Why Arsene Wenger is in danger of turning from hero to villain at Arsenal

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“You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”

Fans of Christopher Nolan’s award winning Batman movie franchise will be familiar with the above quote, but it will be something that will resonate with many Arsenal supporters after a crushing defeat in Munich more or less signalled the end of their season.

There is little doubt that Arsene Wenger will go down as one of the greatest Arsenal managers in history. He turned The Gunners into a dominant domestic force during the 1990s and early 2000s, implemented a new total-football philosophy, bought in players such as Thiery Henry and Dennis Bergkamp, and created the “Invincible” team that went the entire 2003/04 Premier League campaign undefeated. But a clear disconnect is starting to appear within the club between the Frenchman and a section of the fan base at The Emirates after 12 years without a league title.

Quite simply, Wenger is in danger of becoming vilified by supporters as his current failings overshadow his success of the past.

A bad night in Munich

As the final whistle sounded at the Allianz Arena in mid-week, you could not help but feel a sense of deja vu. It was not the result – as demoralising as it would have been for those travelling Arsenal supporters – that was poignant, but rather the manner of the performance. Any team in Europe can come undone against a Bayern Munich side that have cemented their place amongst the Champions League elite in the last decade but the contrast in quality between the two sides was there for all to see.

In fact, the Arsenal performance is an accurate reflection of how their season tends to develop on an annual basis.

The Gunners were good in the first half in Munich but then capitulated in the second period when the going got tough. It was almost a repeat of what the club experiences on the broader scale each season. They perform well for the first half of the campaign, but then suffer a collapse after Christmas that results in The Gunners basically competing for fourth place in the Premier League and, if they are lucky, the FA Cup.

Their failings on an yearly basis are predictable and some supporters, who we must remember have to fork out up to £1,000 for a season ticket each season, quite rightly, have been left frustrated and wanting change.

What is success?

The current problems at Arsenal revolve around a disconnect between what the club’s hierarchy (including Wenger) see as success and what the supporters want their club to achieve.

It has become apparent that the board are relatively satisfied with Wenger finishing in the top-four each season and qualifying for the Champions League. A good run in one of the domestic cup competitions and reaching the knock out stages in Europe’s Premier competition are seen as an added bonus. From a business perspective this ideology makes perfect sense. Wenger secures Champions League football each season which, more importantly obtains the financial windfall that comes with it, whilst the odd piece of domestic silverware may come along from time to time to give the fan base something to celebrate.

The issue is that many supporters want to see the club do better, much better in fact. Surely Arsenal should be striving to become one of the biggest clubs in Europe? They have the infrastructure, the stadium and the financial power to compete with the very best – so why are the club settling for fourth place in the Premier League? Is there really a genuine ambition to bring a league title to the Emirates Stadium?

It would appear not.

From hero to villain

When Arsene Wenger arrived at Arsenal in 1996 he was a pioneer that changed the English game.

The Frenchman arrived at Highbury with a completely fresh view of how football should be played and how a professional club should be run. On the pitch he implemented a new style of play that revolved around speed, pace, power, technique and possession, whilst he built a squad that was centred mainly on young foreign talent.

Behind the scenes he completely altered the philosophy at the football club by introducing new training techniques, emphasising the importance of diet and nutrition, building a broad network of scouts across the world, and dismissing the drinking culture that was prevalent throughout the English game during the time. These innovations helped to catapult Arsenal to the summit of domestic football as rival clubs struggled to catch up with the Frenchman’s fresh approach, ideas and concepts.

But now, every Premier League club is doing the things that once made Arsenal unique. English football has caught up with The Gunners and it is clear that a number of clubs such as Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea have overtaken the North London outfit. Wenger is suddenly the one that looks like he might be left behind.

You would be hard-pressed to find any Arsenal supporter that does not harbour the greatest respect for Arsene Wenger, but there is now a frustration developing surrounding the Frenchman’s ability to move the club forward.

The problem is that the club has been stagnant for the past half a decade, maybe even longer, and each season develops in exactly the same way as the one before it. A promising start, a capitulation after Christmas, and then a mini-revival to secure fourth place. There is little sign of progress and there is certainly nothing to signal that Arsenal are doing anything to close the gap in quality between themselves and their rivals both domestically or in Europe.

Every Arsenal fan would love to see Wenger win another title, but the evidence suggests that he is no longer the man to guide the club back amongst Europe’s footballing elite. Every season the same issues come to the fore with no genuine indication that they will be solved any time soon.

If Arsenal want to regain their position at the summit of English football and offer a realistic challenge in the Champions League then Arsene Wenger may no longer be the man to lead the way.

If he does remain, as Christopher Nolan once wrote, then he may just stay long enough to become the villain.

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