Matters Football: Arsene Wenger has lost ambition

 I was seduced into loving Arsenal Football Club by my elder sister. Back in the day they were the only English Club that played a fluid passing game. It was not about winning, my sister said; but entertainment, tenacity and skill. The Gunners had it all.

 I loved the entertainment but drew much comfort from the presence of Lee Dixon and Tony Adams in defence. I have had it said that together with Steve Bould and Nigel Winterburn these two made Arsenal’s ‘Back Four’ impregnable. For me it was the presence of Lee Dixon and Tony Adams that made The Gunners unbeatable. Then there was David Seaman in goal. He was not the quickest to the ball but was ever reliable. Unfazed in the face of attack, he regularly collected the ball much to my relief.

In later years there was the fluidity of Patrick Vieira in place of the solid Ray Parlour. Sol Campbell would be there to right things if matters came to ahead. Vieira on the counter-attack was a joy to behold. He set his pace and picked his man. His passes were never wrong and never to the wrong man. If he picked on Robert Pires it was only because this would set Thiery Henry free to race for the cross that was certain to come. I would be screaming long before the goal came. 

Important goods under burglar-proof protection in a shop
 

I would be hiding an important truth if I did not mention the allure of the African greats in Arsenal. Nigerian Nwankwo Kanu, Kolo Toure and Lauren made Arsenal very much a part of my identity.

 I always shouted- if ever my son became a football star he would be very welcome at Arsenal. This feeling was helped by the rather shoddy treatment Mr John Barnes had at the hands of England in the 1986 World Cup.


 I always felt if he was white he would have been in the starting eleven and England would have beaten Argentina in the Quarters. I have never had any love for England since. It does not matter that they always have many of my favourite players.

There it is- my love for Arsenal is tied closely to acceptance. In Arsenal; anyone has a chance to prove his worth. England was yet to demonstrate its conservative and rigid ways when Michael Owen’s contribution to the English effort in the 1998 World Cup was restricted on account of his age. In a way, that explained to me that John Barnes’ treatment could well be out of a sincerely English tendency to weigh the odds at every turn. The tried and tested is probably England’s favourite even though it does not match the promise of the new.

Why have I digressed towards England while this is about Mr Arsene Wenger? In fact this is the first I mention him. In the early years, it was his knack to pick the right players and the right strategy that endeared him to fans. Those days you hardly noticed the coach- his team took all the attention. He did not have any qualms about who was to play. There was no sacred cow. Old money Steve Bould had to fight it out for a place in the team with dogged defender Martin Keown. That was vintage Wenger. Sylvain Wiltord was good but he spent many hours on the bench at Arsenal.  He had to match his price on the pitch- simple.

After the 2004 triumph by The Invincibles, Mr Wenger seems to have retreated into another world. True, the financial demands of a new arena have limited funds for a powerful new squad. He has had to make do with many young players. At times the squad is too thin to meet the demands of the League, Cup and Champions League. Still that does not explain why Wigan can beat Manchester City for a trophy yet Arsenal has not won any for a decade. Something is amiss at Arsenal and it is not the money. 

The chemistry that makes great teams is lacking. There is not enough passion in the side. I cannot point to one man in the team that can turn a game. There is not enough spirit in the team to turn a difficult situation into a moment of triumph. The doggedness typical of English football is gone. The old saying taint over till it’s over has no meaning to the current Arsenal team. A bad refereeing decision or an early goal is enough to kill the team. This is not the Arsenal of old.

Players come and go but good teams remain. I feel it is the philosophy of the club that has changed. Suddenly Mr Wenger has taken the air of a youth coach. He is too patient with mediocrity. True there is a gulf of class between City and Arsenal but the Gunners have it in them to upset the established order. It is a matter of team, tactics and spirit. That is what the likes of Stoke, Crystal Palace, and West Ham bring to the game- dogged determination. It is long since I saw hunger in Arsenal but worse of all Arsene Wenger’s forlorn look on the Arsenal bench is a sure mark of defeat.

His slumped, unhappy figure in the dugout is not the sign of a man n top of his game. Often he takes the shape of the team- one waiting for the final whistle and the next match. There is no fight in the team and the coach. It is enough, or so it seems, to come fourth and above Tottenham. Only this time there is another suitor hungry for fourth place.....