It’s been a testing start to the season for Arsene Wenger hasn’t it? Scratch that it’s been a gruelling six years for the Arsenal boss with the failure to go the whole hog and actually win a trophy seeing the Frenchman crumble under the pressure and totally disregard his policy on buying players.
Last week’s deadline day splurge saw Wenger splash out on a number of players that didn’t conform to his usual targets. He bought Mikel Arteta for £10 million despite the Spaniard being 29-years-old, Werder Bremen’s 26-year-old defender Per Mertesaker and loaned Yossi Benayoun from Chelsea despite the Israeli being the wrong side of 30.
Considering his penchant for plucking youngsters from youth teams around the world and endeavouring to turn them into world-beaters - has he finally admitted defeat and proved that you won’t win anything with kids?
Unfortunately for Gunners fans Wenger demonstrated that putting every last ounce of faith into a team of young players isn’t the way forward. Whilst I admire the Frenchman’s philosophy and the fact he has nurtured some of the best young players in the world at this current time building a team full of them is the wrong way to go about winning major competitions. Arsenal has suffered ever since the invincibles’ side disbanded and Wenger decided that spending money wasn’t viable at a time when transfer fees and wages were starting to rise into astronomical boundaries.
But his concern with building a team of his own making along with being unflinchingly prudent has been to the detriment of Arsenal’s challenge. It’s no secret that he’d refuse to hand out long-term contracts to players over 30 and signing those who were coming towards that age range was a rarity. At first the football and the team looked brilliant with Cesc Fabregas leading the charge with a side full of fresh faced youngsters who were oozing enthusiasm and desperate to make an impression.
The future looked bright but the heights Wenger’s young side were prophesized to meet were never actually reached. The team lacked experience and a leader, someone with a little bit of knowhow who could direct these kids and keep their chins up when things went south. The dressing room didn’t have that seasoned edge and when things turned sour there was no one there to provide inspiration. Wenger was too stubborn to change his ways and too proud to admit that his philosophy was flawed. On the field things went downhill and he’s now been forced to throw in the towel. The experiment failed and with his tail firmly between his legs Wenger has now been backed into the corner. Luckily for Arsenal fans he’s come out fighting with his chequebook firmly in hand.
The 8-2 defeat to Manchester United in their last game surely must have been the kick up the backside that he needed to finally realise that his approach has failed. Somewhere in London Alan Hansen will be rubbing his hands gleefully and telling all around him ‘I told you so’.
Last week’s deadline day splurge saw Wenger splash out on a number of players that didn’t conform to his usual targets. He bought Mikel Arteta for £10 million despite the Spaniard being 29-years-old, Werder Bremen’s 26-year-old defender Per Mertesaker and loaned Yossi Benayoun from Chelsea despite the Israeli being the wrong side of 30.
Considering his penchant for plucking youngsters from youth teams around the world and endeavouring to turn them into world-beaters - has he finally admitted defeat and proved that you won’t win anything with kids?
Unfortunately for Gunners fans Wenger demonstrated that putting every last ounce of faith into a team of young players isn’t the way forward. Whilst I admire the Frenchman’s philosophy and the fact he has nurtured some of the best young players in the world at this current time building a team full of them is the wrong way to go about winning major competitions. Arsenal has suffered ever since the invincibles’ side disbanded and Wenger decided that spending money wasn’t viable at a time when transfer fees and wages were starting to rise into astronomical boundaries.
But his concern with building a team of his own making along with being unflinchingly prudent has been to the detriment of Arsenal’s challenge. It’s no secret that he’d refuse to hand out long-term contracts to players over 30 and signing those who were coming towards that age range was a rarity. At first the football and the team looked brilliant with Cesc Fabregas leading the charge with a side full of fresh faced youngsters who were oozing enthusiasm and desperate to make an impression.
The future looked bright but the heights Wenger’s young side were prophesized to meet were never actually reached. The team lacked experience and a leader, someone with a little bit of knowhow who could direct these kids and keep their chins up when things went south. The dressing room didn’t have that seasoned edge and when things turned sour there was no one there to provide inspiration. Wenger was too stubborn to change his ways and too proud to admit that his philosophy was flawed. On the field things went downhill and he’s now been forced to throw in the towel. The experiment failed and with his tail firmly between his legs Wenger has now been backed into the corner. Luckily for Arsenal fans he’s come out fighting with his chequebook firmly in hand.
The 8-2 defeat to Manchester United in their last game surely must have been the kick up the backside that he needed to finally realise that his approach has failed. Somewhere in London Alan Hansen will be rubbing his hands gleefully and telling all around him ‘I told you so’.
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