First off, it hasn't been a pleasant afternoon for fellow gunners fans worldwide on Wednesday, as the fantastic Arsenal were left picking up the pieces of dignity they had shattered on the grounds of Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night. As you may all know, Arsenal were kicked in the nuts 3-1 at home to Monaco, a team that on paper only would've been considered inferior to the Gunners! The indignity suffered wasn't the cause of one or two players, as the entire team were shockingly horrible on a night that should have been a moment of celebrating our first success in five years of 'round of 16' Champions League football.
Danny Welbeck, is well, #thatGuy... He proves to be 'that guy' who repeatedly provides clear cut chances in the box that eventually becomes nothing but a squandered opportunity as per usual! It pains any fan to see the likes of Theo Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain rusting on the bench on a night where they should have been granted the green-light to spear-head the Arsenal attack! There is no hate whatsoever towards Welbeck, but the truth of the matter is simple, he just isn't good enough! When Welbeck was purchased for as cheap as he was, I'm surprised that it never dawned on Wenger and party that United were too quick to give away a striker they no longer needed, so with this being the case, why have we happily received this riff-raff?
On to Giroud, good ole Oli Giroud, the man who was quickly becoming a legend among the Arsenal fans, but once again showed that he just isn't up to scratch for the big games yet again! While he had numerous chances to change the complexion of the game, Giroud failed when it mattered most, and thus was easily one of, if not, the worst performer of a night to forget. A top striker has been on the lips of the fans for quite some time now, pleading with Wenger to make this signing for the betterment of a club that desperately yearns success, only to have it fall on deaf ears, as usual. The inclusion of a player such as Cavani, or Gonzalo Huguain would have solved the problems in attack, but based on the manager's preference, struggles seem to the be the only thing he seems happy to relate to over and over again! While on the topic of struggles, enter Mesut Ozil! With big bright bulby eyes, and a heck of a track record to go along with them, Ozil has once again proved to the world that he isn't what Arsenal needs! Wednesday night surely did Mesut no favors, as he was practically invisible throughout the game! As a World Cup winner and a former Real Madrid star, Ozil was to be the promise that the fans were dying for, only to have that seemingly dashed in the garbage heap! When will this club once again taste glory?
The thought of the second leg in Monaco already sends chills down our spines, as this has already emitted doubts of a comeback by Arsenal. With the likes of Dimitar Berbatov once again revved up to take on his 'back in the day' rivals, I can't help but feel even more concerned when during an interview after Wednesday's game, he stated that Arsenal wanted this, but Monaco simply wanted it more! Where is the aggression from Wenger's men? Have they already thrown in the towel? There is further need to speculate that this may indeed be Wenger's final season, but then again, that's highly doubtful. I must however, give credit to Alexis Sanchez for his display, though not one of his best. The Chilean forward did as much as he possibly could to provide chances for his strikers, only to see them all wasted. One can't help but imagine Alexis' frustration in the side, as he seems to be miles apart from the rest in terms of hunger and sheer aggression.
The essence of it is this, Welbeck needs to be benched, he should be given the Sanogo treatment and stay put! Giroud should never have been the main striker to begin with, as he is good, but just not good enough; and as for Ozil, it's no doubt that his career is losing its breath as the games go by, and this lad just seems as though he doesn't want to be at Arsenal. Arsene Wenger should shoulder some of that blame, as he is known to be a bit too 'chill' with his players, and that's whats lacking in the dressing room, that fire! The invincibles of 2003-04 had sheer poise, hunger, and power when they successfully overturned a 3-0 1st leg deficit and inflicted a 5-1 hammering to Inter Milan that year in the round of 16 Champions League stage! What Arsenal lack, is the leadership and fight to achieve such a result, which further cements the indigestible fact that Wenger's time is maybe just about up!
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