Tottenham vs Arsenal is the climax to the biggest month of Arsene Wenger’s career – and he is living it day by day

FootballSportFootballArsenalPremier LeagueTottenhamManchester Unitedjames olleyArticle

Arsene Wenger was ­supposed to have escaped the rat race — a revolutionary whose impact on Arsenal had put him in control of his own destiny.

The club’s inability to compete for the top prizes in recent seasons has eroded his legacy but nobody thought it would come to this: now aged 67, Wenger is scrambling for results to prove he should cling on to his job.

This month perhaps represents the most significant challenge of Wenger’s 21-year reign. He defied those who initially dismissed him as unsuitable for English football by redefining it, before overcoming self-imposed financial constraints to keep Arsenal safely ensconced among Europe’s elite.

Scaling such heights — he moved from a nobody to a somebody, a champion, and then an icon — earned him complete deference from the club’s owner, Stan Kroenke, and a board prepared to hand him the right to dictate the timing of his own departure.

 

The Arsenal board want him to stay but their public silence — except for a four-line statement from the chairman Sir Chips Keswick which said nothing of any consequence — has left Wenger alone to justify his ongoing worth amid increasing fan unrest. 

The sentiment may not be reciprocated on all sides but Wenger’s love for the Gunners endures. He wants to sign the two-year contract extension on offer but despite accusations of myopia, the Frenchman is acutely aware the conditions may no longer exist for him to do so.

A principled man, Wenger is described by those closest to him as deeply torn over the right thing to do. Defeat at West Brom this month is said to have shaken his resolve. The precarious nature of Arsenal’s top-four hopes and mounting opprobrium make every loss a damaging body blow.

Make no mistake, he is living this week by week, day by day. He could make an announcement on his future any time in April. 

For those staunchly opposed to Wenger’s management, there is no set of results from here that will convince them Arsenal can make any progress until a new man takes over.

As ever, positive results are the only panacea but Wenger’s first chance to fight back in a battle he is losing comes against a team who represent the antithesis of his beliefs.

Manchester City arrive at Emirates Stadium on Sunday as the product of limitless spending designed to fast-track their way to the top since Sheikh Mansour bought the club in September 2008.

At that moment Arsenal were in the midst of a lean financial spell as they drove down the debt created by the move from ­Highbury, a decision taken when it was believed stadium ­matchday revenue was a club’s most significant stream of finance. 

The explosion in television income ­combined with cash-rich owners at City and Chelsea transformed the monetary landscape and Arsenal, the tortoise to City’s hare, have arguably never recovered. 

Pep Guardiola’s arrival at City last summer was seen as the final step in completing their elevation to becoming one of European football’s giants. 

The contrast can be seen as new money versus old — a financially liberal, ruthless club with a progressive manager awkwardly juxtaposed with the perception in some quarters of Arsenal as admirably traditionalist conservatives unwilling to compromise their ethics in the pursuit of glory. 

Arsenal have beaten top opposition at home before but a victory on Sunday would bring blessed relief. An FA Cup semi-final against the same opposition three weeks later must yield the same outcome if there is any hope of sustainable momentum.

In between, London derbies against West Ham and Crystal Palace offer difficult but winnable tests before an Easter Monday-night trip to relegation-threatened Middlesbrough.  Such is Wenger’s willingness to avoid any and all criticism, he refuses to accuse his players of indolence or underperformance despite compelling evidence they have been culpable of both in recent weeks.

If this squad truly want Wenger to remain at the helm — a view repeated in interviews but seemingly betrayed on the pitch of late — then now is the time to show it. Disparate, divided performances in past matches only reinforce those who believe it is time for a change in manager. 

Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil must be committed until the end; the former will need to overcome fatigue following a long return journey after playing for Chile against Venezuela in the early hours of this morning, while the latter has to return with a bang after missing five games through illness and injury.

Interactive map: Where are all those Wenger banners?

 

 

Goalkeeper David Ospina will be required to deputise effectively for the injured Petr Cech in the next few weeks. The players Wenger invested almost £90million in last summer — chiefly Granit Xhaka and Shkodran Mustafi — have to prove their worth, too.

Reinvigorated champions Leicester lie in wait after City before the month concludes with what arguably ranks as the ultimate test of Arsenal’s togetherness: the last north London derby at White Hart Lane.

Wenger’s fate might be clear by that point but Tottenham would no doubt relish the prospect of deciding it for him. Given Arsenal have finished above Spurs in every season under Wenger, the fact that is even a ­possibility shows just how much times have changed.

 

Wenger will live day by day in the biggest month of his Arsenal careerArsenalArsene WengerPremier LeagueLondon footballArsenal news: Tottenham the climax to the biggest month of Arsene Wenger’s career – and he is living it week by week – London footballArsene Wenger will live day by day in the biggest month of his Arsenal career Tottenham vs Arsenal is the climax to the biggest month of Arsene Wenger’s career – and he is living it day by dayGalleryPublishedMedium width1Wednesday, March 29, 2017 - 11:10OnEnable video endboarddefaultWednesday, March 29, 2017 - 11:15Greater LondonGBKey Points