Sunday 5 February 2017 20:18, UK
Arsenal's owners will look at what happened when Sir Alex Ferguson left Manchester United and be content with finishing in the top four, says the Sunday Supplement panel.
Arsene Wenger's Gunners trail Premier League leaders Chelsea by 12 points after losing 3-1 to their rivals at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
The defeat led to 'Wenger Out' calls on social media following the defeat, with the Frenchman having failed to win the title since 2004, but the Sunday Supplement panel believes Arsenal's owners are willing to play safe by keeping Wenger in charge.
A decision over whether Wenger stays at the club beyond the end of his contract - which expires at the end of the season - is also made more complicated by the uncertainty over Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez's future, according to the panel.
"I know Ozil and Sanchez are top players but that was a game where they really needed them," said The Telegraph's chief football writer Sam Wallace. "Against the runaway leaders of the Premier League those two didn't show up. It does ask big questions.
"It comes down to what the club want. Do they want to push on, to take the discomfort of change in return for changing this cycle of, I hesitate to say failure, but not winning trophies? Or are they happy with what they've got?
"I think so far the [Stan] Kroenke ownership have shown they are clearly happy with what they've got. I think they are happy with the top four."
Arsenal's current situation was compared to Manchester United's struggle to maintain the heights achieved during Sir Alex Ferguson's time in charge at Old Trafford.
The Sun's Matt Lipton said: "The question for Arsenal is would it be better for Arsenal to finish fifth and Wenger to say 'my work here is done' and there to be a change of manager?
"Or could the crisis which that potentially provokes have the same negative impact that Fergie's departure had on United? Do you need to go through a year or two of that to have the fundamental overhaul that might bring a winning side?"
Matt Dickinson, from The Times, added: "The owners will look at what happened to United and think that looks hard work, down to seventh, missing the Champions League, and that will make them even more cautious and say 'over to you Arsene, you decide'."
