It's been an odd season in England, with traditional favorites Manchester United and Chelsea mired in the middle, and Manchester City barely hanging on to fourth place. Third-place Arsenal, though, is bearing the brunt of the criticism for not taking advantage of the down year, mostly because — unlike the others — the club hasn't won a title since 2004. For Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, failure to win this year would be especially bitter, especially since the Premier League seems to have passed him by.

It's almost hard to imagine now how strange Wenger's hiring seemed back in 1996, when Arsenal plucked him from a stint managing in the Japanese League. Long before the Premier League became a cosmopolitan destination for the world's best players, it was taken as gospel that foreign players and foreign managers didn't have what it takes to succeed in England. Wenger, indisputably French, brought in squads of foreigners, and took such revolutionary steps as putting his players on diets and banning beer in the locker room — heresy, to many.

Against England's expectations, it all worked. Arsenal won three league titles in Wenger's first eight years and built an enduring reputation for attractive, exciting soccer, based on movement, passing and possession. "The Professor's" reliance on scouting for new players, rather than big money, meant that the club did it on a budget as well — and could afford to finance a huge, lavish new Emirates Stadium near its old, cozy Highbury home.

The stadium, though, put a major dent in Arsenal's finances, just as Wenger's cerebral methods started to seem less revolutionary. Over the past decade, big-money owners and huge television contracts have turned every Premier League team into a financial powerhouse. Every team is unearthing players from around the world and is complementing them with big-money signings from the biggest leagues. There's no advantage left for the careful spender and the knowledgeable scout. For Wenger, his England-conquering days seem behind him; after finishing first or second in each of his first eight full seasons, Arsenal has finished third or fourth every year since. The Gunners have developed a reputation as a very good team that chokes in important games, with just two FA Cup wins in the past two seasons to fill the trophy case.

The Gunners are eight points behind Leicester City with nine games to go, a huge hill to climb. Wenger's side has one foot out of the Champions League, and the team's only hope for a trophy could well be another FA Cup — perhaps small consolation. More and more of the club's fans are agitating for a change; last weekend, some fans unveiled a banner that read, "Thanks for the memories, but it's time to say goodbye." If Arsenal can't pull off a few miracles, Wenger may finally go. To do so without another Premier League title would be an ignominious end for a man who helped revolutionize English soccer.

Writer Jon Marthaler gives you a recap of recent events and previews the week ahead. • jmarthaler@gmail.com

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