Premier League Nonsense

Finally a story that never had any legs can be put to bed. Arsene Wenger has signed a new contract that will run till 2011 becoming the longest serving Arsenal manager in history. There was little chance the urbane Frenchman, who says I feel more often than Robbie Williams, leaving. It is not in his nature, I feel, to leave Arsenal without some warning allowing a successor to be lined up.

Now he can concentrate on winning more silverware. Nigel Winterburn, the former Arsenal left back, said that they should be looking at some silverware within three years. Far be it from me to disagree with the left footed legend but silverware is required sooner than three years. I’m thinking more like 9 months!

Nothing like being greedy but while no club has a divine right to win things it has become a necessary this season. Two years ago in the Champions League Final after taking the lead against Barcelona we lost 2-1. Last season after taking the lead against Chelsea in the Carling Cup we lost 2-1. Both finals incidentally saw red cards for Arsenal players as did the FA Cup Final in 2005 which we somehow won. Of more concern are the finals we lost. If winning is a habit then what is losing?

Maybe the Champions League Final was the swansong of one Arsenal team, the Carling the birth of another and we shouldn’t read too much into it but I am surprised the mainstream media haven’t picked up on this yet. Just Toure, Almunia, Eboue, Hleb and Fabregas were involved in both games. Do Arsenal bottle it at the last minute? Is there a mental toughness missing from today’s vintage, one that was previously instilled by the likes of Adams, Keown, Vieria and Bergkamp? This season it is up to Gallas to start playing the game as he talked it for much of tlast season. For 11 leaders on the pitch. For Diaby to shake off his injury and become the new Abou Diaby. For Fabregas to add steel and goals from midfield. For Eboue, who was named to be ebullient, to attack with pace, defend with strength and stop rolling round like a baby hippo on bath day when he gets touched.

It is time for Hleb and Rosicky to take control more. For Hleb to be more adventurous around the box and spurn the eye of the needle pass in favour of the easy option. Adebayor needs more goals, more ruthlessness. Get in where it hurts, take risks, unsettle defenders. Ever since we lost our unbeaten record at Old Trafford back in 2004 some teams have seen us as a soft touch and shown that by getting physical we can be had. With Reyes that was true, Henry and Pires to an extent but they have gone. Hopefully Wenger has taught these new guys to play the beautiful game but they must earn the right to play. if it means upsetting a few purists then so be it. Some George Graham qualities, his teams didn’t concede many goals in the last minute, added to Arsene’s and the future is Arsenal’s.

There is some right old nonsense spoken about Arsenal and the young players there. New signing Sagna is 24, assistant vice second captain Kolo Toure is 26. Rosicky is an old man, 27 next month while new forward Eduardo is 24 and Gallas dates from the Jurassic era. Hleb is 26, van Persie 24 while Gilberto will be 31 next month. The lads are not so young now and many of them have had valuable experience over the last couple of years in the Champions League. They are also playing with a freedom and verve that was absent last season when Thierry Henry was in the line up. shorn of the heroic striker they are free to pass and go and not worry about les sulks from the master up front. They have tasted the heartache of defeat in a major final, it is up to them to show experience and make sure this season sees at least one piece of silverware makes it to the Emirates trophy cabinet. I feel they will.

First appeared on www.espnstar.com in September 2007. My optimism seems a bit misplaced!

# posted by Me @ 10:44 AM