It’s February and the wheels are falling off the Arsenal bus, again

Remember that film Source Code, starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a former US army captain, sent back in time to try and discover the identity of a bomber trying to blow up a train?

Gyllenhaal tries multiple times to change the outcome of the train being bombed, but he is unsuccessful time after time. It seems whatever he does the train will still be destroyed. Obviously, he ends up reversing the outcome in the end and gets the closure he needs, but does the repetition of destruction time after time with no way to seemingly change the outcome of the event sound a bit like Arsenal?

It is not uncommon for comparisons between Arsenal and Hollywood blockbusters to be made. Year upon year Arsenal are compared to the film Groundhog Day where they seemingly cannot buck the same old trend. Source Code, Groundhog Day, Looper and Déjà vu, compare them to whatever film you like. The difference is that these films find a way to break the loop. Arsenal do not.

Hollywood big boys were watching on at Stamford Bridge last weekend, but Arsenal’s season is no blockbuster.

It should perhaps come as no surprise that Arsenal’s train is about to derail, in the early days of February. It is a common theme in north London. Be that a Champions League exit against Bayern Munich, or being miles behind in the title race. Unless Arsenal are in the FA Cup, their season is practically over by the time March comes around.

When I opened up Sky Sports this morning, I can tell you, I was not surprised in the slightest by what I read. Reports had surfaced that Laurent Koscielny had questioned Arsène Wenger’s team selection on French TV station SFR.

Koscielny thought that some players should not have been selected, and the team as a whole should have played with more togetherness. That may well be one of the understatements of the year, but to come out and question the manager’s tactics will raise doubts about just how together the squad is as a whole.

This comes just days after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain ‘accidentally’ liked a tweet by ArsenalFanTV, calling for Wenger to resign or be sacked, it is evident that the cracks are beginning to show. Even after the 3-1 defeat to Chelsea Mesut Özil was seen berating Nacho Monreal and Alexis Sanchez after their failure to go over to the fans and show their appreciation for their support.

Arsène Wenger is facing one of the most tumultuous periods of his Arsenal reign with (some) fans and (some) pundits calling for him to leave the Gunners. Reports surfaced in the wake of the Chelsea defeat that Wenger had been offered a new two-year-deal, which added insult to injury in the opinion of some fans.

With Gary Neville calling out ArsenalFanTV on Sky, it has been a rough week for everyone associated with Arsenal football club. Dissatisfaction seems like it will only grow with a heavily predicted Champions League exit in the next few weeks, again at the Last-16 stage. With Arsenal seemingly out of the title race too, the FA Cup looks like their only realistic chance of silverware this season. Yet, they may still not be enough to save Wenger, and convince Özil and Sanchez to sign new deals.