With so much pressure surrounding Arsene Wenger's position as manager of Arsenal, it's hard not to imagine a scenario where a slow start would result in the sacking of the longest serving gaffer in the Premier League.
Arsenal fans seem divided in whether or not they want the legendary Frenchman in charge of their club anymore, but a vocal section of those supporters want Wenger gone considering the lack of signings brought in to improve on last season, where finishing ahead of Spurs once again papered over the cracks of a failed title-push somewhat.
But as far as the man himself goes, thoughts of retirement are not something Wenger is willing to entertain as he revealed in a new book coming out this week titled 'Game Changers' - which talks to various people involved in the sport and has been previewed in The Guardian - that he is afraid of the prospect as he is not sure what he would do without football as a part of his daily life.
It’s been my life and, honestly, I’m quite scared of the day. The longer I wait, the more difficult it will be and the more difficult it will be to lose the addiction.
After Alex retired and we played them over there [at Manchester United] he sent a message to me to come up and have a drink with him. I asked: ‘Do you miss it?’ He said: ‘Not at all.’ I didn’t understand that. It’s an emptiness in your life, especially when you’ve lived your whole life waiting for the next game and trying to win it.
It's a little bit sad, as amidst the thousands of fans who would happily (maybe that is stretching it) see him pack his bags and ride off into the sunset, there is a man who has dedicated so much to getting the club where they are, and won't know what to do once he is no longer in charge of it.
That said, there is little room for compassion in modern football, and those who want him gone will argue that he has achieved all that he can, and without further spending it is going to be more and more difficult to compete.
Wenger also gave comment on his spending policy, and it's not going to go down well with those who are not happy with it as he justifies his decision to keep his hands in his pockets while others around him are throwing cash around the market.
I personally believe the only way to be a manager is to spend the club’s money as if it were your own because if you don’t do that you’re susceptible to too many mistakes. You make big decisions and I believe you have to act like it’s your own money, like you’re the owner of the club and you can identify completely with the club. Because if you don’t do that I think you cannot go far.
Arsenal fans are growing more and more impatient as the transfer deadline approaches with only Granit Xhaka added as a major signing, but while they may complain about the lack of a big-name striker being brought in they cannot question how much the manager cares for the club and desperately wants to succeed, albeit on his own terms.
You get the feeling that a good start will be vital for Arsenal, and Wenger in particular if he wants to prevent his fears from becoming reality sooner than he would have wanted.
Then again Alex Ferguson felt similar, famously stating that he feared he would die as soon as he stepped away from the game, and look at him now.
