Men in Yellow n Blue

I heard an interview recently with Josh Brolin where he answered the question "How exactly does one develop a Tommy Lee Jones impression?"

"You pick something about him, that's what you do."

Like one thing, you pick it and you decide how that will influence your impression.

What one thing has Arsene Wenger picked about great footballing sides and decided to have his imitate?

What's that you say, Mr. Know it all Yank stats blogger man who bores us all to death at 7am? That Wenger is a true genius who completely transformed football by not copying any successful manager who came before him?

Hmm.

Well maybe not.

Is there one thing about this Arsenal side that stands out to you? What is the signature aspect of this side? I mean, apart from injuries, obviously.

Tiki taka? Pfft. Come on. This team gives away possession of the ball like an ugly drunken uni girl gives away her naughty bits.

So what is it? What is this team about? What is that "one thing?" Go on. The only thing you can pinpoint is Al Sanchez being great. Thank effing Christ.

I always thought, or hoped, that any manager who aspires to be truly great would not mind stealing from his predecessors.  A style. A tick. One thing that connected his side to another great one.

Robbie Mustoe, footballing expert, summed up this current incarnation of the Arsenal today in one sentence: "They tried to hang on and see out the victory but they're just not built to do that."

Indeed they are not. Even against a side down to 10 men, they are not. This is the same side that drew at Leicester. They're simply not that good. And by "that good" I mean able to protect a lead.

Perhaps the characteristic that Wenger has copied from some other manager is frailty.

I fear that 10 years into the future people will describe this time as "the declining Wenger years." You know. It's all gone to shit, and you'll be able to pinpoint that time where your club went from challenging for the title to challenging for barely finishing above Spurs.

It didn't have to be like this. Silent Stan and Futile Wenger could have made this better. More's the pity, eh?