For Wenger and Arsenal, FA Cups Not Enough

In less than a month, Arsenal will host Manchester City at the Emirates in an
FA Cup semifinal that will determine which team moves to the Cup title to face Tottenham or Chelsea. The Gunners are making a run at the FA Cup title for the third time in the last four seasons, and as winners of 12 cups all-time, are looking to add to the highest total in English soccer.

One could be optimistic about Arsenal's run through the FA Cup, but supporters of the club have grown tired of what is merely a band-aid on a wound that continues to fester: Arsene Wenger's job status and the club's inability to win the Premier League. Wenger, a legend who has spent two decades in charge of the Gunners, has a resume others would die for. He's won three Premier League titles, six FA Cup titles and six Community Shields and yet his job is in question due to recent play in the Premier League the past few years.

Arsenal has not won a BPL title since 2003-04, which is a lifetime in sports. While Arsenal has consistently been mediocre during the last decade-plus, rivals Chelsea have won four times and Manchester United five times. Still, Wenger has directed the Gunners to the Champions League every season, meaning he's never outside of the top four, but merely making a home in the good-but-not-good-enough category.

Is it good enough anymore, though? Are deep FA Cup runs good enough anymore? And are appearances in the Champions League Round of 16 adequate at this point? Is the club satisfied with where it's at, or is it wanting to take a step forward? Lastly, is Wenger the man to get Arsenal to take that step?

His body of work should allow him time to fix things, but salvaging a lost Premier League season with another FA Cup title won't be enough this time around. Time may have run out on the Frenchman. Arsenal currently sits sixth in the Premier League table with Manchester United two points ahead in fifth and Liverpool six points ahead in fourth. At this point, Arsenal's run of Champions League appearances is in jeopardy and no Cup title could cover that mess.

An Arsenal that watches the Champions League from home is an Arsenal in decline. A team in decline needs a new voice to lead and the painful parting with Wenger must happen. His status as a legend is cemented, but his services are no longer able to get the club where it wants to be.

Times are tough at Arsenal. The board has been silent on Wenger's future and star players Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil may be on the move. No team will ever turn down a cup title, but for Arsenal supporters there are grander titles out there - ones that Arsenal has not competed for in some time.

Players have come and gone. A new stadium has been broken in. Perhaps the change needs to happen on the sideline.

Leicester City's Improbable Run Nearly Complete

With a 1-0 win Sunday against Southampton, Leicester City moved to seven points ahead of
Tottenham at the top of the Barclays Premier League table. Wes Morgan netted the game's lone goal, his first of the season, and Leicester took another step closer to completing its fairytale. In a league that's dominated by titans of the game, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, etc., Leicester has defied the 5000-1 odds and held the top spot for much of the season.

The story that is unfolding before us is one the Premier League has never experienced. Parity is a word solemn used when referring to the league except to say that there is none. 47 clubs have competed in the Premier League since it's inception in 1992, but only five have won the league. Manchester United's dominance is well-documented as the Red Devils have won the league 13 times. Chelsea has won four times, Arsenal three times, Manchester City twice and Blackburn once.

The league is more predictable than deciphering who the villain is in a Scooby-Doo episode. Leicester has defied the normal script though. The Foxes have a star in Jamie Vardy, who trails only Tottenham's Harry Kane in goals scored with 19, and they have a defense that has orchestrated 12 clean sheets, which is good for second in the league.

When did the world know Leicester was for real? The Foxes got off to an incredible start, losing only two games before the turn of the calendar. The losses came to classic heavyweights, Arsenal in the sixth game of the season, and Liverpool on Boxing Day at Anfield. Still, the dream seemed to be just that - a dream.

Since we welcomed in 2016, Leicester has gone 9-1-3 with the lone loss at Arsenal.  For anybody still doubting, Leicester reeled off wins over Tottenham, Stoke, Manchester City and Liverpool by a combined score of 9-1 from January 13 - February 6. The Foxes' favorable schedule since the Arsenal loss has led to five wins and a draw, and the 1-0 win Sunday over Southampton was yet another victory over a team fighting for a Champions League spot.

Six matches remain for Leicester, including dates at Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge, but there's no debate anymore: the Foxes are for real and this fairytale is in its final chapter. Barring a collapse of epic proportions, Leicester will win the league. It's an improbable story because of this: Leicester, before a promotion to the Premiership last season, hadn't even played in the BPL since 2004. The Foxes finished 14th last season and were at 5000-1 odds to win the title this year.

But the dream season is almost complete. Leicester is prepared to rewrite the narrative of the Premier League, quelling any leftover doubters in the final six weeks of the season. In a league dominated by clubs like Manchester United and Arsenal, LCFC will be crowned champion.

Who would have ever thought?