Different years, same manager, same excuses. Arsenal are stumbling their way through another season which seems to be yet again one without a league title at the end of it. Arsene Wenger doesn’t have anything new to say or think about a situation we’ve all grown quite accustomed to.
A 2-2 draw at home against Hull City was the last thing Arsenal needed as they’re trying to keep up with the pace of Chelsea, who have dropped just two points so far through the first eight matches. Manchester City won against Tottenham in a misleading 4-1 scoreline, but they’re also drifting apart from the Gunners, who have only 11 points and two wins through the first eight matches.
The Premier League is quite close to start the season. Only six points separate 4th-5th placed West Ham and Liverpool from the 18th place, where Newcastle are. A lot of things are going to change from here until the end of the season. One of them is Southampton, with 16 points and third in the Premier League, probably not lasting the entire campaign that high up.
But it’s a different kind of burn for Arsenal, the team that always settles for fourth place and simply making the Champions League. As long as the money keeps coming in from there and from the most expensive tickets in England, there doesn’t seem to be any rush from higher up to make any changes.
With every season that at some point seems to be heading into that depressing direction for fans who are always promised great and grand things, the body of work Wenger has built for himself since joining the team in 1996 is crumbling. The last two seasons have come with some massive signings, but his choices and game-time decisions haven’t been able to upgrade his team in a way that will change their place in the pecking order.
The trend of firing Wenger is currently dormant, waiting for a real crisis to appear. For now, because everyone but Chelsea and Manchester City are stumbling through the gates, it doesn’t seem so bad. Yet a few more weeks of the same inconsistency, and asking for Arsene Wenger to be fired will be a hot topic and talking point once more, and deservedly so.