The manager gets his tactics right and the players rediscover their fighting spirit to see off Manchester City at Wembley to secure a place in the FA Cup finalJust for a moment, unfettered by the constricting context of this turbulent season and the grisly dance around the topic of that contract, the sun broke through. Arsène Wenger stood in his technical area and the body language all around him was positive. Gabriel Paulista – a player apparently reborn during the course of the match – won another battle of wills with the threatening Leroy Sané. Mesut Özil and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain shared a boosting handshake as they passed each other on the pitch. The German juggled the ball casually as he...
The Arsenal manager received support from one of his former players following the 3-0 loss at Crystal Palace but so bad was his team’s display and so vitriolic the abuse from away fans that he is now surely done at the clubMathieu Flamini was doing his best to say the right things, to see a broader picture and to tip-toe around the subject that has come to hold Arsenal, his former club, in its grip. It was a little after 10.30pm on Monday night and the Crystal Palace midfielder, who had come on as a late substitute in his team’s 3-0 thumping of Arsenal, was talking in the Selhurst Park mixed zone. Related: Arsène Wenger left wincing after Arsenal wave...
Arsenal’s manager may be admitting in the most roundabout of ways that his side will have a better excuse for falling short this season than most yearsArsène Wenger has just reached the doublethink stage. His pronouncements have been becoming more and more gnomic. He said we would know about his future “very soon”, for instance, yet we are still guessing more than a fortnight and an international break later, but his latest takes us into the verbal equivalent of a hall of mirrors.“It is a good challenge [to achieve a top-four finish] but I think it is perfectly possible,” the Arsenal manager said. “I have done it for 20 years and it looked always like nothing. Suddenly it becomes important,...
Emirates draw helped both sides a little but Pep Guardiola’s team had something Arsène Wenger’s side are lackingTo borrow an old sporting joke, Arsène Wenger hasn’t managed 1,163 Arsenal matches. He has instead managed the same Arsenal match 1,163 times. At a time when Wenger’s team stand accused of congealment and standing still, it seemed oddly fitting that England’s second greatest modern-day spin-bowler Monty Panesar was guest of honour on the pitch at half-time against Manchester City. Although in fairness Shane Warne’s famous, and indeed unfair, jibe about Panesar playing the same Test 33 times without learning or progressing doesn’t really fit here.With Arsenal the real stasis set in around the end of the austerity years, as opportunities appeared to...
The prospect of the Frenchman hanging around at Arsenal presents a number of challenges for everyone – not least the media and the fans struggling to keep any perspectiveRumours that Arsène Wenger may reveal a two-year contract extension are likely to cause a spike in cotton futures, as London bedding retailers expect a run on sheets. For many without a stake in either the linen industry or Arsenal football club, the prospect of Wenger sticking around presents different challenges. What may we expect in the weeks, months – and indeed years – ahead? Related: Wenger says contract talks with Sánchez and Özil are on hold at Arsenal Related: Arsenal require major surgery whether Arsène Wenger stays or goes | Jonathan...