Gilberto Silva feels coach Wenger's time at Arsenal is up

Former Arsenal star Gilberto Silva has said it is time for the London football club to part ways with long-time chief coach Arsene Wenger.

Calls for Wenger to step down have grown louder after Arsenal's 1-3 loss to Liverpool on Saturday, a result that left the Gunners fifth in the English Premier League (EPL) standings, reports Xinhua news agency.

"I feel that the time has come," Gilberto was quoted as saying by Sambafoot on Monday.

"The more the past is coming to a close, the more his time is coming -- not because he can't do the job any longer, but, perhaps because the other clubs have changed their way of working, the way of doings things."

Gilberto won two FA Cups during a six-year spell at the London club and was part of Wenger's Invincibles team that swept to the 2003-04 EPL title without losing a match.

"He hasn't changed much, he hasn't changed his way of working. It is not so easy to compete with clubs who spend a lot of money every season," said Gilberto, who played in Brazil's 2002 World Cup-winning team.

"Wenger has spent a lot more years than them in the Premier League. They are younger and motivated. They have a lot of energy to look around and source ways to win against Wenger. He has his own way of working, in which he believes. Irrespective of whether you are either a young or an old coach, you have to believe in something, and that's what he does."

--IANS

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