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Arsenal: Griezmann vs Bramall, A Tale Of Two Philosophies
By Josh Sippie
![By Anish Morarji from St Albans, England (Copa del Rey - Real Madrid vs Atlético Madrid) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2Fcedb22338eeb1875962646fe144d83077d334dd69070b9010a9c0a3b46e63b21.jpg "By Anish Morarji from St Albans, England (Copa del Rey - Real Madrid vs Atlético Madrid) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons")
Arsenal definitely has their work cut out for them to get back into the title race, and we have to wonder as Wenger’s philosophy clashes with other contenders.
Arsenal‘s title bid has seen them into fifth place. It’s not the worst place to be in, as they are only eight points removed from the top. It’s an uphill battle, but a battle that Wenger will certainly fight.
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The battle can be helped by a January transfer window that is often shunned by Wenger and a similar strategy looks set to be enacted as Wenger has pinpointed Cohen Bramall for an Emirates welcome, but nothing else. He is retaining hope in the cast he has collected and is hoping that returnees like Danny Welbeck will make the impact that signings just won’t.
That being said, other teams are going for it. Manchester United have offered Antoine Griezmann the same outlandish wages that they are paying Paul Pogba in an effort to jolt their club into a Champions League spot.
I have laughed and chortled to my heart’s content at Mourinho and his spending policies at United. But that laughter and chortling has seen them to just two points behind our Gunners.
All you have to look at is the differing philosophies. Wenger is loading up on Cohen Bramall while Mourinho is going all out for a world class striker. You couldn’t get more polarizing. The two are completely different.
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But the main difference is the pressure that they are incurring on themselves. Mourinho is clearly doing all he can to right the ship and get his team back on track, which they already are. He has a significant number of attackers young and old, experienced and raw.
By going after Griezmann, he is showing that he is not content with where the Red Devils are and he is not going to wait for the ship to right itself, which it will inevitably do in time, given the talent that they have.
But most pressure is off of Mourinho when signings like this are made. Wenger, however, is inviting more pressure than ever. He is telling everyone that is buying reinforcements that what the Gunners currently have is better than them and what they are buying.
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And if they turn out not to be, it all falls on Wenger yet again. It is a precarious situation and one that has me feeling all kinds of uncomfortable.