Who to blame?
I think it's extremely hard to blame only one person, the team or the board, therefore it's of course a collective failure we are witnessing. Even though Arsene Wenger takes most of the blame, and I think he should, he is not the only one to blame. When you are the manager for one of the biggest clubs in the world, you also sign up for being the face of Arsenal, and the person who will have to deal with the blame. Therefore let's start with the french man.
Arsene Wenger
The problem is that Wenger is too stubborn and too loyal to his players. Being loyal to your players is not a bad thing, but it becomes that when you resist to play a better player or acquire new players. He believe so much in the potential of the players, that we have to go through a phase of watching a player develop to his fulliest potential in the Premier League. In the Premier League you dont develop players unless they are the fucking next Messi. Take Szczczesny for instance. He was our no. 1 keeper for some time. Never was he a top six goalkeeper during that time. Arteta was aswell never a top 4 midfielder. Still he played every game. He might have been a good captain, but in Premier League you need more than the ability to shout. There was a time when Ramsey, and Özil played as wingers. Why the fuck do you play players out of their favorite position? In that strong belief in the players lies a huge gamble. A gamble of trying to play his players out of position, and hope they will perform. They never did. The greatest managers in the world play his players where they perform the best. Take no risk, unless you have to.
I, myself, is a manager for a team. When we are playing a game I adjust the team maybe 20-30 times during that match. Arsene Wenger sits on his ass during 88 munites of the match. Arsene, do you know why you are the manager? Because the club has decided that you are tactical smarter than the whole team. That's why you are the manager. Because you are tactical superior, motivate your players, and improve them when they fail. If you watch Zidane, Kloop, Conte etc. They are adjusting the team all the time during those 90 minutes, because even the best players in the world can lose/forget their role during the heat of the game. They might not position themselves right and therefore adjustments are needed. Again it's Wenger's belief that's the problem. He believes and thinks the players are capable and should be of adjusting by themselves. Sometimes they are, but a lot of times they are not. A manager is needed to overrule them all, when they discuss on the pitch. Get off your fucking seat and start being a manager. Now you are just a man who sets the starting eleven, tells them what to do, and then you sit and complain during the game. If they fuck up, adjust. If they do good, tell them to exploit the opponents weakness again. If they discuss, tell them what to do. Be a manager, not a fan.
Image Sources: 1