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Revolting Arsenal

Wenger cut a distraught figure after his Arsenal side were humiliated 4-0 by AC Milan in Champions League

Last summer is widely considered to be the most inept in Arsenal’s recent history. Despite constant denials by the club, Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas left once the new season got underway, leaving Arsene Wenger to scramble, trying to find stop gaps before further humiliation followed the 8-2 reverse at Old Trafford.  

In came Per Mertersacker, Andre Santos, Mikel Arteta, Yossi Benayoun, and the South Korean striker Chu Young Park. Earlier we had seen promising striker Alex Oxlade Chamberlain arrive from Southampton. Out to went  Emmanuel Eboue, Denilson and Nicklas Bendtner among others.  

After six years without a trophy, Wenger and the club underwent some spring cleaning. But the departures last season will be nothing to what should happen this coming summer. A whole host of players should be looking carefully at Wenger’s body language, because if the manager doesn’t want to lose the Arsenal support (and he has already lost a fairly large percentage of it) he’s going to have to start some serious culling.  

Out must go Manuel Almunia, Sebastian Squillaci, Tomas Rosicky and Andrei Arsharvin. Wenger must reconsider his loyalty to bit part players like Abou Diaby, who seems eternally injured, and the extremely limited Johan Djourou. Do Park and Moroccan international striker Chamakh do anything beyond keep the bench warm and count their salary?  

Then there are the big names. Robin van Persie will be entering the last year of his contract. Yes, he’s had an impressive season, but we still have nothing to show for it and given his injury record, is it worth taking a punt tying him down to a last long term deal? And Theo Walcott? Wenger will soon be asking how many more wasted crosses do we need to see before deciding it’s not worth it and saying cheerio. Or perhaps play him down the middle, at last?  

That’s basically a whole team whose position at the club needs to be assessed. That some of them are still there is a mystery only those familiar with the inner workings of the club can answer. Szezcny needs to stay, but he needs a quality back up and Lukaz Fabianski isn’t it. Bacary Sagna, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshire and Oxlade-Chamberlain should stay as should Thomas Vermaelen, while players like Emmanuel Frimpong and Kyle Bartley should be given a chance after lengthy spells on loan. Or just plain get rid of them. 

Essentially, Wenger needs to build a whole new team or the club is going to face more empty seats as fans get ever more disillusioned with the high prices charged and a transfer policy that attracts and rewards mediocrity. And he’s going to need quality in the midfield and attack.  

The Frenchman has built successful teams in the past by spending money, and needs to be allowed to do so again.   

There could be other changes in the summer. There is talk of assistant manager Pat Rice finally retiring with Steve Bould, a member of the famous back line built by George Graham, stepping up. If that happens it will be the first major change to the backroom staff wince Wenger took over at the club in 1996. Hopefully Bould will be able to install some defensive discipline, because it certainly seems beyond Wenger to do so.  

Arsenal fans are at a tipping point. The Arsene Knows Brigade are still there, still backing their man, but the opposing view is getting more strident and grows stronger with each inept performance. The squad needs breaking up, but does Wenger recognize it?

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