On the pitch, Arsenal are carrying very little threat to their opponents

PUBLISHED: 18:03 EST, 4 November 2012 | UPDATED: 18:03 EST, 4 November 2012

Winter is not yet truly with us and already Arsenal’s season has reached a critical point. This is what happens when you are fundamentally not good enough.

No longer relevant in the Barclays Premier League, Arsenal’s status as a second-rate team was underlined brutally at Old Trafford on Saturday.

Over the course of this season already, teams such as Stoke City, Fulham, Tottenham and SC Braga have presented Manchester United with a substantially greater threat.

Outclassed: Arsenal were second best at Old Trafford

Now Arsene Wenger and his team must only hope they can find something better when they face Schalke in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

Schalke - second in the Bundesliga - have already beaten Arsenal, 2-0 at the Emirates. If they do so again, Arsenal’s position in Group B will begin to look a little precarious.

Not that they have any hope of winning the Champions League. The peak of their ambition is surely to qualify for the knockout phase and go some way to protect their seeding for next season.

If that sounds rather unromantic then you clearly didn’t see them play at Old Trafford on Saturday. Feckless and reckless perhaps best sums them up. From the moment Arsenal’s former captain Robin van Persie scored with almost his first touch, Wenger’s team were effectively out of the game.

Jack Wilshere’s red card that Wenger railed about was not significant, nor was Santi Cazorla’s last-minute goal. Arsenal were so far short of where they needed to be it makes one wonder if Wenger - one of football’s great strategists - has an idea of where this group of players is going.

Outnumbered: Wilshere is challenged by Tom Cleverley (left) and Michael Carrick

Asked afterwards if his team are good enough to mount a challenge at home or in Europe, he said: ‘That’s what we have to show. At the moment you cannot say that we are, because we are far away now in the league. But that’s what the target is at the end of the season.

‘We have played many away games, in many difficult places, United, (Manchester) City, Liverpool and Stoke, but we are very far behind. Against Manchester City we drew 1-1, we had a good result and didn’t suffer by comparison. Today I think we were not on full cylinders and looked much more vulnerable defensively than at the start of the season.’

Wenger was as candid as ever, which is admirable as he must face the same questions every week. His team reflect less well on him.

Every supporter of any team must see signs of progress in order to be satisfied. Arsenal fans cannot. Wenger’s team look jumbled, with no recognisable spine. There are no natural leaders.

At half-time on Saturday the bungling Brazilian left back Andre Santos swapped shirts with Van Persie as they walked into the tunnel. Caught on TV, that provoked criticism and understandably so. Given the half the South American had just had, though, it was a wonder he didn’t fall over as he did it.

Out of the running: Arsenal are nine points adrift of United already

Santos looks out of place but he is not alone. Saturday’s central defenders, Per Mertesacker and Thomas Vermaelen, were uncomfortable with the intelligence and energy of Van Persie’s movement, while Lukas Podolski - Wenger’s marquee summer signing - looks nothing like the powerful front runner he is for Germany.

So far this season, Podolski has scored two Premier League goals. His last was in mid-September and it is hard to remember him having a shot on Saturday.

All teams have poor days, of course, and context is important. Wenger was right when he talked of a decent showing at Manchester City in September and there have been other bright moments. However, many of us had seen this lame Arsenal display coming.

Over the season, Wenger’s team may show themselves to be better than this. There seems to be no outstanding candidate to fill the fourth Champions League qualification berth and Arsenal could end this campaign with their self-respect intact. But what constitutes achievement at Arsenal has changed and this will hurt Wenger. He knows that this isn’t good enough.

Arsenal v Manchester United used to be a season’s highlight. Right now one of the modern game’s most enduring rivalries would appear to be over.

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I don't understand Wengers team half the time. Surely putting Sagna on the left and Jenkinson on the right at fullbacks would have sorted out a few things. Or maybe even putting Vermarlen there and Koscielny in the middle at centre back would have worked as Santos is just awful. I also can't work out why Wenger is playing Ramsey on the right instead of Walcott or Chamberlain part from the ongoing contract talks that are happening.

- Nick , Hove Acutally, Algeria, 05/11/2012 12:33

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This article is shame, it is true Arsenal won´t win the league, but there are 18 other teams that won´t either and you can write an article like this about them any time of the season and brand them second tier. I don´t like: This team needs natural leaders, they didn´t mention that when Arsenal came from behing against Man City and Reading, what is the logic in that, you lose a game and you need leaders but you can come back from 4-0 with guy branded as "flops"!

- sansesa , Asuncion, 05/11/2012 11:31

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I have always defended Arsenal and always tried to understand what Wenger was doing, I have lost all faith now Not In Arsenal but in Wenger and the Board , i believe that slimey Gazidies should be outed ,looking back back i remember the day David Dein Walked out of the Emirates he " this is the begining of this great club's downfall," how right he was , we are slowing dieing of death but no one can see that ,yes we have a healthy Bank Balance and everything is rosie, but what about the supporters who are crying out for a little success ,I think we have waited long enough any other club would have changed their manager five times by now quote Man cIty and Chelsea .

- ren vassilliou , herts, United Kingdom, 05/11/2012 10:01

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DM's designated Arsenal hater column. What about Liverpool????

- ben.crabtree7 , London, 05/11/2012 09:47

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Top Tier: Man City, Chelsea, Man Utd. Second Tier: Arsenal, Spurs, Newcastle. End of discussion. Arsenal can't afford the best players. They can only afford good-ish players.

- maggio , london, 05/11/2012 09:18

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Poorly written and very biased. Was this article written by Rio Twitternand?

- Neilano , Preston, United Kingdom, 05/11/2012 09:13

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This really is déjà vu,journalists coming out with exactly the same stuff as they were this time last season,it does get very boring,they will finish fourth without too much trouble but the problem is the fans have unrealistic expectations,Wenger is the best in the business and has shown this when it was a level playing field but he really is swimming against the tide now,Chelsea and Man City have inferior managers but the league is decided by the chequebook and Arsenal just cannot compete.

- chris , fife, United Kingdom, 05/11/2012 09:05

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I agree with many comments here, but I don't think any Arsenal fan can be entirely happy at the moment. I know that certain clubs suddenly become financial bottomless pits and can quite easily prise away the best players with ridiculous contract offers. However, for whatever reason, if you sell your world class players and replace them with good players, not only do you loose that player, but you make your rivals stronger, thus Arsenal are now a weaker side that no-one really fears anymore, from top to bottom of the league.

- pablo , almeria, 05/11/2012 08:58

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I find it amazing that fans do not look at everything that is happening. Arsenal are in trouble and it is going to get worse unless things at the top of the club change. We want our Arsenal back and that means players that compete on a par with the teams of Man Utd, Chelsea and Man City. Currently we cannot, we could have lost by six goals on Saturday. Once we used to make a fight if it now we appear to say lets turn up and be frightened of these teams. We need backbone, we need flair and above all we need a manager who recognises this and a board that will spend money to get the correct players. Not the second rate players we have been buying, apart from santi and maybe Lucus.

- stu889 , Hailsham, 05/11/2012 07:34

Click to rate Rating 20

Need to start playing two up top again. 4 3 3 was built around Fabregas who we no longer have. Play Walcott off Giroud then we will always have a goal threat.

- Kai , London, 05/11/2012 07:31

Click to rate Rating 26

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