Arsenal and Arsene Wenger: Evolve or die, and they sure aren’t evolving

Evolve or die. That is the ruthless world of football. Change is king, and Arsene Wenger, and subsequently Arsenal, has shown an unwillingness to do so. Perhaps, then, the time has come for change to be enacted upon him.

Arsenal don’t seem to change much from season to season. They never seem to sign the players they require. They keep the same tactics year after year. The refreshing that is needed rarely comes. Much of this is down to the man who near total control of this football.

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Arsene Wenger, his stubbornness and unwillingness to change, is hurting this football club.

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There is an annual cycle: Fans get their hopes up before the season starts, they get excited to see the new signing(s), the encouraging end to the previous year, the sweet whisper of change. Then they are ultimately let down because of injuries or poor coaching or inconsistent play. But then, the shoots of recovery again appear. The injured players return, the form picks up. A top-four position is rescued.

Only, last season, they failed to make the Champions League for the first time under Wenger, leading them on a downward spiral throughout the season to depths — most notably the defeat to Crystal Palace — that have not yet been endured throughout his 21-year-tenure. And that Palace defeat was emblematic of many of the problems that have infected this club.

Away from home. The pressure was on. The need for a win was great. The favourites. The Invisibles. Palace lept on Arsenal early, pounded their heads against the table and never let up. Three goals and a clean sheet later, and it was easy to see why few wanted Wenger to stay.

When Wenger joined the club, he was praised, admired and adorned by many. His tactics and nutrition plans revolutionized the modern game in England. He made the Gunners into a fighting force to be afraid of, championing the likes of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, and Patrick Viera, and he won many trophies and plaudits for his triumphs. He was wanted by many clubs around the world but he always stayed remained faithful to life in North London.

But that time has since passed. His influence, at least positively, is waning, and his inability to change, to modernise himself, to adapt to the ever-evolving football world, is holding back this club.

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That is why it is time for him to leave. If he were to change and adapt, then perhaps success could be found again. But the chance for him to prove that willingness to alter his philosophies and his style has long sailed by. Wenger will not change, at least not sufficiently. And so, Arsenal must change for him. Unfortunately, that involves his very own exit. The time has come.