Arsenal: Patrick Vieira Lambasting Players Does Not Exempt Arsene Wenger

Patrick Vieira has criticised the Arsenal players for letting down Arsene Wenger down. While true, that does not mean Wenger is exempt from critique.

Arsenal have been in a terrible run of form of late. Two 5-1 dismantlings at the hands of Bayern Munich succumbed to their worst ever Champions League aggregate loss, they were insipid in a title-defining trip to Stamford and now face vociferous questioning from large sections of the fanbase.

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The man who has taken much of the flak for the recent struggles is Arsene Wenger. As the manager, that is to be expected. The club is moulded in his image; there isn’t a decision that is made without his say so.

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However, not everyone is so quick the lay the blame at the feet of Wenger. New York City manager and former Gooner Patrick Vieira has come to the defence of his former manager, proclaiming his belief that the players have let him down and should shoulder a greater portion of the blame:

"“It is true that people are doubting his capability to manage the team… but I think you have to look at the players and in some situations the players have been letting Arsene down a lot because coaches have responsibility but players have responsibility as well. You can work the whole week in how you want to play but when [the] players [are] on the field they are the ones who have to fight and if you don’t do it then it is a problem. So we can talk about Arsene, we can talk about other things but I think it is important for players to take responsibility and look at themselves in the mirror.”"

While what Vieira may well be true – there are many established, first team players that have failed to perform, especially in the big games for a number of years – that does not mean that Wenger is, therefore, exempt from criticism. Is it not Wenger’s job to prepare his players, technically, tactically and mentally, for their upcoming game?

Moreover, there have been some off personnel decisions that have harmed the success of the side. The continual distrust of Lucas Perez, the persistence to start Nacho Monreal, the patience with Alex Iwobi, even when suffering a dire run of form. These are all decisions that are solely Wenger’s and are thoroughly hurting the club.

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Vieira’s comments do carry some truth. And I agree with him that the players are not receiving the criticism they are deserving, primarily due to the single-minded questioning of Wenger from the fans. However, that does not mean Wenger should be exempt from critique because, like it or not, he has made many mistakes that must now be rectified.