After the latest landmark humiliation, the latest murmurings from Arsenal are that Arsene Wenger’s future will be now be decided at the end of the season, and that it will be a “mutual” process.

If that slight shift in position sounds like a bit of a muddle, it also sums up the entire situation, and a certain lack of clarity.

There are many elements of Wenger’s management that are now a problem for Arsenal in terms of this club actually making progress as a football team and competing, but then his departure will itself probably create another problem - and one they haven’t exactly given themselves the best chance of solving.

Consider this. When you have a situation as historically distinctive as this, and when one manager has held such an all-powerful position for so long, it really requires a lot of planning and reshuffling to give a succession any chance of going someway smoothly. It can never really be a case of a brighter young modern manager coming and just picking up everything where Wenger left it and building on all that for something better.

It’s not that simple, and Arsenal have arguably made it much harder for themselves. There has been no real planning or reshuffling in that sense. That is perfectly illustrated by the fact that, as late as mid-February, no-one has any idea whether he will actually go. There remains the very strong possibility Arsenal could have to suddenly deal with the biggest change in their history - other, that is, than actually appointing Wenger in the first place - at almost a moment’s notice; with very little time between the reality of the announcement and how they actually handle it.

This is not to cast undeserved criticism of Wenger’s overarching work at the club, or his “legacy” in terms of what he leaves. It is absolutely true and so admirable that he has been the primary force in transforming Arsenal and creating a modern super-club, complete with a fine stadium, fine facilities and so much potential.

What a club ‘is’, however, is still a very different issue to how it works inside. The macro can be fine at the same time that the micro needs addressing. How many times, after all, did we hear about the scale and scope of the club that Sir Alex Ferguson had built at Manchester United in the years up to his retirement? When it came to managing things after his departure, though, club officials found that absolutely everything around Old Trafford and Carrington was built towards the Scot’s personal references - rather than what was generally best for a modern super-club. It has required - and still requires - a lot of unstitching, something that an actually workable succession plan would have seen take place well before Ferguson went. Look, now, at how they’re still reshaping their international scouting. The big benefit of the club Ferguson had created was of course that they had the resources and wealth to lessen the impact of structural problems, but there’s still so much work involved.

It is much the same at Arsenal, and expect to hear a lot about the time around Ferguson’s retirement in the next few months, because it is so relevant and there are so many parallels with Wenger’s situation.

Wholesale change is needed at Arsenal before the club can move forward (Getty)

As with his grand old rival and friend at United, absolutely everything around the Emirates and London Colney is built towards the man they call “the boss”. That is going to require unstitching too. It is all the more important because so much with this kind of thing comes down to the manager’s innate abilities, the mindset and perception that elevated him above so many others in the first place. With some things like this, elements only work because of the specific genius of the man involved, as was the case with Ferguson. That is only going to add to the challenge of figuring things out.

But it goes even deeper.

There isn’t a single football decision at Arsenal that is made without going through Wenger. He has vetoed big calls other figures have made. The change to that process alone is going to take a lot to deal with.

Bayern 5 Arsenal 1 player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 Bayern 5 Arsenal 1 player ratings Bayern 5 Arsenal 1 player ratings Manuel Neuer – 6 out of 10 Lucky not to be punished when he spilled Ozil’s first-half free-kick. Got down well to Sanchez’s penalty, perhaps should have stopped the rebound. Bayern 5 Arsenal 1 player ratings Philip Lahm – 7 out of 10 Weighted the cross for Lewandowski’s goal perfectly. Will miss the second leg after picking up a booking. Bayern 5 Arsenal 1 player ratings Javi Martinez – 7 out of 10 Looked uneasy when Arsenal’s forwards could run at him before the break, but was protected by his team’s dominance of possession afterwards. Bayern 5 Arsenal 1 player ratings Mats Hummels – 8 out of 10 Assured at the centre of Bayern’s defence, but in truth was rarely troubled. Bayern 5 Arsenal 1 player ratings David Alaba – 7 out of 10 Took a while to ease himself into the game but won his battle with Bellerin decisively. Bayern 5 Arsenal 1 player ratings Xabi Alonso – 7 out of 10 Failed to exert his usual influence in the first half, and should have done better to stop Sanchez’s effort, but was instrumental once Bayern started to move through the gears. Bayern 5 Arsenal 1 player ratings Arturo Vidal – 6 out of 10 A quieter influence on the game than his Bayern team-mates, but had little to contend with in the middle of the park. Bayern 5 Arsenal 1 player ratings Arjen Robben – 9 out of 10 His simply stunning strike in the opening exchanges set the tone for the evening. A reminder why he has been one of the continent’s best over the past decade. Bayern 5 Arsenal 1 player ratings Thiago – 8 out of 10 An excellent display was capped off with two sweet goals. Eased the ball past Ospina for Bayern’s third, slightly fortunate for his second. Bayern 5 Arsenal 1 player ratings Douglas Costa – 5 out of 10 Bayern’s only real disappointment of the night, he failed to fizz and crackle like the rest of their forward talents. Bayern 5 Arsenal 1 player ratings Robert Lewandowski – 8 out of 10 Somewhat unlucky to concede the penalty, but atoned with a magnificent header to put his side back in front. His assist for Thiago was even better. Bayern 5 Arsenal 1 player ratings David Ospina – 6 out of 10 Improved after a nervy start, and despite conceding five, stopped Bayern on several occasions. Produced one brilliant save to deny Martinez. Bayern 5 Arsenal 1 player ratings Hector Bellerin – 4 out of 10 Still looking bang out-of-sorts, the young Spaniard offered none of the invention and threat we have come to expect. Bayern 5 Arsenal 1 player ratings Shkodran Mustafi – 5 out of 10 No contest for Lewandowski, who used him as a climbing frame for Bayern’s second. Looked more comfortable with Koscielny as a partner. Bayern 5 Arsenal 1 player ratings Laurent Koscielny - 7 out of 10 Looked excellent early on and did well to win the penalty. His departure through injury at the start of the second half was the harbinger of Arsenal’s collapse. Bayern 5 Arsenal 1 player ratings Kieran Gibbs – 4 out of 10 Left-back continues to prove a problem area for Arsenal. Robben had it all his own way. Bayern 5 Arsenal 1 player ratings Francis Coquelin – 4 out of 10 Elected to stand off Robben rather than get tight, allowing the opening goal to fly past him. Recovered, but utterly over-ran by Bayern’s midfield after the break. Bayern 5 Arsenal 1 player ratings Granit Xhaka – 5 out of 10 Forced Neuer into action with a well-taken first-time shot from the edge of the box in the first half. It was his only real moment of note. Bayern 5 Arsenal 1 player ratings Alex Iwobi – 4 out of 10 A quiet night for the youngster. Substituted after Bayern’s fourth goal, replaced by Theo Walcott. Bayern 5 Arsenal 1 player ratings Mesut Ozil – 5 out of 10 Missing in action, once again. Could have punished Bayern when he broke in behind in the closing stages of the first half but ran down a blind alley. Bayern 5 Arsenal 1 player ratings Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 4 out of 10 Failed to justify his surprise selection on the left-flank, rarely troubling Lahm. Getty Bayern 5 Arsenal 1 player ratings Alexis Sanchez – 7 out of 10 Kept running into brick walls until the penalty. His initial effort was poor but showed composure to guide the ball home at the third time of asking.

It raises even more questions about the managerial structure, before even getting to the broader club structures. Does it mean that hiring a director of football, for example, is essential?

What is undeniably essential is that they appoint a properly forceful personality as head coach, and that trait arguably is as important as any modern tactical acumen. That is for two reasons. First of all, you need someone able to handle the considerable pressure of directly replacing a figure so pervasive in every way. Secondly, you need someone that is able to deal with the necessary changes that are going to be taking place under and above him, while still being able to win football matches.

They can’t afford a manager as visibly intimidated by such a job as David Moyes was at Manchester United. They need one who has the assurance to handle so many ructions, but still keep the team on track.

Wenger's replacement will need to fill the void left by the Frenchman (Getty)

It is a challenge only heightened by the fact so many of Arsenal’s current players look so discardable.

It is also the muddle of all this. Wenger’s time was arguably up as long ago as 2012, but there is actually a strong argument he should stay in the job specifically to give the club appropriate time to prepare for his departure.

It’s unlikely to happen like that, though. Ferguson himself showed the danger of publicly letting it be known when you plan to go in 2001-02 and even if such a deal was agreed in secret, it’s the kind of thing that always leaks out. There’s also the simple human element that a man of his standing at the club should be allowed leave in the right way.

Arsenal's players are in need of new direction (Getty)

None of this should be confused as an argument for Wenger to stay on. Arsenal simply aren’t maximising the ample resources that he has ensured they have right now, and that looks highly unlikely to ever happen under him again. At some point, they have to roll the dice. They have to take the risk.

It’s just no-one should be under any illusions about what will entail.