It is safe to say that this is going to be one of the longest seasons for Arsenal fans. Let's keep the WOB and AKB minority sect out of this now, the football on the field doesn't give us much to be enthusiastic about. Don't get me wrong, we weren't expecting a title charge or anything like that, its just the manner with which games are approached that riles us, me in particular.
Arsene Wenger is still the greatest manager in Arsenal's history, he's worked with some quality players over the years and achieved varying success(invincible?), however, there's this niggling feeling in my soul that keeps telling me he's past his best, I try not to listen to it due to my sentimentality.
Going straight into criticism, the way the team comes in to games is rather frustrating at times, the approach seems rather relaxed and too patient for my liking, there seems to be an over reliance on being calm and waiting for the opportunity to open up rather than smothering the life out of opponents like other top end teams seem to be doing; this tactics is obviously a reflection of the manager in charge.
The fitness levels in the team seem to be very low, players are often slow out of the blocks and take a while to get in the groove of things. This is also a facet of our game that needs to be sorted out.
A wise man once said "the biggest risk in life is not taking risks at all" and in many circumstances this season, the manager has been far too cautious. In many situations, he'd throw in a defensive minded player, thereby giving the opposing team impetus to have a go at us.
Some of the players embody this patient relaxed tone that's in the team's approach; far too often do we miss big opportunities in games and then go on to concede at the other end due to players not willing to drop back and help the defense. It is something that has to really be fixed.
Optimism is at an all time low, surviving the next two years is our next challenge, we'll pick up whatever scraps are left then, lick our wounds and move on with whoever is in charge then but for now, we'll have to manage our manager, manage our expectations and most importantly, manage our emotions because its going to be a real rollercoaster. Now and forever. Arsenal is in my blood.
