Is Arsene Wenger Still the Right Man to Lead Arsenal?

The pressure is building once again on Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger following his side’s 3-0 defeat to Chelsea on February 4 where the Gunners were blown away by the league leaders. The result means Arsenal’s title hopes are all but over for another season as they now trail the Blues by 12 points.

A large part of the away support on February 4 at Stamford Bridge made their feelings clear about Wenger at the full-time whistle. Some took signs into the stadium which encouraged the board to let go of the Frenchman, while others were very angry when speaking to various media platforms following the game.

Although Arsenal fans expect to still be in the title race at this stage of the season, you simply cannot ignore Wenger’s achievements at the club which demand more respect than he is currently receiving. Under his stewardship, Arsenal have won three Premier League titles, they have lifted the FA Cup on six occasions and the club has finished inside the top four in every season since he arrived in North London in 1996.

The Gunners are still on course to finish in the four once again this season. They have an exciting last 16 of the Champions League to look forward to against German giants Bayern Munich and they remain in the FA Cup where they are 9/2 in the football betting to win the trophy for the third time in the last four years.

Wenger built one of the greatest teams ever seen in the English game when his Invincibles went on a run of 49 games unbeaten in the Premier League. Since then the club has built and moved into a new stadium which has impacted the transfer budget the Frenchman has had to work with. The Emirates Stadium is one of the finest in Europe and did not come cheap. As difficult it was for the club to move away from Highbury, they had to invest in a bigger ground in order to continue competing with the major clubs in European football.

Chelsea, Manchester City and more recently Manchester United have taken spending to a new level in recent years. They have handed their managers blank cheques when it has come to recruitment, however, it has not always guaranteed success. Wenger has spent a fraction of what his counterparts at those three clubs have over the last decade as he has always had the club’s long-term stability at mind.

There will come a time when Wenger will leave his position at the club therefore it does no harm to start planning for that period. At this stage though, there does not seem to be an obvious replacement to the Gunners boss. A great example of a club who have failed to replicate long-term stability is Manchester United. They struggled to replace Sir Alex Ferguson following his retirement. They are now on their third manager since Fergie left Old Trafford and have failed to qualify into the Champions League in two of the last three seasons.


Arsenal fans do have to be careful what they wish for. The grass is not always greener on the other side. Just ask Manchester United fans about that!

Three Arsenal Players Who Will Be Key Against Liverpool

Arsenal will face Liverpool away from home at Anfield in the Premier League on March 4. With the title challenge now looking like it's over for the Gunners, this match takes huge importance in regard to finishing in the top four.

The North London outfit have finished in the top four of the Premier League in each of Arsene Wenger’s 20 years in charge of the club. Fans will expect nothing less this season, but could there be a surprise in store?

There are no fewer than six teams fighting for four Champions League places. Champions-elect Chelsea are virtually guaranteed a place in the top four, but the three other spots are up for grabs. With Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool all having huge aspirations, Arsenal simply cannot afford to drop all three points against at Anfield.

Liverpool will head into the match on March 4 as favourites and the Kop is expected to play a big role, but fans of the visiting team could counter that by buying Arsenal Tickets from TicketGum. Some are still available, and the players will certainly get more confidence if there is a large away crowd.

The entire Arsenal team have to play well against Liverpool in order to pick up maximum points from the Premier League encounter. Below we look at three players who simply will have to be on top of their game to do that.

Mesut Ozil
Mesut Ozil is one of the best attacking midfielders on the planet and is a world-class player, but his form so far this season has not been as good as it should have been. The Germany international has scored five goals and created 59 chances in 22 Premier League appearances for Arsenal this campaign.

While the stats are not too bad, Ozil has failed to step up his game in big games. In the 3-1 defeat to London rivals Chelsea away from home at Stamford Bridge in early February, the 28-year-old was anonymous. Liverpool are defensively susceptible, and Ozil’s creativity and vision is going to be important if Arsenal are going to score a few goals.

Alexis Sanchez
Much has been made about Alexis Sanchez’s future, but there can be no doubt when he is on the pitch, he is 100% committed to Arsenal. The Chile international forward, who can also operate as a winger, has scored 17 goals and created 63 chances in 25 Premier League matches for the Gunners this season.

Sanchez is playing well at the moment, and his movement and ability in front of goal is going to be important against Liverpool. The Merseyside club's defence do struggle with pace, and if the 28-year-old is able to time his run properly, then the Gunners will have a very good chance of scoring at Anfield.

Shkodran Mustafi
Shkodran Mustafi has proved to be a brilliant signing for Arsenal. The former Valencia centre-back has formed a strong partnership with Laurent Koscielny at the heart of the Gunners’ defence.

Mustafi will have to be at his best against Liverpool in order to keep the home team’s attackers at bay. With Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino in good form, the hosts will be bombarding the Arsenal defence right from the start.


Back in August, Arsenal failed to cope with the Reds’ high-pressing game and lost 4-3 at the Emirates Stadium. In March, Mustafi will have to marshal his defence and make sure that the defenders are not caught off guard.