The season goes from bad to worse for Arsenal. Arsene Wenger’s side slipped to yet another demoralising defeat on Saturday, this time at the hands of West Bromwich Albion.
With four defeats in their last five league games, their hopes of a top four position this season are looking increasingly slim.
Supporters are growing more and more impatient with Wenger and his style of management. The Frenchman is seemingly unable to motivate his players to big performances right now and it’s massively concerning.
If there’s no sign of improvement between now and the end of the season then it could be curtains for him.
For West Brom, the 3-1 win was of course a fantastic result. They looked the more hungry side by far and fully deserved all three points.
Here are the FIVE photos that tell the story of the match…
Not again…
It didn’t take long for West Brom to assert their authority on set-pieces and get themselves ahead and it was Craig Dawson who rose highest to tuck the ball away.
Any pre-match optimism Arsenal had of course quickly vanished and most probably thought “here we go again…” as the opposition wheeled away to celebrate.
However, the Gunners have fought back from losing positions before this season. Could they show the fight and determination required to get themselves back in the game?
Sanchez the saviour?
Alexis Sanchez, like so many times this season, answered the hopes and dreams of Arsenal supporters when he fired back for the Gunners just minutes after Craig Dawson opened the scoring.
It was a typically classy finish from the Chilean forward, controlling expertly in the box before composing himself and lashing a shot into the roof of the net.
At this point an Arsenal comeback looked on the cards. The most likely scenario was that Arsene Wenger’s side would assert themselves on the game and come through the encounter unscathed.
It turns out West Brom didn’t quite see the script running like that.
Yes, again…
Hal Robson-Kanu broke Gunners hearts when he poked home shortly after half-time. Clearly well motived by Tony Pulis at half-time, West Brom fully deserved their lead after a rather wasteful performance from Arsenal in the final third.
This time there would be no way back for Arsene Wenger and his team with things falling apart fifteen minutes from time when Craig Dawson rose again to give the Baggies a massive cushion heading into the closing stages of the game.
It was all rather dismal for the travelling North Londoners.
Where now for Wenger?
You get the impression time is rapidly running out on Wenger if he’s to show Arsenal supporters he has what it takes to turn this team around and deliver success.
This season feels like a line in the sand for many Arsenal supporters who want to see the club achieve more success or at the very least compete adequately for the big trophies.
Whether Wenger has already crossed that line or is able to step back from it remains to be seen. What’s certain though is that more results like this will just add to the growing calls for his departure.
These fans know what they want
There is certainly an element of the Arsenal support that are sure about the way the club should move in the future and that’s without Arsene Wenger. Even before the dramatic loss to West Brom, fans had arranged this plane to fly over The Hawthornes to deliver the message that the Frenchman is not wanted at the Emirates anymore.
There was another plane too, saying the exact opposite. This divide will surely come to a head soon. The question remains though: what will Wenger decide to do?