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Another promoted side, another embarrassing defeat for the Gunners and the north London side look like they have taken a step back after being out muscled at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday. Back are the bad old days for Gunners fans when they were pushed off the park by the likes of Bolton and Blackburn. Whilst they managed to overcome those teams this season it was same old same old for Arsene Wenger’s men as they were well truly beaten by a side that are one of the favourites to go down.
With Manchester United travelling to north London on Saturday the young guns look to be well and truly out of their depth in terms of a title challenge. There are even fears that they may not make it into the Champions League next season if their current form continues. The football odds now place Arsenal at 20/1 to win the Premier League and with a difficult month to come those odds may be even longer by the time we head into December.
The Gunners face Man Utd, Chelsea and Aston Villa in November with Man City away not an easy match either. Despite Wenger’s faith in his young squad it seems glaringly obvious to everyone that Arsenal need a) a midfield general and b) a leader. Perhaps the French manager is now praying that the transfer window will open early so he can draft in the players he needs but something tells me he will stick with what he has got.
Wenger’s gamble to stick with his current squad will be nothing short of a massive gamble because there is no doubt that Arsenal could attract any number of quality players. Whilst Wenger’s faith in his young squad is admirable patience is begging to wear thin around the Emirates with the ‘transition’ period from the last title winning squad to the next one taking longer than the fans may have expected. A trophy of some kind will be a necessity this season, although as the Premier League odds suggest they are going to be at least fourth in the pecking order for the FA and Carling Cup, being even further down the ladder when it comes to the Champions League.
This Saturday’s game against the reigning Premier League champions will be a good measuring stick of how far Arsenal still have to go before they can be considered title contenders. Whilst you can not totally write of the Gunners for the weekend, and an expected win in mid week against Fenerbache will certainly help boost confidence levels, it’s hard to see how they will overcome Sir Alex Ferguson’s team. For the time being Arsenal will be an exciting team to watch and when they turn it on a brilliant footballing side but for the time being Wenger’s men will have to watch on as the other three of the big four divide up the trophies.
