Aftermath of United defeat: Changes required, Santos and Park signed, Benayoun next?

After the humbling, thrashing (whatever you want to call it) on Sunday, only one thing comes to my mind, we are where we deserve to be. It had to happen one day, better now than in the middle of the season. To waste a whole summer doing nothing but losing your best players, what else do you expect!

Even two days later the pain hasn’t lessened and there is no point in going over it again. If you, however, want to see what is wrong with Arsenal, this game will show you everything, if you can muster the strength to watch it. It does get unbearable because this was all avoidable. Our inability to acknowledge our weaknesses and rectify them, our inability to accept that we are not good enough, our inability to find finished players (where do we look? I am still wondering), our ability to find an excuse for anything and our ability to make a mess of everything has led us to this point.

This summer was the perfect opportunity to make everything right and make amends. Last season’s ending was the cue that we cannot continue the way we were going. What followed in the summer is in front of everyone. Starting the new season weaker than where we finished, without a proper attacking midfielder, without a proper left back and without enough depth in any position and then come out and say that we cannot find the right players is just too much Bullshit. (Here I was thinking that a day rest will have reduced my anger but it does feel good to have it vented out)

Who to blame for all this? the board, the management or the owners.  Who will accept the responsibly and answer the fans what they were doing this whole summer?  I guess we won’t get the answer to this any time sooner.

So, we have to move on as it is no good crying over spilt milk. Changes are required on a massive scale. We cannot any more be content with mediocrity. We cannot any more wait for results; steps are required to be taken to bring instant changes. Lots of work needs to be done as we now have another opportunity to make things right.

Starting with changes in the back room staff because they clearly are not doing a good enough job. Either the fault is with them or with our players. Our players make the same old mistakes game after game without learning from them. Look at Walcott, 5 years on and he is still where he started. His shooting might have improved but he is still naïve like every other player that plays for us. We don’t adapt and we don’t learn. We don’t even know what do to when things aren’t going our way. Heck, even the manager makes decision that forces you to bang your head on something. Either the back room staff needs to change or else the whole management, board and owners. I am afraid Fabregas was right when he said that he stagnated at Arsenal. It seems our whole club has stagnated.

Signing players is the most obvious thing that has to be done. And we don’t need three to four players; these were the number required when we had the squad of last season. Now we need at least seven to eight and they have to be finished products. 17-year-olds won’t do us any good as we already have plenty of that. We cannot any more wait for players to develop; we have waited long enough in the last 6 years.

The other thing that needs to be done is to make everyone accountable. The players have to be responsible for a bad game. We cannot anymore allow our players to hide behind the excuse of inexperience. We cannot anymore consider being in the top four a job well done (even ending in the top four looks unlikely this season). The manager himself has to change his definition of success and his philosphy. Being in the top four is good but winning trophies is the ultimate thing. You cannot expect everyone to buy the crap that being in the top four is success.

I am sure that we will see changes at Arsenal. My only concern is we cannot have any more delay. Indecisiveness now is not going to be repairable. We have a strong foundation, only our inability to make the necessary upgrades is going to be our downfall, which I am afraid has started and we are plummeting down with the speed of a bullet. I will be glad to be proven wrong, rather I am desperate to be proven wrong. However, as things are going, we can forget top four for this season.

On a lighter note, there has been some good transfer news related to Arsenal. According to numerous news outlets we have signed Fenerbahce’s left back Andre Santos for a reported fee of 6.2 million. The news of the deal started circulating late last night and according to some news sources, Arsenal have confirmed it to them that we have signed the player. The player himself will be in London today for the medical and subsequent signing of the deal. Arsenal’s official site isn’t showing anything but we can all be rest assured we have signed a left back after all, a signing I have been asking for ever since Clichy departed.

Also we are close in on Park Chu-young. The news has been circulating for the last two days. Nothing has been made official but I have a feeling all our signings are now going to be announced on the final day.

We are also in for Benayoun, Alex and Malouda after several sources have claimed that we have enquired about them. I have my reservation on all three as they are all Chelsea rejects. If they weren’t good for Chelsea, they cannot be good for us. However, if we don’t get any one, we will have to make do with them and that is if they want to come.

Despite being close to signing a striker and left back, we still need plenty. Three players are, however, necessary just to be there number wise, a centre back, an attacking midfielder plus a defensive midfielder. Less than two days remain though. It is a race against time and let’s hope we get the quality signings we require or else this season we are in for a thrashing.

Before I conclude, I want to applaud and say thanks to the fans that went to Old Trafford on Sunday. You really did us all Gooners proud. The only good thing to remember from that game is your support. And I am also glad that Arsenal has decided to refund the away fans tickets, although in my view they deserve more than refunded tickets.

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