Arsenal: Are the players ‘getting away with murder’?

Arsenal have been lacklustre this season, to put in nicely. They haven’t shown up. Former Gunners’ goalkeeper and Arsenal legend, David Seaman, had some choice words for his the club’s current players and Arsene Wenger.

Arsene Wenger is currently under a lot of fire. Following the pair of losses to Manchester City, the manager has seemly lost the dressing room, and it looks as if the Arsenal players aren’t interested in fighting for the team.

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During an interview with BBC Sport, former Gunner David Seaman didn’t hold back on his thoughts on the current state of affairs. Seaman, who still classes himself a fan, showed the same dismay at the Gunners’ performance against Man City in the final of the Carabao Cup as many others, “the way they didn’t turn up in the final was disappointing,” said Seaman.

The former-England international simply doesn’t recognise the current team anymore, with the team showing little star quality or desire, “from what I saw last Sunday at the League Cup final, I couldn’t believe that it was an Arsenal side playing”, Seaman said despairingly.

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“We know that sometimes when you go out on to the pitch things don’t go right but at least you can show willing and I’m afraid a few of the players didn’t look like that. [The players are] getting away with murder”, protested the former number one.

The players not showing up and not showing any fight is a concern for most fans. When the players simply don’t care, then you’ve got an issue. Seaman’s voice of concern is one that fans can relate to.

Arsenal will face AC Milan in the last-16 of the Europa League, a game that may be the catalyst of Wenger’s departure if lost. With the Premier League now looking unlikely as a viable option for a Champions League place, the Europa League should be where all of Arsene’s efforts are geared towards.

“If Arsene wins the Europa League then maybe he will see out his contract but, if not, then the board have got to make a decision”, added Seaman.

Fans in the ‘Wenger Out’ camp will always make mention of his hold on the club, noting that he practically runs the place, thus holding onto his position. Seaman disagrees, “people say Arsene runs the club but it’s not that. It’s business, and the board will run the club and make that decision.”

And the pain was only poured on on Sunday afternoon, as relegation-staving Brighton and Hove Albion piled on the pressure with a 2-1 win. Although there was a greater fight and commitment shown by the players, perhaps the most damning element is the lack of surprise at the loss. Jamie Redknapp even predicted a Brighton win.

Next: Arsenal Vs Brighton: 5 things we learned

Questions must be asked. Answers must be provided. Hopefully, the players won’t ‘get away with murder’, like Seaman suggests. Though, at this point, I hesitate to claim that that is exactly what is happening.