Oh dear. Arsene, Arsene, Arsene. This was a chance for him to show he has tactical understanding, and isn't just the "man with a philosophy." It could have been a great opportunity to see another side of Wenger, that proves he's more than a one-trick peacock. But no...he just went ahead to make a substitution that killed the game for his team.
I can't remember the last time a home team went down to ten men, and the entire stadium erupted in a united groan at the customary substitution being made. Everyone knew that Gabriel had to come on, and most people in the world (apart from Wenger) were deciding on if it would either be Walcott or Campbell. Because it surely couldn't be Giroud, that was out of the question. You need that tall presence at the top to occupy Zouma and Terry.
Wenger had other ideas.
By Arsene taking off Giroud, the match was done. Over. They may have had a slight chance with Giroud on playing alongside Campbell or Walcott, but without the tall Frenchman in the box to get something off crosses, this was over as a contest. It just strains the mind when you try and think what was going through Wenger's thought process? Did he really think the smaller and weaker statures of Ozil, Ramsey, Walcott and Campbell with a man down would really trouble two defensive-midfielders and the bigger and stronger Chelsea defensive line?
That move right there along with his insistence in playing Mertesacker who had been making mistakes months before this match, prove that Wenger is no longer an elite coach. He doesn't possess the ability to influence games through tactical changes or subsitutions. He's a man who is relying on an ethos that's about a decade too old. He's a man out of time...
Sure, Arsenal mathematically have a very good chance of winning the league. But to drop some real talk on all of you, they won't. Wenger is the very reason why this won't happen. There will come more instances where he will need to do something strategically in order to win a game. Relying on Sanchez to win games on his own won't be enough. There are times where a manager has to influence the game. Van Gaal can do it, Ranieri has been doing it all season, Pochettino can as well...Wenger doesn't fall into that category. If your manager is unable to employ that skill, then you're not winning the title.
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HH
