Arsenal's Problems Continue to Mount

Perhaps the most surprising event of this weekend was Arsene Wenger's inclusion of Samir Nasri for the Liverpool game.  Clearly, the selection of an unsettled player on the verge of leaving the club shows just what a mess Arsenal are in at the moment.

With Song, Gervinho and now Frimpong all suspended and Fabregas already gone, it would appear things at the Emirates may get a whole lot worse before they get better.  Wilshere is still out with injury and it is not yet clear how long he'll be missing.  This all begs the question what sort of performance Arsenal can muster against Udinese this week.  Failure to qualify for the Champions League is unthinkable for the Gunners' board, but it looks like a distinct possibility.

There are many questions that need to be answered, and despite Wenger's incredible record of success in North London, not even he is above criticism - or even worse, the sack.  The stubborn stance on Fabregas only served to delay the inevitable and leave the club woefully under-prepared, under-staffed and demotivated for the beginning of the season.  Is this really worth the extra few million the club received from Barcelona?  Surely the best preparation would have been to sell Fabregas at the beginning of the close season and have a full and detailed plan of recruitment.  It now looks as if three or four players will join an already demoralised squad - that may be coming to terms with the consolation prize of Europe League football.

Wenger has so far performed a super-human effort in actually making a net profit in the transfer market over the last six years.  However, with the most expensive season tickets in England, the fans may now be losing patience with their manager.  Why has this happened this season, yet in previous seasons there has been an obvious plan of succession at the club?  High-profile players have left Arsenal almost every year of Arsene's reign, yet there always seemed to be someone waiting in the wings to take over.

If Nasri does leave, Arsenal will have lost their two most influential midfielders without really replacing either.  Ramsey and Wilshere are excellent players but are young and will probably need both time and the help of senior, experienced colleagues to help their progress.  Unfortunately, they are going to receive neither.  Meanwhile Wenger is still battling with criticisms that he is unprepared to spend big money to get big players through the door.  I have to admit I'm with Arsene here.  Fans tend to look at the pounds spent these days, and the quality and suitability of the player becomes almost a secondary thought.

Wenger is one of the great managers of the English game.  He has transformed the club in a way akin to Ferguson's achievements at Manchester United.  He has delivered trophies and balanced the books - a rare feat indeed.  Arsenal have not spent the amounts their title challengers have, yet some of the world's best players have graced both the Emirates and Highbury during Wenger's reign.  I only hope that the Arsenal fans forgive Arsene this year's miscalculation and the board give him the time to get the Arsenal project back on track.  Arsenal make the Premier League a greater spectacle - Wenger's Arsenal that is...