When teams start enjoying themselves against you, it’s always a bad sign.  But at only 2–1 up against Arsenal at the Allianz this Wednesday, Bayern were already having the time of their lives. A bit of keep-ball from the German giants in the final third, Thiago Alcântara dazzling his way between Arsenal lines, a lay-off to Xabi Alonso, who brings in Lewandowski. The Pole knows that if he drops off a yard, back to goal, he’ll drag his marker out of position just enough to meet Thiago’s impeccably-timed run with a deft, defence-destroying heel flick. Thiago, across David Ospina. 3–1, and Bayern are cruising. 

Soon it’s 4–1 – Thiago’s shot cannoning in off Granit Xhaka. Finally, five. Goal-hungry Thomas Müller switches feet and slots home. A death knell for Arsenal in the Champions League, and surely a death knell for Arsène Wenger’s time at the club.

Wenger strolled into Highbury in September 1996 armed with an economics degree and a keen eye for statistical analysis that set him apart. He was the first manager in English football to adopt a scientific approach to player nutrition. He would sign players like pulling a needle from a haystack – crunching numbers to spot talents that no one else could identify, like a bench player at Internazionale by the name of Patrick Vieira, or a flash-in-the-pan winger at Juventus named Thierry Henry. That wonderful, record-breaking Arsenal side that went more than a season unbeaten between 2003 and 2004 was a testament to the genius of the man. Wenger revolutionised English football like none before or since.

That was his success, but also his downfall. Wenger’s mathematical approach was brand new to the English game in 1996. But 21 years later more or less every top-flight outfit is doing now what Wenger was doing then, investing in statistical models to game the system in their favour. 

“On its day their style is an unearthly joy to watch. But there’s an easy way to defeat it: stop it happening in the first place”

History doesn’t always remember the ones who came first. Edison didn’t really invent the lightbulb, nor Bell the telephone. The Johnny-come-latelies are the ones who stick in the memory. They come along and improve on the pioneers. And pioneers like Wenger have been cast into the shadows by clubs who know that whatever he used to do, they can now do better. Bluntly, Arsenal’s greatest ever manager has lost his value in a market flooded with the fruits of his own labours.

Longevity is a rare commodity in a manager. Alex Ferguson lasted so long at the top because he was willing to constantly reinvent the wheel. He could mould any team, any player to suit whatever situation he needed them to. Clearly, if longevity is the aim, then pragmatism is the game. And Wenger seems shot of it, clenching dearly onto the same systems that delivered them a League and Cup double in his first full season, but which have delivered only three trophies in the last 13 years. 

For all of their resources, the only silverware that’s been displayed in the Arsenal cabinet since 2004 has been the FA Cup – a trophy that clubs further up the table are increasingly sacrificing at the altar of their League and European campaigns.

They can and should be doing better. By Deloitte’s figures, Arsenal have the greatest match day income in the world, thanks to a lucrative sponsorship deal with airline Emirates, and a stadium in a London borough where the average wage exceeds the national average by more than £12,000 per year. 

But Arsenal’s wage bill is only the fourth highest in the Premier League – £192 million per year according to The Guardian. In that sense a second-placed finish last year had them punching above their weight. But that’s not the point. Trophies will follow when Arsenal dedicate a higher proportion of their club turnover to player acquisition. And for that to happen, Arsène Wenger needs to abandon hope of uncovering the next Vieira or Henry and get his hands on more well-established, world-class talent. Because though stars like Alexis Sánchez and Mesut Özil are seemingly going nowhere, until they can bolster the squad with more players of that ilk, neither are Arsenal.

The honours system is broken. But Beckham should be knighted.

Tactically, heavyweights like Bayern know how to cope with Arsenal, how to get at them, how to break their resistance. On its day their style is an unearthly joy to watch – the way the ball pings and zips between men constantly running into space, one second it’s here, the other it’s there, the next it’s in the back of the net.

But there’s an easy way to defeat it: stop it happening in the first place. Bayern ran at Arsenal all night to prevent them from breaking out of defence in those neat little triangles they so love to play in. It didn’t just work. It also provided Bayern’s fifth of the night, as midfielder Joshua Kimmich nicked it off Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the final third, and played in Thiago who nabbed an assist. Some tactical flexibility might not have yielded a win. But it would surely have prevented a drubbing.

Former captain Cesc Fàbregas once defended Arsenal’s football, stating that he’d rather lose “than win without style”. But now with reports that Wenger’s future is set to be decided at the end of the season, the Arsenal board have to forget about style, and this time put substance first.