Arsenal’s form this season has been a continuous motion of high and lows. As their results fluctuate, this season’s local crown is long gone, and a place in Europe seems to be slipping away through poor form. Arsene Wenger has a problem, this problem is called inconsistency. How can a team of world beaters come out and get a 1 – 0 win against Real Madrid then lose its next game 1 - 0 to local contender; Blackburn?

To be fair they haven’t exactly had the greatest of seasons in comparison to those recent, on, and off the pitch. Injuries have plagued attempts by the club to climb the table further; in fact they seem to be doing opposite of what they’d hoped. Arsenal’s poor start to the season hasn’t helped either, or the greatest reason of all, Patrick Vieira’s departure.

Looking at Arsenal’s form guide is a contrast to that of the Arsenal I know. The Arsenal that I know is a sharp, sophisticated outfit that can outplay anyone. In their last 5 games Arsenal has won two games, lost two, and also has a draw in that lot. On top of that they have conceded three goals, and have only managed four themselves. These stats add up. On top of that we add speculation of Thiery Henry’s exit from Highbury and it’s an interesting set of events.

“THE ARSENAL OF CURRENT IS AN ANOMALY”

The Arsenal of current is an anomaly. So many different chains of events have lead to this day: Arsenal being sixth in the premiership is considered widely that they’re struggling. While on the other hand West Ham, and Wigan who also on 41 points are considered to be going very strong.

It seems times maybe changing the Premiership, are the bigger teams becoming more complacent? Or, are we not paying the respect to sides like Blackburn, Tottenham, West Ham, and Wigan? Other examples recently are Chelsea’s loss to Middlesborough, and to a lesser extent Barcelona, Manchester United’s lacklustre season – although they currently sit second, Liverpool’s lack of scoring prowess, and now it would seem Arsenal is riding out a controversy storm.

Personally and a close friend of mine (Arsenal supporter) will agree Arsenal aren’t doing that bad. When considered the injuries they have had it has clearly affected their form. A side like Newcastle with a similar amount of injury concerns were at one stage tipped for relegation!

Arsenal have also lost Patrick Vieira to Juventus, probably the most influential transfer for a club in England at least for the past few years that I can recall. The exit of the classy defensive midfielder has left a large gap (literally) in Arsenal’s midfield. There has not been one player like Vieira that has shown any sign of physical presence, and dominance to the scale that he did. He was tall, strong, and very influential. His passing was consistent, and I considered as the defensive/midfield hub of Arsenal. Patrick Vieira was to Arsenal as Zidane is to Real Madrid.

Now with all that being said I go back to Arsene Wenger’s problem: inconsistency. How can you change the mindset, dominance, influence, and skill of your entire midfield overnight when you lose players to injury, and someone like Patrick Vieira? Simple: you can’t. Arsenal is in a culture shock because there is no one of that calibre to fill in that defensive/midfield role. It is impossible to change a team overnight for the better, no matter what. I don’t believe it is possible.

My advice to Arsenal fans is to be patient. They are a very successful and proficiently run football club. So it will not take the average amount of time to adapt to a similar, but improved style of play. With the youth development system in place at Arsenal it is either a matter of time, or money, until they unearth another Patrick Vieira. Until then Arsenal should re-evaluate their goals from short term goals such as Premiership Title, Cups, and Trophies to long term goals like being able to reach these goals consistently for years to come. I’m not saying give up today, and tomorrow will be fine, I’m saying plan for the future. Until then Arsenal’s ups and downs will be an interesting ride.

Paul Harbeck
writer