Arsenal could not have appeared to be in any worse shape. When given a chance to redeem themselves for an embarrassing 5-1 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League Round of 16, they went ahead and put up the same performance a second time. Now, the team is eliminated, and the manager may finally be facing his end.
Shameful performance
Arsenal controlled the home game from the start.
It was always going to be difficult to make up a four-goal deficit, but they weren't going to go down to Bayern Munich without a fight. Still, the troubles began before the first kick, as Danny Welbeck suffered an injury during warm-ups. Nevertheless, Theo Walcott put the team up 1-0 in the 20th minute after getting past two defenders and launching a rocket into the roof of the net; the score held for the half.
In the second half, however, things fell apart for the Gunners. A controversial sending-off in the 54th minute led to the first Bayern Munich goal of the game on a penalty kick. That broke the levies, and the goals came pouring in, five in all, including a brace from Arturo Vidal.
Meanwhile, the Arsenal players looked along, either in stunned silence or equally disturbing indifference.
End of an era forthcoming
The biggest embarrassment of the contest may have come after the defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich. There was some confusion during the second half on the foul that led to the penalty and the dismissal of Laurent Koscielny. Arsene Wenger lost his mind at the moment, but he also spent the entirety of his postgame ripping the referee as an embarrassment, never considering that the adjective could be used to describe the play of Arsenal.
It has become increasingly clear that Wenger has lost his grip on Arsenal. The team isn't showing any effort on the field and getting into squabbles off of it.
People don't seem to want to be there anymore, which is a result of a poor culture. Wenger has had carte blanche there for a long time, but it may be a chance to move in another direction, even before his contract expires.