End Of An Era: Arsene Wenger

Last weekend, Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger dropped the bombshell that shocked many as he announced that he would be leaving Arsenal at the end of the season. He is leaving with one year remaining on his contract. 

The announcement which came out of the blue has, as it should be expected, sparked joy and relief for the 'Wenger  Out' brigade while it has led neutrals and supporters of Wenger to wax lyrical and pay tribute to his achievements and legacy at Arsenal.

Sir Alex Ferguson, arguably Wenger's most bitter rival, commended his decision to step down. He statement was: "I am pleased he has announced he is leaving at this stage of the season as he can now have the send off he truly deserves".

" He is without doubt one of the greatest premier league managers and I am proud to have been a rival, a colleague, and a friend to such a great man". Ferguson added.

Arsenal captain, Per Mertasacker, who is also stepping down at the end of the season to join the Arsenal coaching staff said he was 'sad and emotional' at the announcement. 

Other premier league managers such as Jurgen Klopp, Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte also had some kind words to say about the Frenchman.

Arsene Wenger, who has endured a turbulent season this year and the year before, paid tribute to the fans and the club. 

"I am grateful for having had the privilege to serve the clubs for so many memorable years. I managed the club with full commitment and integrity." He said.

Wenger joined Arsenal on 1st October 1996. And at the end of this season, he would have spent 22 years at the helm. He won 3 premier league titles and a record 7 FA cups during his reign. He also led Arsenal to the final of the UEFA cup and Champions League.

Wenger who is currently the premier league's longest serving coach is also overseeing Arsenal's worst premier league position since he became manager. Arsenal currently lie 6th on the league table and will have to win the Europa league if they are to return to the Champions league next season.

Why is Wenger stepping down?

The last few seasons has seen an increase in fans discontent about the failure of Arsenal to challenge for the premier league title. Arsenal last won the premier league title in 2004-the season they went unbeaten. 14 years ago.

His critics point to the fact that Wenger keeps lowering the bar in terms of expectations by stating that the top 4 is a trophy since it guarantees a Champions League place. Sadly, Arsenal will for the second season in a row finish outside the top 4.

A few days after his announcement that he was stepping down, Wenger revealed that the decision to leave now wasn't his. This implies that the powers that be at the Emirates namely, Stan and Josh Kroenke have noticed the signs of apathy and disaffection of some of the VIP support and have decided to act before profits start to dwindle. 

In recent weeks, many Gunners faithful have decided to show their frustrations by voting with their feet. The sight of many empty seats at the Emirates and the slow renewal of season tickets would have sent alarm bells round the Arsenal boardroom.

In a nutshell, Wenger has been forced to step down. 

How will Wenger be remembered?

After spending 22 years on the Arsenal hot seat, there will of course be a lot Arsenal supporters and indeed observers of the premier league will remember Arsene Wenger by. 

He brought new and innovative ideas to the English game when he arrived England. He changed the diets and nutrition of his players such that several players careers were prolonged as a result. He also transformed the football too. Boring Arsenal was no longer boring.

He challenged the established order. He threatened Sir Alex Ferguson's domination of the league and won 3 premier league titles which culminated in the season of the 'Invincibles'. That season (2003/04) where Arsenal remarkably went unbeaten in the league. They would continue the run for 49 matches.

Wenger holds the record for the highest number of FA cup titles. He has won 7. 3 in the last 4 years. Unfortunately, it has done little to pacify his staunchest critics. Many of his critics believe he should have left on a high after winning any of these FA cup titles.

This is not to forget that Arsenal's move to the Emirates from Highbury was managed spectacularly by Wenger who ensured that the quality of Arsenal's football was not compromised and that they still competed with the likes of Chelsea and Man United for the league. 

With the paucity of funds due to the building of the Emirates stadium and later on, the paying of debts incurred by the club for the financing of the project, it became a Herculean task for Wenger to compete with rivals in acquiring the best players. He managed the situation admirably. Players like Nasri, Fabregas, Coquelin, Sagna, Clichy, Van Persie etc were transformed from players who were virtually unknown into players in high demand by the best clubs under his guidance.

But for every success of Wenger, his critics who want him out can easily point to his failures as a manager. 

Wenger was often accused of not having a plan B and being tactically clueless when teams shut out Arsenal or are very physical when playing his team.

He was also accused of refusing to spend money in signing better players that would improve the squad even when the Arsenal hierarchy assured fans that there was money in the bank. He stubbornly reiterated the fact that he would only sign players at the right price. This as a result, led to teams like Spurs and Man City leaving Arsenal behind.

Several irate fans have pointed out that one of the reasons that prove that Wenger has lost his mojo is his penchant for selling star players to strengthen direct rivals like Man united and Man City. Top teams hardly sell their top players to domestic rivals. Not for Wenger apparently.... He sold Van Persie and Alexis Sanchez to the Red Devils. He also sold the likes of Toure, Nasri, Sagna, Adebayor etc to City. 

Many of his detractors feel Wenger is loyal to his team to a fault. A situation which leads to a non performing player being given an extended run in the team (Xhaka) or getting bumper contracts for underperforming (Ozil) or keeping injury prone players such as Abou Diaby Tomas Rosicky and currently Santi Cazorla. A slightly more ruthless manager would have pushed such players out of the club far earlier than Wenger would.

Worst of all has to be the trophy drought.  Wenger after spending 22 years in a supposedly big club can only account for  only 3 premier league titles. The last of which came in 2004. He won the FA cup in 2005 but would not win any more trophies until 2014 when he finally ended a drought of 9 years without winning any major silverware by defeating Hull City in the final of the FA cup.

It is also fair to say that part of the reasons Wenger has stayed so long is due to the fact that the club owners feel some form of gratitude and respect for Wenger's management as his presence guarantees profits. Until recently anyway... It took the arrival of the ruthless Josh Kroenke to the scene to convince Stan his father that Wenger's time was up.

Nevertheless, there are many fond memories Wenger will be leaving behind as well as many sad ones in which fans who once adored him feel were opportunities missed due to the stubbornness and pride of the manager.

Wenger, 68, the football purist who considers football to be an art will be missed by those who love him and who experienced the first half of his successful years. The younger generation who have only experienced the consolation of 3 FA cup trophies in the last 4 years and have seen how his stock has fallen and how stale he has become believe the new regime can't come soon enough.

The Sorry State Of The Super Falcons

Last Friday, Champions of Africa, the Super Falcons were given a football lesson as they were whitewashed by the France women national team 8-0. 

The result, to say the least, was humiliating for a country of Nigeria's stature. We are not talking of a team who are minnows in female football in Africa but Africa's supposedly strongest side. A team that has won a record 7 Africa Women Championship titles. 

It is interesting to note that this team is playing her first competitive game since winning the Africa Women's Cup of Nations hosted by Cameroun in 2016. This is a sad indicator why the team played so poorly against France.

I am sure this is not the case with the French but the fact that for a whole year, the Super Falcons did not play even a single friendly match even if it's against inferior opposition to keep the ladies in sync with each other is a serious indictment on the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). 

NFF chairman, Amaju Pinnick, was full of apology for the humbling result on Twitter citing 'unintentional neglect' being the main reason for the embarrassment.

This result equals Nigeria's 2 worst defeats in female football history for the Falcons. In those games, Nigeria lost to Norway and the USA by the same score line.

The continued lack of interest in developing and promoting female football in the country and consolidating on the achievements of our female national teams in the past is the reason why teams like Cameroun, South Africa, Ghana and Equitorial Guinea have caught up with the Super Falcons and probably even surpassed them.

There was a time, Nigeria could roll out two different Falcons teams to play in different competitions almost simultaneously. A case in point was when Nigeria hosted the All Africa games and had to send a team to the women's World Cup as well. We comfortably fielded a Team B that defeated South Africa in the All Africa games final thus winning the gold medal while the Team A who were the main squad went ahead to play in the World Cup.

Gone are the days. It would be nothing short of the miraculous if Nigeria can produce 2 senior teams that would match the quality of players we had then. There is no production line to churn out players  for the national team anymore because the female league is in a shambles. 

There is hardly any coverage in the media of female football and of course there are very few women clubs and teams available these days. This is probably due to the harsh economic climate in the country which makes it extremely difficult if not impossible for philanthropists to run female clubs. State governments who run many of the teams in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) are probably not willing to add to the wage bill by owning female teams as well.

Things though have to change if we want genuine success for our female national team. 

When the Super Falcons started making an impact at the world stage it was because we took steps that yielded results. We had a vibrant female league  that had our best players such as Mercy Akide, Florence Omagbemi, Ann Agumanu Chiejine, Patience Avre and others playing in our league in teams like Jegede Babes, Pelican Stars and Rivers Angels.

Our modest success in the World Cup  hosted by the USA in 1999 opened the eyes of clubs all around the world to the quality of players Nigeria could produce and so they started signing these players.

What could have been an opportunity for Nigeria to develop our women's league and produce more talented players proved the beginning of the end as gradually we have stopped producing these top class players who will give France, Brazil, Spain, Germany or the USA a run for the money.

The NFF has done well in organising the friendly with France. There should be more of this sort in future as we prepare for the African Women's Cup of Nations. The NFF earlier in the year hired a Swede, Thomas Dennerby to take charge of the team. The team's battering by France was his baptism of fire. He must begin to realise the work on his hands now.

The women's league has to be made vibrant again. The league doesn't have to be a long season or have many teams. An 8-12 team league won't be bad for starters.

The NFF also needs to find a way to rekindle interest in female football in the country even though it is struggling to do so for their male counterparts. There has to be a sponsor for the league with broadcast rights sold to interested media houses who will show the games on TV.

Clubs and organisations who have an interest in registering female teams should also be encouraged to do so even if it is at an amateur level. The money the NFF can get from the sponsors of the league or any competition can help many a team stay afloat and grow when they receive substantial sums for their participation every year.

The current NFF regime has shown a level of leadership, vision and professionalism never seen before. If they can extend these traits to women's football in Nigeria then posterity will judge them favourably.

7 Reasons Why Chelsea Is Struggling

Chelsea lost at home in last weekend's premier league fixture to high flying Tottenham 1-3 at Stamford Bridge in a game which almost confirms that Chelsea will not be in the Champions league next season with only 7 games remaining. 

This defeat is the latest in a long list of disappointing defeats and performances for Chelsea this season. 

Chelsea manager, Antonio Conte, who won the premier league title in his first season in England and was hailed for the introduction and his effective use of the 3-4-3 formation has seen Chelsea's fortunes go south this season. Chelsea lie 5th in the league with 56 points and are 8 points behind 4th placed Spurs. 

Only a spectacular collapse by Spurs will see Chelsea gain passage to the UCL. Knowing how Chelsea has treated even more successful managers in the past  then it is anyone's guess what will be the fate of Conte in the summer especially if they don't win the FA cup. 

But why have things gone wrong for Conte this season?

1. That text to Diego Costa

At the end of last season, Conte sent former Chelsea striker Diego Costa a text  as players were about going for a deserved break that he was no longer in his plans for next season and should find himself a new club.

It led to a saga between Costa and Conte which eventually led to Costa re-joining former club Athletico Madrid last January. The only problem for Conte is that he has so far failed to acquire a prolific replacement. Conte signed Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid but he has struggled so far to fill the large boots of Diego Costa.

2. Choosing Morata over Lukaku

Chelsea signed Morata for £60m from Real Madrid and he has so far delivered 11 EPL goals for Chelsea. Conte decided to over look a tried and tested Romelu Lukaku who could easily fill the void left by Diego Costa's all round play and favoured a more sleek and 'intelligent' striker.

The gamble hasn't worked very well this season and now Conte has had to sign Olivier Giroud from Arsenal to help with the goals.

Lukaku on the other hand, has scored his 100th premier league in the colours of Manchester United.

3. Replacing Batshuayi with Giroud

In the January transfer window, Conte allowed Belgian striker, Michy Batshuayi join Borussia Dortmund for the rest of the season on loan and went ahead to sign Arsenal striker, Olivier Giroud.

In a cruel twist of fortunes, Batshuayi has gone on to flourish at Dortmund while Giroud has hardly made an impact at Chelsea. Why Conte failed to give Batshuayi a run in the side despite Morata's struggles with injury, form or adaptation to the premier league is a mystery.

4. The sale of Matic to United

For some reason, Antonio Conte allowed the sale of Nemanja Matic to rivals Manchester United for £40m pounds and replaced Matic with Monaco midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko.

Matic had formed a formidable partnership with N'Golo Kante in Chelsea's central midfield last season and so the sale of a key element in Chelsea's title winning team is baffling.

Bakayoko it turns out does not have the same defensive discipline as Matic because he is more attack minded. This has left Chelsea exposed in midfield and defence as Kante is left alone to do all the dirty work.

5. The signing of Drinkwater and Barkley

In order to plug the hole left behind by Matic, Conte has tried to rekindle the midfield partnership between Kante and Danny Drinkwater at Leicester's title winning team of 2 years ago by signing Drinkwater from Leicester in January.

Sadly, they have hardly featured together in midfield with Drinkwater finding it difficult getting into the first team. 

Meanwhile, Ross Barkley who joined Chelsea from Everton during the January transfer window as well has barely had a kick since he joined. It's hard to see him upstaging Cesc Fabregas in Chelsea's attacking midfield.

Barkley joined Chelsea after a long injury lay off and will need time to regain full match fitness and his form in order to challenge Fabregas for a starting shirt next season.

6. The beef with David Luiz

One of the decisions Conte made last season that turned out to be a master stroke was the re-signing of defender David Luiz from PSG. 

His partnership with Cesar Azpilicueta  and Gary Cahill in Chelsea's 3 man central defence last season was one of the success stories for Chelsea as they had one of the meanest defences in the premier league. 

But this season, probably due to a bust up off the field, David Luiz has lost his place to Andreas Christiansen who though has looked promising, is young and is prone to the odd mistake just like his mistake against Barcelona in the Champions League where his wayward pass led to Barca's equaliser.

7. His Quarrel With Mourinho 

Conte allowed himself to be side tracked and fall prey to Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho's mind games.

Mourinho had earlier in the season hinted that Conte was a 'clown' due to his exuberant goal celebrations and also made reference to a match fixing scandal  Conte had been indicted in while he was coach of Siena but was later cleared of wrong doing.

Conte of course was visibly irritated and hurt by this and in a press conference called Jose a 'little man' with no profile. 

How this spat with Mourinho which dates back to last season where they exchanged hot words on the touch line has affected Conte this season in the battle for the top 4 is obvious.