something to prove. What is the common denominator here folks?
Wenger is apparently planning a shake up of the squad this summer but if he is the problem then how is that going to help?