Summary: With the Premier League title all but handed to Manchester United, the North London Derby became the most important fixture of the past week in England, not only because of the rivalry, but also because conclusions would be drawn from the result both symbolic and actual. At the center of the discussion is none other than Arsene Wenger who conceded that the loss was a setback in achieving top four and that his team failed to be efficient yet again in two key areas of the pitch, where defensive lapses and the inability to finish factored huge in the end. We examine the slow and steady decline at Arsenal, whether the lack of top level players is due to financial restrictions, miscalculations by Wenger himself and whether players such as Jack Wilshere not imposing themselves consistently are the root cause. We also gauge whether the politics at Arsenal are evolving given the leaks to the press of available transfer funds each summer is undermining the overall message and if the football club has actually made the manager job for Wenger even more difficult by failing for so long to invest. Then we turn to the matter of Rafa Benitez on the heels of his supporter behavior manifesto from midweek to examine whether he was the right figure to deliver that message given his Liverpool history and whether the football club itself should never leave such a delivery to a manager with an interim tag on him in the first place. We evaluate whether Liverpool ultimately took something out of Benitez as we do tend to remember Benitez more for his controversy and divisiveness than his talent as a football manager. In closing we look at the rising star that is Michael Laudrup and begin to consider whether he is about to be approached by a bigger club this off-season, the type a manager cannot refuse if handed the keys to the organization. Loads here on Wenger and Benitez who will go toe to toe it seems for top four and Champions League football for 2013-14, and a great deal is now on the line.
