Arsenal: The “comfort zone” is public enemy number one

Arsenal had a whole lot of things go wrong against Manchester City and next to none go right, but the culprit goes beyond all of what happens on the pitch.

Arsenal’s list of problems is extensive and has multiple bullet points at every position. Even as the front office changes and the brain trust gets more involved, though, we are still seeing the same problems. Many people say this is indisputable evidence that Arsene Wenger is the problem.

To me, the problem goes by a different name – the “comfort zone.” This is largely connected to Arsene Wenger, perhaps originating entirely from his familial managing style. Whatever the point of origin, the solution remains the same.

This feeling of comfort and stability within the club has to go. It is the pervading mindset that makes the club so terrible to watch at times.

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I have no doubts that these players feel remorse when they lose. Of course they care about the club, it’s silly to think otherwise. The problem is that their way of dealing with it in the moment is far and away what is causing them to fail.

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We all saw it against Manchester City. Down 2-0 and players are walking, loafing, looking defeated. There was still half an hour left to play and they couldn’t be bothered to make a change.

Why is that? That’s because these players exist in this comfort zone where the consequences are minuscule for ineffectiveness. Don’t perform well? That’s okay, Wenger still loves you and you’ll never be sold so long as he is in charge.

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That policy may be changing with the new transfer policy, but it’s been a decade or more overdue and all the players that were involved in this comfort era are still subject to its downfalls. Unless they are inherently determined players like Jack Wilshere or Aaron Ramsey, then they are going to settle into this dejected mope when they lose, not a motivated fight.

I’m going to now do two things I would never do. The first thing is agree with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. When he left for Liverpool, he said, specifically, that he needed to get out of his comfort zone to become a better player.

Lo and behold, he is a better player already. Free of the cloud of drowsiness that the comfort zone brings, he looks brand new and immensely effective.

The second thing is to point out something positive about Tottenham. I was watching them play Crystal Palace and, in the 84th minute, still level 0-0, they were fighting their arses off to get the ball into dangerous positions. There was no ‘taking their time’ or trying to play the perfect pass. It was all pure determination.

And they won.

Arsenal doesn’t have that. They are trapped in a comfort zone that will continue to bog them down when things get bad and will continue to give them too much security even when things are good.

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How do you get rid of that? That’s the million dollar question. A managerial change might do it, but you have to wonder how many of these players are irreparably stuck in the comfort zone of such a nurturing club. We all see how talented these players can be, but keeping them on top of their abilities is the trick and right now, nothing is doing that effectively.