Whereas Wenger’s tenure in North London had seen his squads earning reds at a rate of seven a year going into spring, their record has been pathetic lately. On February 25th last year, Wenger chalked up red cards number 67 and 68 in the Carling Cup loss to Chelsea. This was period of turmoil at Ashburton Grove as the Gunners were eliminated from the EPL title race, Carling Cup, F.A. Cup and Champions League in 10 days. And with nothing to play for, the team fell into complacency and was unable to put in the challenges, fights or arguments that could lead to more red cards. A second half slump that saw no red during the final 3 months of the season led to speculation that Arsene Wenger was ready to leave the Emirates and seek to bring pain and shame to the Spanish capital.
This season has seen an upturn in form on the pitch, but the rate of suspensions has still disappointed the fans, board and mostly the gaffer. The only high point during this anguishing campaign was Philippe Senderos’ second half dismissal against Portsmouth.
But now that their unbeaten streak has ended, it is expected that the club will turn moody and sour, which should see them once again earning coveted reds. The first sign of this nastiness came with Wenger’s touchline ban for his antics against Seville. Claiming that Daniel Alves was diving, it was obvious that the Seville wingback’s writhing had upset Wenger. “That is our trick. How dare he feign injury for benefit,” scathed the man who once got into an argument with Martin Jol because Spurs scored when one of his players fell like a sniper victim off the ball.
Wenger is excited about the upcoming congestion in English football, where he can finally get his hotly anticipated 70th red card. And who knows, maybe even more.
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