As the dust settles after another exciting Carling Cup final, Arsenal players and fans alike must be wondering if their team will ever win a major competition.

The Gunners were hot favourites heading into the match, but suffered defeat in the hands of Birmingham, who were given a gift in the dying minutes to secure a 2-1 victory over the London giants.

Arsene Wenger was recently named football’s ‘Manager of the Decade’, but ironically, this is the only piece of silverware he has lifted in the past 6 years. Wenger’s tenure at Arsenal started brightly with the North London club winning the league and FA Cup double a year after his initial appointment.

In fact, during the Frenchman’s first nine years at the helm, Arsenal had secured an impressive three Premier League titles, FA Cups and four Community Shields. However, the success seems to have dried up of late and Arsenal have failed to bring home a single trophy since their FA Cup Final victory against Manchester United in 2005. 

There has been much written about the failings of the club over recent years, with various different reasons attributed to their poor form in major competitions. One explanation is their change of stadium. Since their high profile move from Highbury to The Emirates in 2006, Arsenal have fallen short in every competition, but Wenger believes that the two events are not connected. 

“To blame the move to The Emirates would be a little bit simplistic”, he said. “We have been fighting for championships - and didn’t win them for sure - but it is not easy to move to a new stadium. If you look at the other teams that have done that and where they are, you realise that is not easy.”

Another, and perhaps more popular explanation, is that of the current Arsenal cohort. Much has been said about the weak defensive displays on show this season, and with 52 per cent of the goals conceded during this Premier League campaign coming from set pieces, it is easy to understand the frustration of the fans. This poor defensive form is often attributed to the lack of a natural born leader at the back. When Arsenal were winning trophies, the likes of Sol Campbell and Martin Keown dominated the back line; Englishmen who were not naturally gifted footballers but who were consistent in their ability to read the game. There is perhaps no greater example of the influence that one player can have on a club than Patrick Viera. 

His penalty to secure the FA Cup for Arsenal in 2005 was not only his last action in an Arsenal shirt, but was also the last time the Gunners lifted a trophy. In fact, all of Wenger’s 11 trophies at Arsenal were secured whilst Viera was in the senior team.

Many fans have called upon Wenger to strengthen his squad, with injuries to high profile players, such as Cesc Fabregas and Robin Van Persie, becoming all too common in recent months. However, the root of the problem lies in the Arsenal defence. An experienced goalkeeper and centre-half, who could emulate the form of past Arsenal greats, such as David Seaman and Tony Adams, could be just what the club needs in order to address the lack of silverware which has plagued the club for the past 6 years.

It is easy to forget that Arsenal were in the Champions League final in 2006, almost beating Barcelona with 10 men. They have also been runners-up in the Premier League 5 times since Wenger took over and were also in the FA Cup Final in 2001, but Wenger’s men will have to stop falling at the final hurdle and bring a trophy home to The Emirates soon. Otherwise they will forever be known as the team that are ‘always the bridesmaid, never the bride’.  

This would be a crying shame for a team blessed with so much talent and flair.   A team comprised of the next generation of global football stars including Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Jack Wilshere should be contesting trophies every year and the footballing world hopes that this team can end their trophy drought soon. 

It is undisputable that when Arsenal attack they do so with both beauty and menace, as is demonstrated by their incredible goal-scoring record of 57 goals in 27 games so far this season; the second highest of any Premier League club. 

What is in dispute, however, is their ability to keep a clean sheet. It is now of paramount importance that these all-to-frequent defensive errors are eliminated, or teams such as Barcelona and Manchester United, who Arsenal face in the Champions League and FA Cup respectively, will not be very forgiving.