Written by Cameron Sharpe at FootballFancast.com: The Emirates Stadium probably isn’t the nicest place to be at the moment. After seeing their team conspire to throw away the Carling Cup final, drop points at home to Sunderland in the title race before crashing out of the FA Cup and Champions League, Arsenal fans might be forgiven for wondering if their silverware drought has something to do with their new stadium.
Yet, despite the string of negative results, there remains a genuine chance that one major trophy will adorn the Gunners’ trophy cabinet before the end of May – a first trophy since the FA Cup triumph of six years ago.
The cumulative efforts of the current playing staff at Arsenal over the last few seasons should certainly have been enough to land some cup success during this time, nevertheless, the series of near misses have started to take their toll on many plying their trade at the club.
I know there will be a large section of the Emirates faithful that will feel that capturing the league title this season is absolutely paramount after a campaign where there has been positive elements to build upon yet little to hang their hat on. Failure again, some might argue, would seriously undermine what they have believed in for the best part of seven years.
My argument however, is that, as hard as it may be to watch, that Arsenal fans should hope their pursuit of a first league triumph since 2004 falls by the wayside. Obviously, the idea of coming away from this season without something tangible is difficult to stomach, however I genuinely believe that one more failure will do the club a great deal of benefit in terms of pushing for top prizes next year.
Manager, Arsene Wenger, may have seen enough to appreciate that there is more than one way to skin a cat when it comes to his philosophy surrounding player acquisition and deployment. His faith in youth is admirable but this policy cannot continue indiscriminately at the expense of experienced players in crucial positions – particularly when some of the current recruits have been exposed as being short of the required standard. The approach does not need to be all or nothing.
Of course critics will point at the farce that was Birmingham’s winning goal in the Carling Cup final, as evidence of the benefits of an experienced defensive spine, but there is more to the problem than simply one error or a handful of mix-ups. The team lacks leadership, and whilst this is something that is difficult to simply catapult into a side, Arsenal have to hope that a few summer transfers of proven quality could pave the way for considerable success in coming seasons.
[bet_365 type=’generic’ size=’468′ af_code=’365_061437′]
Erm, i hope we don’t win it this year because it gives us more chance of winning it next year?… i’m not sure you’ve thought this through.
A better chance of winning things in the long-term. The worry I think is that Arsenal could win it this year and then go on another six-year drought.
Still, I do find it difficult to agree with such a negative attitude.