Is it time for Wenger to deliver?

With all the pressure building over the past four years for Arsene Wenger to deliver a trophy, Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis has upped the stakes by saying that the board expects a trophy. And they expect it NOW. This season!No more buts or “great potential” talk. So is it time for Wenger’s team to deliver? Or rather, is it time for Wenger to deliver?

The potential in the current Arsenal team is never in doubt. From the young Vito Mannone at the back to the equally young Theo Walcott up front, coupled with the even younger Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsay in midfield, nobody would openly question the talent that has been showcased over the years. The question has always been: “Will all this talent translate into trophies?”

The last pieces of the puzzle seemed to be fixed this season when Wenger sold the troublesome Emmanuel Adebayor and bought Andrei Arshavin (last January) and Thomas Vermaelen.
Then Wenger stunned everybody by selling Kolo Toure too! It seemed like a mystery, but the general consensus is that Wenger chose William Gallas and some cash over Toure to achieve peace in the dressing room.

Mind you, the team started the season well enough with an amazing 6-1 win at Goodison Park and decent wins until the two Manchester weekends rocked the confidence of the young team.
They have since steadied themselves with the last win sealed by a fabulous Fabregas performance in the 6-2 demolition of Blackburn Rovers.

Having said all of this, does this team have what it takes to last the season and win some trophies? The answer is a resounding “YES”. The time is now! The team deserve it.
Mannone has displayed his maturity and is a candidate to challenge Manuel Almunia for the No.1 jersey ahead of Lucasz Fabianski. The defence is in great form with Vermaelen proving to be an astute buy by Wenger.

A stunning return of five goals have made the Dutchman the top scorer in the team. With Gallas, Gael Clichy and Bacary Sagna providing the stability from previous season, this is a defence that can hold out for the title.

In midfield and attack, Wenger has employed an exciting 3-3 formation not unlike the one used by Barcelona. With Cesc Fabregas liberated from defensive duties, the likes of Robin van Persie, Arshavin, Walcott, Nicklas Bendtner and Eduardo take turns to torture different teams into submission.

No doubt, this formation will require a very hard-working defensive midfielder, a job filled by Alex Song at the moment. Song is a raw diamond but I believe this will be the season when he steps out of the shadow of a certain Patrick Vieira.

Finally, the return of the wily and experience Czech midfielder has given us a cool head to deal with things. Tomas Rosicky dictates the play whenever he has the ball and gives Fabregas so much support that it is a true joy to watch them play together.

If this team stays injury free, I believe we will be able to grab a few trophies.
Go Gunners!