Friday, July 27, 2007

How will Arsenal fare without Wenger?

Is Arsenal bigger than Arsene Wenger? Yes.

Can Arsenal survive, and do well, without Wenger?Yes.

In recent years, thanks to the rampant speculation surrounding Arsene Wenger’s future (damn Spanish media), the notion has been raised that losing Wenger will hurt Arsenal.

Very few people can, single-handedly, make the fortunes of an institution (ruining them is easy, ask Leeds or Newcastle). Arsene Wenger is one of these people, and it’s obvious that Wenger’s loss will result in gaping void at Arsenal that they will have difficulty in filling.

However, I don’t think that losing Wenger will necessarily hurt Arsenal, as long as the club prepares for it.

The key questions the club will have to answer are:

Who is good enough to succeed Wenger and immediately lead Arsenal to a title challenge?

Who can respect Arsenal’s playing traditions and adapt his tactics and management style to suit Arsenal?

So here’s a question for Arsenal fans - who do you think is capable of replacing Wenger?

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