Wenger’s stuck in a time warp

It is the same old story for Arsene Wenger and his team. Three times in the last four Premier League seasons, Arsenal have started with defeat.

It is the same old story for Arsene Wenger and his team. Three times in the last four Premier League seasons, Arsenal have started with defeat.

Published Aug 15, 2016

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Forget the drama for a moment, forget the utterly beautiful chaos of this game. The salient point is that already, after one game, Arsenal are behind. They are behind Manchester City and behind Manchester United, too. By 10pm, they may be behind Chelsea as well.

As such, it is the same old story for Arsene Wenger and his team. Three times in the last four Premier League seasons, Arsenal have started with defeat here. Already, they are in the slipstream of their title rivals.

This defeat was different in its make-up. It was beguiling; a crazy, helter-skelter kind of game.

If day one of the season had left us wanting a little more by the time we were shielding our eyes from Gary Lineker’s orange glow on Saturday’s Match of the Day, here was the game to rescue the weekend. It may well be that May comes around without us witnessing another one quite like it.

Jurgen Klopp’s outrageous Liverpool team went from 1-0 down to 4-1 up in 16 minutes. In that period they played some sublime football to overwhelm their opponents, like a tidal wave crashing over a row of palm trees.

Then they almost gave it all back again. The final act saw Arsenal’s Santi Cazorla smash a cross into the backside of a team-mate and that just about summed everything up. Carry On football.

So, yes, this was all rather special in its own ridiculous way. But for the Arsenal supporters who jeered their manager down the tunnel at full-time, it still smacked dismally of deja vu.

Another disappointing return to action after another disappointing summer — in their eyes at least — in the transfer market. They have been here too many times and they were quick to let Wenger know it.

There were mitigating factors yesterday. No Mezut Ozil and no Olivier Giroud, for example. No first-choice central defenders either, with 20-year-old debutant Rob Holding playing alongside Calum Chambers. Not ideal, that.

But that plays straight into the hands of those who believe Wenger has lost his ambition and his vision in the transfer market.

Before this game, Wenger had defended his summer policy. New does not always equal better was his message. Here, though, was early evidence to suggest his faith in a squad who failed to win an open Premier League last season may well be misplaced.

At first there was no sign of the horrors to come. Arsenal were positive and dominated the opening stages. It was Liverpool who had problems and their left back Alberto Moreno had more than most.

Early thrusts did not lead to a goal or many clear chances for Arsenal. But Moreno conceded a penalty with a rash challenge on Theo Walcott after half an hour and, though the Arsenal forward saw his kick pushed away by Simon Mignolet, Moreno then gave him enough space a minute later to drive a low shot across the keeper and into the corner.

A goal up, Arsenal were comfortable, but it was not to last. Slowly, Liverpool’s key players grew into the game and when young Holding laid an arm on Philippe Coutinho in first-half injury time, the Brazilian stood up and whipped a 30-yard free-kick beyond Petr Cech to bring his team level.

Wenger would have been frustrated at half-time. Fifteen minutes later he was raging as Liverpool returned to roll Arsenal aside with devastating ease.

Coutinho, as is often the case, was at the heart of it and one wonders how Liverpool — even this reassembled version — would cope without him if, as feared, he chooses to move on next summer.

He was not involved as Liverpool took the lead in the 49th minute. That was a goal created by the steady Georginio Wijnaldum and finished with a neat reverse shot by Adam Lallana.

Soon after, though, Coutinho arrived like a train to volley in a cross from Nathaniel Clyne after the full back had burned Nacho Monreal to reach the byline. This game had been turned completely on its head.

Liverpool have these passages of play in their locker. They used to do it in Brendan Rodgers’ better days as manager, too. Arsenal, though, proved staggeringly supine and when Saido Mane cut in past Chambers from the right to beat Cech with a rising left-foot shot in the 63rd minute, bedlam threatened to engulf the Emirates.

In front of the Liverpool dugout, Klopp gave his goalscorer a piggy back. It was premature and later the German admitted as much.

Wenger, on the other hand, was under siege from Arsenal supporters as he sat motionless 30 yards to his rival’s left.

Ultimately, the uprising in the stands was becalmed by two home goals. Substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain wriggled free to score via a deflection, then Chambers rose to head in a free-kick.

The scoreline and the excitement should not distract from the truth, though. Arsenal head to champions Leicester next and already their need feels great.

Last night Wenger could only shrug and suggest his team had not been ready for the opening day. When are they ever?

© Daily Mail

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