Arsenal crashed to a 2-0 home defeat against resurgent Liverpool on Saturday to add one more reason for unrest among the Gunner’s fans.
Arsenal fans must look to Anfield with an envious eye. Currently, Liverpool are a club with a fresh optimism, and are watching a batch of exciting new signings make a splash. Further to that, they are achieving positive results and there is an air of excitement around the terraces.
The Arsenal fans will be hurt to see the back of club icon Cesc Fabregas, and must be resigned to the impending departure of Samir Nasri. Young starlet Jack Wilshere is out injured and they had to sit through a turgid 0-0 opening draw at Newcastle United.
A midweek 1-0 UEFA Champions League victory gave brief respite, but cracks were visible and progressing through after the second leg is far from guaranteed against a lively Udinese team.
If any Arsenal fans predicted things would not get worse they were proved spectacularly wrong. Liverpool blew into the Emirates and strutted off with three points, and Arsene Wenger has now been handed a further two match ban from UEFA after flaunting his first ban and communicating with the bench from the stands.
So now Arsenal face a simply massive week if they are to avoid plunging onto further trouble. On Wednesday Arsenal will travel to Italy defending a very precarious looking 1-0 lead in a tie where defeat is seemingly unthinkable.
Not only will it rob the fans of the enjoyment of the Champions League group stages, it could unsettle the current dressing room and make the club less attractive to prospective January signings.
In addition, the financial impact of losing Champions League revenue could be devastating. Where we are already told that Arsenal are having financial problems, how will they cope with losing out on the reported $30 million windfall that the group stages bring?
There are already signs of the potential dressing room unrest that a losing streak could bring. During the Newcastle game Jack Wilshere was posting tactical advice on twitter about how Wenger should bring on Walcott to “attack the flanks.”
Soon after Walcott scored the winner against Udinese and publicly declared that he wants to play centrally.
The question is should Walcott be making those statements, or should he shut up and let Wenger decide. It is also worth asking when it became acceptable for teenage midfielders to post tactical advice on social networking sites?
It could be a rough old season for Gunners fans, and if the team is to display the mental toughness people accuse them of lacking they must do so immediately.
In addition to the trip to Udinese, Arsenal travel to face defending Champions Manchester United on Sunday.
The Arsenal fans will be hurt to see the back of club icon Cesc Fabregas, and must be resigned to the impending departure of Samir Nasri. Young starlet Jack Wilshere is out injured and they had to sit through a turgid 0-0 opening draw at Newcastle United.
A midweek 1-0 UEFA Champions League victory gave brief respite, but cracks were visible and progressing through after the second leg is far from guaranteed against a lively Udinese team.
If any Arsenal fans predicted things would not get worse they were proved spectacularly wrong. Liverpool blew into the Emirates and strutted off with three points, and Arsene Wenger has now been handed a further two match ban from UEFA after flaunting his first ban and communicating with the bench from the stands.
So now Arsenal face a simply massive week if they are to avoid plunging onto further trouble. On Wednesday Arsenal will travel to Italy defending a very precarious looking 1-0 lead in a tie where defeat is seemingly unthinkable.
Not only will it rob the fans of the enjoyment of the Champions League group stages, it could unsettle the current dressing room and make the club less attractive to prospective January signings.
In addition, the financial impact of losing Champions League revenue could be devastating. Where we are already told that Arsenal are having financial problems, how will they cope with losing out on the reported $30 million windfall that the group stages bring?
There are already signs of the potential dressing room unrest that a losing streak could bring. During the Newcastle game Jack Wilshere was posting tactical advice on twitter about how Wenger should bring on Walcott to “attack the flanks.”
Soon after Walcott scored the winner against Udinese and publicly declared that he wants to play centrally.
The question is should Walcott be making those statements, or should he shut up and let Wenger decide. It is also worth asking when it became acceptable for teenage midfielders to post tactical advice on social networking sites?
It could be a rough old season for Gunners fans, and if the team is to display the mental toughness people accuse them of lacking they must do so immediately.
In addition to the trip to Udinese, Arsenal travel to face defending Champions Manchester United on Sunday.
