Arsenal: Tenth place sucks, but it’s never too early to say Chelsea

Arsenal’s funk continues, but the good thing about a funk is it just takes the right person to make right of it. Who remembers Chelsea?

When they said ‘it has to get worse before it gets better,’ many Arsenal fans assumed that meant missing the Champions League for two straight seasons. Yeah, that wasn’t the case. Now that the club sit in tenth place with no recovery in sight, the question is when will it turn around?

This isn’t the fault of Unai Emery, or Freddie Ljungberg, or Arsene Wenger, or any individual player. This is a complete failure across the board, with players lacking confidence and motivation and no one stepping up to turn that around.

I come bearing hope. Because it wasn’t all that long ago that the players of another top English team quit on their club, only to turn around and win the league the next year with a new manager. I am, of course, talking about Chelsea.

In the 2015/16 season, while the Gunners were busy dropping Tottenham into third in a two-horse race, Chelsea were busy imploding around Jose Mourinho, though many blame it entirely on the players quitting. It was likely a little bit of both.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

The Blues went out and brought in Antonio Conte, who came in, won the league, and peaced out. Showing us that when the players quit, all you really need to do is inspire some confidence, sell the bad eggs and the talent that is across the board at the club will come through bright and clear.

Maybe even win you a league.

I don’t know who Arsenal’s Antonio Conte is yet, although I wouldn’t mind it being actual Antonio Conte. But we need that person who can come in, take no prisoners, crack some bad eggs and build around the right people. Not just the right price tags.

I have to say this again, because I’m sure everyone is thinking it—this isn’t a crisis. It sucks. I hate every minute of it. But it’s not a crisis. If we go out, sign our new manager, and he can’t turn the club around, then we have a crisis. Right now though, it’s just a funk.

It’s not that hard to start guesstimating who the bad eggs are. And hell, even if you overkill some half-decent eggs with the bad ones, that’s fine. Just leave no room for error on the other side. Clean house. And get the right guy to do it.