Wenger’s Dilemma!

Arsene Wenger, the French engineer regarded as Arsenal’s greatest manager, is facing justified if not heated calls from the club’s supporters to call it quits following Wednesday’s 5-1 drubbing by Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16, first leg match.

The humiliation all but ended the English club’s dreams in Europe’s biggest club competition, fueling cries for the Frenchman to leave.

Wenger, like most other managers in the modern game is fast turning to be a victim of a fiercely competitive field, which no longer remembers the legendary status he brought to the club, since 1996.

He is a legend, not only at Emirates but in the football world. Remember, in the 2004-2005 season, he led the club to the league title, in a 49-match unbeaten record that may never be broken!

To many of the club’s legends like Ian Wright and Martin Keown, Wenger is the fighter who has taken in way too many punches in a glittering career.

Every painful defeat must be pushing the respected Frenchman closer to the exit door, for a club that perhaps drawing from the struggles faced by rivals, Manchester United when Sir Alex Ferguson retired, are reluctant to see him go.

With three Premier League titles, six FA Cups, a Champions League runners-up medal in 2006, Wenger’s record matches the best in the game.

He is the longest serving manager in the league and has taken the club to the group stage of the Champions league every season since 1996!

Sadly, lack of a trophy since 2004 has seen Wenger endure pressure every season, with managers and former players saying that his belly no longer burns to win.

Jose Mourinho, the Manchester United gaffer and one of Wenger’s fiercest rivals once described the Frenchman as a ‘specialist in failure’.

Since Wenger’s last triumph in 2004, Mourinho has won three Champions League titles and a dozen domestic titles in England, Italy and Spain, a fact that cements his claims against Wenger.

The Premier League title has been shared amongst United, Chelsea and Manchester City, relegating Arsenal to fight to fight for the top-four since 2004.

Oliver Kahn, one of Germany’s most decorated goalkeepers said most of the club’s players no longer respect Wenger, following Tuesday’s disastrous night at The Allianz Arena.

Kahn added that the lackluster performance by Arsenal’s record-signing, Mesut Ozil showed that the stars no longer play for the manager when needed in the big matches.

True to Kahn’s assertions, Arsenal’s seasons have been marked by horrible showing in the big matches, either in the league or against Europe’s elite.

Familiarity has borne contempt and the club seems comfortable to finish in the top-four every season.

Stars like Thierry Henry, Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie left for other clubs to enjoy European and domestic glory, away from Highbury and Emirates. 

Alexis Sanchez’s and Ozil’s delayed contract talks are attracting potential suitors who can guarantee the two trophies!

Arsenal’s tribulations are not entirely Wenger’s making. His big names have consistently failed him when it matters most.

Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, Emmanuel Petit, Tony Adams, Sol Campbell, Lee Dixon always stood up during the big games, a thing Ozil, Sanchez et co shy away from.

His stars let-him down as much as his excuses after every chastening defeat do!

Sadly, the buck stops with the manager!

Wenger is facing arguably his toughest time and must make a decision on whether to negotiate for a new contract in the summer or take his final bow from The Emirates. 

The club is headed for another trophy less season unless the likes of Ozil, Cech and Ozil lead the rest to mount a late yet unlikely onslaught for the league and FA titles.

Meanwhile, Antonio Conte at Chelsea and Mourinho, both new at their clubs are coasting to honors in their maiden season at their respective clubs, as Wenger agonizingly watches another spell go into smoke!

Wenger has a decision to make but it should not be fueled by the heated cries from the emotive supporters.

Gary Neville, one of United’s greatest right-backs and who faced Wenger many times, castigated fans who hurled the abuses at their greatest manager.

As he enters his last four months in the Arsenal dug-out, Wenger’s legacy remains untarnished and like Ferguson, he deserves a dignified exit.

The calls for him to go intensify with every defeat but the players must take their bit of the stick for the big games when they show no ambition, putting on lethargic if not silly shows on the pitch.

It remains a Catch-22 for both Arsenal and its most successful manager!