A 3-0 loss at the Selhurst Park sent the Arsenal fans into a meltdown on Monday night as the Gunners failed to show up in a miserable performance. Arsene Wenger has been severely criticised for the lack of results recently but the lethargic performance that Arsenal put in on Monday has seen more and more fans raise their voice against the manager.
The scenes after the game saw the fans gather around the team bus to boo their players and it is looking more likely that Wenger might lose his job at the end of the season. So, is it the right time for the Frenchman to quit the Emirates?
Having served the club for 20 long years, Arsene Wenger is an irreplaceable personality at the Emirates and the club hierarchy will surely find it hard to replace him with a top-class manager.
The likes of Luis Enrique, Lauren Blanc, and Massimiliano Allegri have all been linked at some point or the other recently with a move to the Emirates at the end of the season and the performance against Palace might just have been the last nail in the coffin for Wenger.
Arsenal have now conceded three or more goals in three consecutive away games for the first time in the Premier League. It was a performance that reminded everyone of what was wrong with the squad at the moment. Alexis Sanchez was his usual self but Mesut Ozil, skipper Theo Walcott, and Olivier Giroud failed to even trouble the Palace defence.
Laurent Koscielny was missing but the fact that Shkodran Mustafi and Gabriel Paulista failed to win a single tackle all night, shows that they were just not ready.
It was Wenger’s first loss against the Eagles and that coming at a time when Arsenal have won just two league games the entire year, might have made Wenger’s mind up.
Like at the King Power Stadium, Wenger has just not been able to get his side to play consistently as a team and is looking more and more likely that things will only change with a change in management.
It is harsh to say that the players are driving the manager out but if Arsenal puts in one more performance likes this before the end of the season, it might come a time when Wenger might not stay until the end of the season.
Arsenal are currently seven points off Manchester City and nine off Liverpool in the fourth and the third place respectively. They have a game or a couple in hand over their opponents but in the current form, those games might just not matter.
Qualifying for the Champions League will be a big challenge for Arsenal this season and Wenger may not stay at the club even if he is able to secure European football and finish in the top-4.
But if Arsenal continues to play like this, they might be out of the UCL, searching for a replacement for Wenger, in what could be a future-defining summer at the Emirates. Do you think it is time for Arsene Wenger to step down?
