Denis Bergkamp felt Arsenal’s decline under Arsene Wenger begun when he switched from his most successful 4-4-2 formation late in the 2000s.
After lifting 3 Premier League titles and a run to the 2006 Champions League final, the Gunners quickly fell off from challenging the big-guns for major honours.
Of course, fans saw many tactical shifts from the Frenchman in his bid to win trophies during his 22-year reign at North London. Unfortunately, none of it worked in a foolproof manner. Bergkamp felt that sacrificing his best setup might have cost him in the end.
The Dutch legend answered Martin Keown’s question regarding why Wenger was not successful later in his career – “Arsene started experimenting. Arsenal after 2006, there was too much midfield play. There were no players going into attack, and only one striker who was lonely.”
To that, Keown added, “With five in midfield. Instead of having you there, he had Cesc Fabregas. You would start high then drift into midfield. Then Wenger reversed it. Then the player started deep and went high, as Fabregas did. Many years later, I spoke with a big-name winger at Arsenal. I asked him: ‘Why do you always stay wide?’ Play with freedom. Be instinctive. That’s what the boss wants.”
Is it completely fair to add all of Arsenal’s problems on Wenger’s tactics? Or should it also be tied to the lack of quality player arrivals or possibly even building the right team attitude? Wenger’s tactics were both successful and ripped apart across his long reign at Arsenal but that was definitely not the sole reason behind the club’s downfall.
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