Didn't he put the team together?
“We were beaten by a far better side in the games against Manchester United and Chelsea. I’m afraid we are a very pretty team and we play great football but we are just not quite good enough to win anything. There is no doubt that I have made a mistake in not signing a top class striker, a midfielder to play alongside Cesc Fabregas, a decent goalkeeper and maybe another top class centre-back.”
No, I can’t imagine Arsene Wenger saying that either! What he did say, of course was that his team were naïve. He said that Chelsea defended with men behind the ball, had less of the possession, fouled when they needed to and failed to give a display of football. He has since said that he was misquoted and that he had complimented Chelsea.
Experience
He definitely did point out that the average age of his team was twenty-three and that of Chelsea was twenty-nine. He pointed out that the difference in experience was key.
What I don’t understand is the fact that as manager of Arsenal he is charged with the responsibility of winning trophies. His board say that money is available for him if he wants it, yet he chooses not to spend it. It is Arsene Wenger who chooses to play a young and relatively inexperienced side and then uses their inexperience to explain their defeats against the top sides. Am I missing something here?
Invest
Both Manchester United and Chelsea have shown that although Arsenal are a very good side, they are not yet in the same league as them. They have out-played, out-thought, out-fought and most importantly, out-scored them each time they have played. I’m afraid that Arsene Wenger will either have to change the habit of a lifetime and invest some serious money or he will have to stop blaming defeat on having such a young side.
So, let’s look at Wenger’s claim that his side has an average age of twenty-three and is too inexperienced and naïve.
Class
Manuel Almunia might not be a top class keeper in most people’s opinions but he is thirty-two years old and has played nearly one hundred games for the club. Bacary Sagna is twenty-six, played sixteen international matches for France and been voted France and England’s best right back. Gael Clichy is twenty-four, a French international and has won a Premier League winners medal.
Vermaelen is twenty-four, a Belgium international and cost €10 million. William Gallas is thirty-two. Played nearly eighty international matches and is in his ninth Premier League season.
International
Theo Walcott is only twenty but he has played seventy games for the club and has eight international caps. Abu Diaby is twenty-three, a French international and has played over eighty games. Cesc Fabregas is twenty-two, has nearly two hundred games for Arsenal and nearly fifty caps for Spain and has a European Championship winners medal.
Alex Song is twenty-two, has played sixty games for Arsenal and has represented his country, Cameroon, fifteen times. Samir Nasri is also twenty-two and he has fifteen caps for France. Lastly, Andrey Arshavin is twenty-eight and has played fifty times for Russia.
Country
All ten outfield players are international footballers and Manuel Almunia is the only one not to have represented his country. I should also point out that the average age of the side is actually twenty-five.
I guess what I am saying is that Arsene Wenger is running out of excuses. His side are totally his and he has made all the decisions about who to buy and who to sell. He has a team of established internationals who have an average age of twenty-five. If they are losing games to the top teams it is simply because they are not as good as them. He can’t keep blaming youth, inexperience, fouls or pitches.
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