Arsène Wenger has always craved equilibrium, be it emotional or financial. For 12 years, he has largely been an oasis of calm in the impulsive world of English football. Yet in the last month, he has experienced enough emotional swings to last most teams an entire season.
First there were three wins and 10 goals in three games; then a week of torment that took in a 4-4 draw with Spurs, a numbing defeat at Stoke and a lamentable goalless draw at home to Fenerbahce. That was followed by a famous victory over Manchester United and a performance of the rarest charm from their youngsters in beating Wigan 3-0 in the Carling Cup.
Then it all went wrong again. They lost at home to Aston Villa, their most credible challengers for fourth place; Theo Walcott disclocated his shoulder with England, William Gallas lost the plot and the captaincy, and now Arsenal have lost for the third time in four league games, 3-0 to Manchester City. To exacerbate Wenger's already considerable misery, they lost to a team whose raison d'être – buy now, pay later when the sugar daddies disappear – represents everything Wenger dislikes in the modern game.
Even if Arsenal won every match until the end of the season they will only have 95 points – two short of the target that Luiz Felipe Scolari has set for Chelsea. And with Chelsea away in the league next for Arsenal, things may get worse before they get better.
Wenger has seen some lows, but the combination of on- and off-field problems this week are exceptional. The last time Arsenal finished outside the top four was in 1995-96, the last season before Wenger came to the club, but that is a genuine possibility given their current problems. Only once before under Wenger have Arsenal been in realistic danger of finishing outside the top four: 2005-06, when they overtook Spurs on the final day.
Arsenal lost 11 league games that season, but they were in season one of building a new generation, so teething problems were inevitable (and their intrepid run to the Champions League final acted as a decent diversion). Now they are in season four and, for all the incontrovertible worthiness of Wenger's project, there is only so long it can be used as a defence. Is this a nadir for Wenger? And what has to happen before the football community begins to think the unthinkable: that Arsène Wenger may get the sack?
