Arsenal v Chelsea Match Reaction

[Özim]

It's very simple. We are perennial top four finishers. 2 of the the teams we have tended to finish behind have had either poor (Manure) or shockingly poor (Chavs) seasons by their standards. They have both suffered a lot of disruption on either the managerial or the playing side. The other team - Citeh - have been astonishingly inconsistent by their standards, and it is clear that they too have been disrupted by speculation about a managerial change. Of the other 'traditional' also rans - we have Liverpool who are in transition, and have not featured as a threat; Everton - who have been disappointing; and Spurs - a team that in terms of stability are nearest to us.

By contrast - we enjoy the greatest stability of any team in the EPL, and Wenger has enjoyed the luxury of a lot of time - years in most cases - to work with his players and his system.

Next - the quality of players at our disposal. We are fond of bleating about those clubs with greater resources than our own, but Citeh aside those clubs have been taken pretty much out of the picture this season. And we have considerably greater resources; have a bigger and better squad, and a higher wage bill than most of the rest of the league. Our players are technically better than most other teams, and on paper we should beat most of them. Of course this is football, and there will be surprise results - but it is facetious to argue that over a period of time a stronger team, and squad should not prevail.

Then let's look at the players we have brought in - at huge cost in a couple of cases. We were top four finishers before Ozil and Sanchez joined Arsenal. They are both world class players - yet there has been no demonstrable change in terms of overall points won since they arrived and bedded in. To them we added Cech - the world class keeper who has already been worth quite a few points this season on his own. You would have thought that with 3 genuine world class players of the type we have not had for many seasons we would be stronger as a team - not be sinking to the mediocrity of the rest.

I do not expect to win every game. But given the factors above, I would have fully expected us to improve on our level this season - rather than to follow the rest. I do not understand your suggestion that because everyone else is mediocre, we will inevitably be mediocre too. It just doesn't make sense. And what's more - if that is really the case then we are about as far away from winners as its possible to be.

I think it is obvious that this season above all others is our best opportunity to win the league. And we should be winning it by some distance if we look at the number of average performances and needlessly dropped points we have seen from Arsenal.

I have never suggested that if we do win the league it will somehow be worth less. I don't subscribe to that view - as a title is a title and nothing more needs to be said. But we are doing our best to squander a golden opportunity to do so.

Great, well thought out post as usual, you're spot on with the player we have signed we should be better not on a par with previous years.

[Özim]

It's not fickle to change your mind about things over the course of a season, all teams have good and bad patches during a season and it is perfectly sensible for people's moods and opinions to be swayed by them.

My only consistent thought is that if we don't challenge for the title then Wenger should go. My feelings about our ability to do so vary over time. I don't understand why some people value a constant opinion so highly as if it makes sense to believe the same thing no matter what happens.

It depends what you call challenging for the title, the way you put it has one massive get out clause, the word challenge and not win. We are challenging so by all intents and purposes you're staying he should stay.

I do think that after 10 years to change your mind during one season is not sensible, nothing has actually really changed except for the fact other teams have had a poor season, we're actually no better in reality and we've been performing poorly for a while.

[Niall_Quinn]

Similar to how I feel.

Because it's all pretty obvious stuff. Of course Wenger and the team is under performing, anyone can see that. After 10 years, way too many excuses are being made for this manager.

[Power n Glory]

Would you be happy if we finished say 2nd behind Leicester by 1 point or say 3 points behind City and Spurs in 3rd place.

Challenging for the title should be the bare minimum, Wenger has he has all the tools he needs to challenge year in year out irrespective of our rivals, it's gone way past that stage now.

This season proves beyond a shadow of a doubt it's got nothing to do with finances or what not, win or bust for me, if he doesn't win PL this season then he might aswell walk.

It would be unforgivable if Leicester pipped us to the title and Wenger would have to go. That's a good point. It shouldn't be enough just to challenge.

[LDG]

It's not fickle to change your mind about things over the course of a season, all teams have good and bad patches during a season and it is perfectly sensible for people's moods and opinions to be swayed by them.

My only consistent thought is that if we don't challenge for the title then Wenger should go. My feelings about our ability to do so vary over time. I don't understand why some people value a constant opinion so highly as if it makes sense to believe the same thing no matter what happens.

For most people, it's a constant mindset, is because they believe that Wenger should have been sacked, or politely and quietly ascended upstairs to allow some fresh blood to take over charge of the team some time ago. He should (IMO) have ducked out after the first FA Cup win.

And the reason behind that logic is the continued failure to fully realise our potential on and off the pitch. We don't need to state again the obvious failings, but it's worth pointing out that those who have continued their assertions through good and bad of the current campaign, do so based on the all too familiar pattern of previous league and ECL campaigns.

We are still failing to utilise our full potential and resource. All the other big clubs have in one season or another, fully utilised theirs, regardless of the current campaign. And because of the current campaign, Rogers got sacked, Mourinho got sacked, LVG will be sacked and Pellegrini is a dead man walking. Will Wenger go when (as in all likelihood) we fail again? Doubt it....

[Letters]

Even that's open ended. What do you mean by "challenge"? Within a point, within 3, 6? In with a shout until the final game?

Given the sub-par performance of our opposition, as you like to refer to all the time, why aren't we saying he should go if he doesn't win it? What has he achieved if all he can do is "compete" with mediocrity? Isn't it time we had something better?

For me, even if he wins it he should go. His decision making process is too screwed up to benefit us when there are countless decent managers out there who could make much more rational decisions.

I expect us to go into the City game, our penultimate game, with a shout of still winning the title. I guess that would be classed as challenging. It is a bit subjective but that would be a reasonable guide.

There is no standout team in England. A Barca or a Bayern would walk this league.
Clubs like City, Chelsea, Utd have spent silly money in the transfer market and none of them have pulled away from 'the rest'. If anything, perhaps because of new TV deals, the rest are catching up. And supposed top manager after top manager have been put in charge of some of the top clubs in England, given silly transfer budgets, and none have made them stand out from the rest or into a European power.

So while Wenger is getting on and needs replacing at some point, probably sooner rather than later, I'm not sure who you think would come along and suddenly turn us into a Barca or a Bayern. If City or Chelsea didn't do that with all their money then why would we?

[Power n Glory]

Because it's all pretty obvious stuff. Of course Wenger and the team is under performing, anyone can see that. After 10 years, way too many excuses are being made for this manager.

You say anyone can see it but for some reason that post had to be written on here. There are too many excuses floating around.

I can't see us not winning the title this year. At this stage in the season, I believe we can and should win it. But if we don't then Wenger has to walk or I'm just calling it quits until he's gone. I didn't think we'd see an opportunity like this so soon. It's very similar to the 2013/14 season but we're even stronger but our top 4 rivals are weaker.

[Power n Glory]

For most people, it's a constant mindset, is because they believe that Wenger should have been sacked, or politely and quietly ascended upstairs to allow some fresh blood to take over charge of the team some time ago. He should (IMO) have ducked out after the first FA Cup win.

And the reason behind that logic is the continued failure to fully realise our potential on and off the pitch. We don't need to state again the obvious failings, but it's worth pointing out that those who have continued their assertions through good and bad of the current campaign, do so based on the all too familiar pattern of previous league and ECL campaigns.

We are still failing to utilise our full potential and resource. All the other big clubs have in one season or another, fully utilised theirs, regardless of the current campaign. And because of the current campaign, Rogers got sacked, Mourinho got sacked, LVG will be sacked and Pellegrini is a dead man walking. Will Wenger go when (as in all likelihood) we fail again? Doubt it....

We know he won't be sacked or walk if things fall apart. It's the same pattern and if it all goes the same way this season then I need to start asking myself 'what the heck am I doing'? The pattern has to change one way or the other because I don't think I can take another season of failure. Fans need to start switching off and stop looking for the Board, Wenger or the players to suddenly react.

[Power n Glory]

I expect us to go into the City game, our penultimate game, with a shout of still winning the title. I guess that would be classed as challenging. It is a bit subjective but that would be a reasonable guide.

There is no standout team in England. A Barca or a Bayern would walk this league.
Clubs like City, Chelsea, Utd have spent silly money in the transfer market and none of them have pulled away from 'the rest'. If anything, perhaps because of new TV deals, the rest are catching up. And supposed top manager after top manager have been put in charge of some of the top clubs in England, given silly transfer budgets, and none have made them stand out from the rest or into a European power.

So while Wenger is getting on and needs replacing at some point, probably sooner rather than later, I'm not sure who you think would come along and suddenly turn us into a Barca or a Bayern. If City or Chelsea didn't do that with all their money then why would we?

That's a bit of a cop out.

[selassie]

I expect us to go into the City game, our penultimate game, with a shout of still winning the title. I guess that would be classed as challenging. It is a bit subjective but that would be a reasonable guide.

There is no standout team in England. A Barca or a Bayern would walk this league.
Clubs like City, Chelsea, Utd have spent silly money in the transfer market and none of them have pulled away from 'the rest'. If anything, perhaps because of new TV deals, the rest are catching up. And supposed top manager after top manager have been put in charge of some of the top clubs in England, given silly transfer budgets, and none have made them stand out from the rest or into a European power.

So while Wenger is getting on and needs replacing at some point, probably sooner rather than later, I'm not sure who you think would come along and suddenly turn us into a Barca or a Bayern. If City or Chelsea didn't do that with all their money then why would we?

I expect us to go into the penultimate game fighting for the title too, anything less is a failure IMO.

So you are essentially saying we can't improve upon Wenger right now?