Arsene Wenger is known to be resilient in the face of the most difficult of situations, but he seem to have thrown that resilience he is known for when he claimed after Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat against Swansea City that Chelsea will go on and will the league.
It is a staggering admission in view of the fact that there are still 27 games to be played this season.
The manger throwing in the towel this early reflects a mental fragility that is evident not just from Arsene Wenger but also to the players.
“At the moment Chelsea are on course for 100 points this season, he said
“If you look at the number of points they have, if they keep that up nobody will catch them, that’s for sure.
“That had a good start, and we have gone through that [in the past], as long as you don’t lose, you don’t question yourself, there is a little bit extra spirit in the team, that, when it is tight, gets them through.”
It is a sad commentary of football proportions that on the back of the highest net spend in the club’s history in any summer transfer window, that Arsenal are practically out of the title race after just 11 games.
The fans of the club did not part with funds to pay for the highest season ticket in the Premier League to settle for another scrap for top four places, the fans did not take in the 3% increase on season tickets which came into effect this season so that they can be told that the title is lost after eleven games.
For all the financial contributions the fans of Arsenal put into the club, they deserve better than to be told by their manager that they are out of the title race after eleven matches.
Even if that is the case practically, they deserve to see that the manager and the players are showing some fight by not giving in this early in the season.
Admittedly, the position of the fan base has changed in recent years, with supporters now taken more as customers and consumers that can be taken for a ride because they have no choice, but as fans.
While customers and consumers of other products in a real market situation can change a product when it is not delivering to their taste, in the case of football, Arsenal football club is not a product that its fans can just change even when the club is not delivering what is needed in spite of any investment put in by the fans.
There is clearly an absence of accountability from Arsene Wenger, and it is reflected in the statement he makes.
It is a shame that the fans have had to put up with several terrible performances this season, and yet the picture looks grim on all fronts.
The team has played 19 games this season, and it has failed to live up to expectation in any of the matches, and the fans have had to put up with several post match comments that bothers on delusion from the manager.
The continued talk of a lack of confidence running through the Arsenal squad is summed up by several Arsene Wenger’s comments which do disservice to the players and, this particular comment does not help that course.
While the fans deserve better from the team, there is little they can do, as they only have to hope that the team’s form should improve in due course.
