Wenger Refuses To Learn From Past Mistakes

When Arsenal were hammered 8-2 at Old Trafford, many fans laid the blame on both Wenger and the Arsenal Board for not strengthening the team in the wake of high profile departures. Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri, Gael Clichy and Emmanuel Eboue all departed for new challenges, leaving the Gunners lacking  strength in depth in their squad.

Arsene Wenger's team has been in good form

As a result, the Gunners had a terrible start to the season losing four of their first seven Premier League games. Wenger tried to rectify the situation following the humiliating result at Old Trafford by making several new signings; Mikel Arteta from Everton, Andre Santos from Fenerbahce, Park Chu Young from Monaco, Per Mertesaker from Werder Bremen, and Yossi Benayoun on loan from Chelsea.

These signings seemed to have galvanised the team as the Gunners have gone on a brilliant run, winning nine of their last eleven games. Robin Van Persie has been at the centre of the rejuvenated Arsenal. His goal against West Brom was his eigth goal in his last four Premier League games, and he has also scored 29 league goals in 2011.

Van Persie's importance cannot be overstated as it would appear the team has relied solely on him for goals. The 0-0 home draw against Marseille further illustrated the importance of this mercurial talent, as the Gunners failed to sparkle until his arrival. Nonetheless he could not change the result as Didier Deschamp's side held out for a well earned point.

Van Persie has been in outstanding form

In spite of his brilliant form this season, it is worth noting that Van Persie's time at the Emirates has often been blighted by injuries. The fact that the team now emphatically rely on his match winning exploits should not only be a cause of celebration among the Arsenal fans, but it must also be a cause for concern. One does not wish an injury on such a talented player, but judging by his injury record, it is quite astonishing that Wenger has not signed an adequate replacement should Van Persie's injury jinx strike yet again.

Chamakh has failed to replicate the form he showed at Bordeaux

Marouane Chamakh, a player devoid of form and confidence appears to be Van Persie's immediate replacement. Since joining Arsenal, he has struggled to replicate the form he showed at Bordeaux . The Gunners are expected to challenge on four fronts this season and an injury to the Dutch striker could ruin the season and compound Arsenal to yet another trophy-less campaign. However the situation can be rectified by Wenger bringing out the chequebook and signing a competent centre-forward to either play alongside Van Persie or replace him in the event of an injury.

Thomas Vermaelen has been plagued by injuries since joining Arsenal

Successive Arsenal campaigns have been ruined by injuries to key players, and these injuries have been a factor (although not the only factor) in Arsenal finishing the last six seasons without a trophy. For instance, they struggled for long periods without a competent replacement for Thomas Vermaelen.

However it must be emphasised that clubs of this magnitude are expected to cope with injuries to key players, as it is part and parcel of the game, especially when one takes into account the long and arduous English football season. The lack of a winter break means clubs are expected to assemble huge squads to cope with such eventualities. Arsenal's failure to sign competent replacements has been a crucial factor in their struggle to even challenge for the Premier League.

In a separate development, it would appear Van Persie's contract is running out, and the striker has decided to delay contracts talks until the summer. His contract expires in June 2013, meaning he will be contracted to the Gunners for just one year at the end of this season.

Samir Nasri moved from Arsenal to Manchester City

A similar situation occurred when Samir Nasri was allowed to run-down his contract to just one year, and he ended up joining Man City. Surely one would have expected Wenger to learn from past mistakes and make it a club policy that players will not be allowed to run-down their contracts to just one year, as it puts the club in an increasingly difficult position, where they will either have to sell the player, or watch him leave for free at the end of his contract.

The departure of the highly rated Flamini to AC Milan on a  free transfer further illustrates the dangers in allowing players run down their contracts. Arsenal could have made a significant sum of money, had he been sold, but the failure of club in taking control of the situation resulted in the departure of such a  competent player on a Bosman free transfer.

While the Arsenal fans continue to demonstrate their trust in Wenger, his failure to sign adequate replacements coupled with his failed transfer policy has severely hindered the chances of Arsenal ending their trophy jinx in the near future. England's third most successful club with 13 league titles (behind Manchester United, 19, &Liverpool, 18) will not be content with just finishing fourth and qualifying for the Champions League. Surely the objective must be winning trophies and unless Wenger learns from his past mistakes, the Arsenal fans might just start losing faith in his ability to turn things round. It remains to be seen whether Arsenal's season will crumble yet again because of injuries and Wenger's failure to sign adequate replacements.

Are We Witnessing A Shift In The Balance of Power in African Football?

The qualification stages for the forthcoming 2012 African Cup of Nations in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea have finally been concluded, and we now know the teams that will be participating. While there are new debutants Botswana and Niger, it is the failure of the traditional powers Egypt, Cameroon and Nigeria that has sent shockwaves around the continent. 


The failure of these teams to qualify for the 2012 Cup of Nations has led to widespread discussions, specifically relating to whether the balance of power is shifting on the continent, or as some have claimed, it is an isolated incident aided by poor organisation and lack of planning by the failed giants of African football.


Egypt
Egypt's failure to qualify for the 2012 Cup of Nations stunned many football fans and pundits worldwide. The Egyptians have had remarkable success on the continent's most prestigious football tournament. Prior to the 2012 qualifiers, the Pharaohs had never failed to qualify for the Nations Cup in their entire football history. In addition, they had won the last three editions of the Nations Cup (2006, 2008 & 2010), brushing aside the likes of Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon and the Ivory Coast, making them the most successful team at the nations cup with 7 titles (1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010).

Egypt failed to qualify for the 2012 Nations Cup

However the failure of the legendary coach, Hassan Shehata to rebuild an ageing team, coupled with the political unrest that had erupted in Cairo appeared to have cost Egypt the chance of defending their title. Egypt had an ageing squad comprising Essam El-Hadary , 38,  Mohamed Aboutrika, 32, Wael Gomaa, 36, among others. Shehata also failed to build his team around the brilliant and much younger Mahmoud Shikabala, the most inform player in the Egyptian league at the time. 

Legendary Egyptian coach Hassan Shehata paid the price for Egypt's failure to qualify for the Nations Cup

He decided to stick with the old guard who had been remarkably successful during his tenure as coach of the Pharaohs, and they finished bottom of a group that comprised Niger, South Africa and Sierra Leone, with just a solitary win. The political unrest which culminated in the resignation of long term president Hosni Mubarak further destablised the Pharaohs, as the league and other football activities were suspended. Nonetheless, Shehata has paid the price for their failure to qualify and a new coach will be at the helm as the rebuilding process gets underway.

Cameroon
In relation to Cameroon, many issues have been raised regarding their failure to qualify, such as poor organisation, lack of unity among the players, corruption in the administration of Cameroonian football, Eto'o being given preferential treatment, and finally the fact that Cameroon were battling with Senegal for a place at the Nations Cup. Senegal is also an established team on the continent and many teams would have found it difficult winning a group that involved the Senegalese.

Cameroon failed to qualify for 2012 Nations Cup

While the role of corruption is widely acknowledged in Cameroonian football, the impact of the lack of unity and infighting among the players cannot be underestimated. World renowned superstar and Cameroon's most influential player Samuel Eto'o was at the centre of various controversies. Firstly, he reportedly clashed with Arsenal's Alex Song at the 2010 world cup, and then the pair were involved in yet another dispute during camping for their decisive qualifier against Senegal in Yaounde. Song had refused to shake hands with Eto'o as he was still upset over the previous clash. 

Samuel Eto'o was involved in various controversies

The Indomitable Lions that went on to draw what was widely described as "a must win" game, with Eto'o missing an 87th minute penalty that was awarded in controversial circumstances. During the match Eto'o had appeared to prevent coach Javier Clemente from making a substitution. He was charged with indiscipline and missing a training session, but was subsequently cleared by the Cameroon Football Federation. 


While the Cameroonians pick up the pieces and try to rebuild the Indomitable Lions once again, many questions will be raised as to whether the phenomenal Samuel Eto'o should retire from international football and give the younger players a chance to make their mark.  It will be increasingly difficult to curb the influence of such an enigmatic player, without upsetting him. There will be a new coach in charge of the Indomitable Lions after coach Javier Clemente was sacked following the team's failure to qualify for Gabon & Equatorial Guinea 2012.


Nigeria
The Super Eagles of Nigeria went into their final qualifier against Guinea in Abuja needing a win to seal their place at Gabon and Equatorial Guinea 2012. Unlike Cameroon and Egypt, they went into their final group game with a chance of qualifying for the tournament. In spite of the match being played in Abuja, the Super Eagles still conspired to concede a stoppage time equaliser, sending shockwaves around the football world.  

The Super Eagles will not be at Gabon and Equatorial Guinea 2012

Various factors can be attributed to the failure of the Super Eagles, such as lack of discipline among the players, tactical errors, and in some cases coach Samson Siasia being too heavy-handed with the players, thereby affecting results in crucial matches. Following the departure of the much criticised Lars Lagerback, the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) appointed former player Samson Siasia as the coach of the Super Eagles. The NFF appeared to be under pressure in making the appointment as Siasia was immensely popular and the preferred candidate of many Nigerians.


Siasia had succeeded in his previous engagements managing Nigeria's youth teams. He won the African Youth Championship in 2005, and also reached the final of the 2005 World Youth Championship, losing 2-1 to a Messi inspired Argentina. He then managed the Nigerian team at the 2008 Olympics in Bejing and yet again lost in the final to an Argentina team involving Messi. He was widely regarded by some of his most vocal fans as "the saviour of Nigerian football", as a result of his meticulous preparations before matches.


However, clashes with key experienced players such as Odemwingie and Enyeama proved decisive in his failure to succeed with the Super Eagles. He left out Westbrom's Peter Odemwingie for the crucial qualifier in Addis Ababa, which astonishingly ended 2-2. Nigeria needed a late equaliser from Joseph Yobo to salvage a point. He also dropped goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama for the decisive game against Guinea in Abuja, which also ended 2-2, and many fans blamed the replacement goalkeeper Dele Ayenugba for conceding a late equaliser which they believed he should have saved. His decision to replace Inter Milan's Joel Obi when Nigeria were leading 2-1 also raised further questions regarding his tactical competence. While some have defended Siasia's ultra disciplinary methods, others have questioned the wisdom in leaving out his key players for absolutely crucial matches.

Samson Siasia was sacked by the NFF

Nevertheless, the NFF fired Siasia for failing to qualify for the nations cup, and former Super Eagles captain Stephen Keshi has been appointed as the new coach of the Super Eagles. He is expected to embark on the difficult task of rebuilding the Super Eagles, and qualify for both the 2013 Nations Cup in South Africa, and the 2014 world cup in Brazil.

Despite Egypt, Cameroon and Nigeria failing to qualify for the forthcoming Nations Cup, Ghana and the Ivory Coast both qualified and are widely regarded as favourites to be crowned as champions in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. The Black Stars' qualification was secured in their final qualifier in Khartoum where they beat Sudan 2-0. Prior to kick-off, both Ghana and Sudan had 13 points a piece, and many will point to the fact that Sudan pushed the in-form Ghanaians all the way as further evidence of a shift in the balance of power in African football.

While it is difficult to emphatically state that the balance of power is shifting on the continent, it can be acknowledged that the gap between the traditional powers (such as Egypt, Ghana, Cameroon, Nigeria) and the other nations is closing. Other less traditional footballing nations have invested in football academies and the influx of agents seeking to get players on the cheap has also increased the chances of smaller nations exporting players to the top European leagues. One can only hope that while the traditional football nations continue their rebuilding process, the gap will be closed even further thereby leading to an increase in competition among the African nations.