4. Style of Play
Now hear me out on this one! I am the first to applaud Arsene Wenger for producing sides that play expansive, progressive and attacking football, which is the nearest any Premier League outfit has come to emulating Barcelona. However while Wenger may be playing attractive football he is not playing
winning football, instead he chooses to stubbornly stick to plan A and not revert to a plan B. If there is one thing Tony Pulis looks forward to every season it is playing Arsenal. Why? Because he knows exactly how they are going to line up and exactly how to get at them. Wenger has assembled a one trick pony, an attractive one granted, but one that cannot play any other way. This was one of the reasons Wengers side were on the end of a spanking by Manchester United last season. It was summed up by Paul Merson who put bluntly it that if you have a you have a go, we have a go mentality, you are going to get destroyed. In the aftermath of the 8-2 Wenger was on the end of some back handed complimentary remarks from old adversary Ferguson who explained how it was admirable that Arsenal kept attacking. Yes it may be admirable, but any manager worth his salt knows when hes beaten and when to shut up shop. Arsenal lack a plan B, often means they can run out of ideas, and occasionally leaves them open to embarrassment.