This is probably the most challenging period in the 21 year career of Arsene Wenger at Arsenal. The Gunners have finished below Tottenham for the first time, have been knocked out of the FA Cup at the Third Round for the first time since he arrived and also failed to make the Top Four for the first time in his tenure. To cap it all we are now set to lose our best player to our hated rivals Man United and have gone without a win for the last 5 games. Could it get any worse?
Arsenal fans are certainly going to be calling for Wenger’s head if things don’t improve drastically very quickly, but Wenger has now said that we still have a League Cup and the Europa League to play for, and we are still fighting to return to the Champions League next season, so he has no intention of giving up his position as manager. “No, that’s not the way I respond.” he said. “I agree completely that 2018 until now has not been very positive but I am long enough in the job to know that what is important is how we respond to it and to focus on the performance.
“My personal situation is a bit secondary to all of that, what is important is how the team responds and what we make of 2018. We have many challenges, it is difficult at the moment, but as well very exciting because we have many challenges in front of us and we can come back in the Champions League. We of course play the semi-final next week and after we have the Europa League as well, which is another target, so we have to very quickly get over this transfer period because for us especially this period has been more disturbing than ever.”
Despite Wenger’s positivity, I see little chance of him surviving to next season unless Arsenal win the Europa League and/or finish in the Top Four, and that last wish is looking extremely unlikely right now. Would a return to the Champions League appease the fans for one last season at Arsenal?
Darren N