Demoralized Arsenal team faces biggest test of the season against Spurs
Following Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat to Swansea City on Wednesday, which was their third defeat in a row, the Gunners are now six points behind league leaders Leicester City. Although the teams surrounding Arsenal in the table, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City, both lost as well, there are some serious issues […]
Following Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat to Swansea City on Wednesday, which was their third defeat in a row, the Gunners are now six points behind league leaders Leicester City. Although the teams surrounding Arsenal in the table, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City, both lost as well, there are some serious issues with the Gunners at the moment.
On one side of things, the Gunners were extremely unlucky Wednesday night at the Emirates. Superstar Alexis Sanchez struck the woodwork twice on the evening and striker Olivier Giroud was denied a goal by the bar as well. Combined with the three shots that nearly went into the back of the net, Swansea’s first goal arguably should have never happened. Arsenal midfielder Mesut Özil looked to be fouled by defender Jordi Amat in the middle of the pitch; however, match referee Robert Madley allowed play to continue moments before Wayne Routledge gave the Swans the equalizing goal.
Nevertheless, despite the north London club’s bad luck during their latest match, a seemingly lack of mental strength and belief is just as concerning as their recent results. Long gone are the days of passionate leaders such as Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, Lauren, Sol Campbell, and Martin Keown. That core former Arsenal group came together as a team and welcomed pressure because they believed that they could handle it.
On the flip side, it seems as if the current Arsenal squad is littered with mentally frail players. Players that are not filled with self-belief or comfortable with pressure. Outside of perhaps Francis Coquelin, Gabriel Paulista, and Sanchez, there doesn’t seem to be much fight in this Arsenal team. The big question is who is at fault for this, the players or manager Arsene Wenger?
Personally, I believe it is a combination of the two. The players need to be accountable for their actions. Arsenal are filled with capable, talented players that are good enough to win the league title this season; however, their mentality is frankly awful at the moment and someone (or perhaps a group of players) in the dressing room need to step up and take this team by the scuff of the neck.
Wenger, on the other hand, handpicked these players and part of his job as a manager is to help motivate them and give them confidence. This is his team and this is a pivotal moment for the club. Özil and Sanchez are currently in their prime as players, goalkeeper Petr Cech is not getting any younger, and Arsenal reportedly have the most cash reserves of any club in the world. Now is the time to win the title.
After the Swansea match, Sanchez echoed feelings of a team-wide mental weakness. “I think we can win the league with the players we have, but we lack a certain hunger,” the Chile international told DirecTV Sports. “We need to step out onto the pitch as if we’re already 1-0 up. I remember a game against Manchester United last year. The lads looked hungry for silverware as we took to the pitch. We crushed them in the first 20 minutes and went 3-0 up. We were hungry and brimming with confidence that day.”
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What happened to the confidence that the team showed that day against Manchester United? One of the missing links is certainly the absence of Santi Cazorla. The important midfielder has not featured for the Gunners since going down with a knee injury in November, one month following that big victory over United. Arsenal have only recorded seven victories in the 14 league matches in which the Spaniard has missed. Nevertheless, the club’s issues go much deeper than just an injured Cazorla.
Arsenal’s next game is a massive, massive match against bitter rivals Spurs on Saturday. This could be one of the more important games in the last decade under Wenger. Ultimately, if the Gunners can’t turn their season around quickly, Gunners brass need to make changes with the club. Whether it is making a managerial change or an overhaul of the roster remains to be seen, but both could be under discussion.
