Arsenal are a team I have a certain amount of sympathy for. They are a ‘team in transition’, with Arsene Wenger selling off the last of his 2004 ‘Invincibles’ team this summer, eagerly anticipating the success of years gone by to return.
This is a situation, as United fans, that we are very familiar with. After winning the league in 2003, we had no reason to doubt that we’d be challenging strongly for the league the following season. I imagine Arsenal fans felt exactly the same in the summer following the 2004 season, where they went 38 games undefeated. However, for a whole host of reasons, the two clubs who’d passed the league title back and forth for the years preceding were now fighting it out for 2nd place.
We could blame this entirely on Roman Abramovich’s rubles if we wanted, but that wouldn’t be painting an accurate picture. Whilst Chelsea could afford whoever they wanted, lead by the fella who’d just won the Champions League, the quality of the United and Arsenal teams in comparison simply wasn’t good enough. Both were a shadow of their former selves.
When Chelsea claimed their first title under Mourinho in 2005, Arsenal finished 12 points behind Chelsea, claiming 7 fewer points than their last title winning season. United finished 18 points behind Chelsea, falling 6 points short of our last title winning season. United bridged the gap somewhat in 2006, finishing 8 points behind Chelsea, whereas Arsenal lost the plot, finishing a massive 24 points off the top.
There have been several changes, ups and downs, since then, with Arsenal having nothing other than an empty trophy cabinet to show for their past three seasons. Sir Alex Ferguson has questioned Chelsea’s ability compete next season, so does this mean Arsenal are the team we need to look out for?
With or without Cristiano Ronaldo (although I reckon United mean business and he will stay for another season at least), United will start next season as favourites to win the league. United have a perfect combination of youth and experience, English and foreign, all with confidence and talent in abundance.
Carlos Tevez, Nani and Anderson all enjoyed hugely successful first seasons at Old Trafford. They all scored in our Champions League final penalty shoot out, with several other highlights throughout the course of the season. Add to these our more experienced youngsters, Rooney and Ronaldo, and you’re looking at five incredibly talented first team players carrying an average age of 21.8-years-old. They’re still yet to hit their peak, that is some way off, but helped steer United to the a league and European Cup double.
When we look at our older players, it’s undeniable that they still have a part to play in our success (Scholes’ goal vs Barcelona, Giggs’ goal vs Wigan/penalty in Moscow etc.), they took a backseat last season.
Aged 19, Anderson filled in brilliantly for Paul Scholes between October and January the veteran was recovering from surgery. Anderson and Scholes both made 24 appearances for United in the league last season, with 26-year-old Michael Carrick claiming the most Premiership appearances for the position, with 31.
Giggs made 31 appearances for us in the league, with Park Ji-Sung’s recovery at the start of the season seeing the Welsh winger play more often than maybe Fergie would have liked. However, for the crucial games towards the end of the season, against Arsenal, Wigan, Chelsea (CL) and both games against Barcelona, the younger options of Nani and Park were relied upon.
Now, Arsenal are a team who were continually referred to as ‘kids’ and ‘inexperienced’ last season, but these were not tags most Gooners appreciated. Truth be told, there wasn’t a great difference in age between Arsenal and United’s first team, however people don’t tend to think of Rooney and Ronaldo as kids, who have been playing first team Premiership football for five and six years respectively.
Arsenal have brought in 21-year-old Samir Nasri and 17-year-old Aaron Ramsey to bulk up their squad, with both players having bags of potential, like most of Wenger’s signings. However, after saying goobye to Gilberto, Alexander Hleb, Mathieu Flamini and Jens Lehmann, what Arsenal need is experience.
With players who should know better, like William Gallas, falling apart at the seams when the pressure was on, having proper guidance with appropriate people setting the example is vital at Arsenal.
“Arsenal are a unique team,” Mourinho claimed not long ago. “Their coach hasn’t won anything for years, but he’s an idol. There are no pressures at Arsenal. But do not say he’s growing young players into talents. What he does is take jewels to the club and polishes them. It’s different. He has time to work in a serene atmosphere and get results.”
Whilst I don’t make a habit of agreeing with the not-so-special-one, he certainly does have a point here. This period of transition has now lasted four seasons, and unless Wenger buys in bulk over the next few weeks, the barren spell will continue.
It’s a case of one step forward two steps back, for Arsenal at the moment, bringing in players who should be bulking up the squad, but instead, will end up be used as less developed replacements for the players who are leaving. Nasri is not yet ready to fill the boots of Flamini (who spent four years in the Premiership) or Gilberto (who spent six years in the Premiership), just as Ramsey can not take on Hleb’s (who spent three years in the Premiership) role.
So in two or three years time, at the least, when these new youngsters are better formed, what’s to say that 24-year-old Fabregas doesn’t make the move to Barcelona, with 28-year-old Sagna, 27-year-old van Persie or 25-year-old Clichy all looking for new challenges abroad? Just as Arsenal are on the brink of forming a World class side, more players leave, and Wenger is close to starting from scratch in developing other youngsters.
So whilst I definitely admire Wenger for his perseverance in developing young talent, something he claims the financial situation of the club bounds him to, I can’t see Arsenal reaping the benefits any time soon. Footballers are more self-serving than ever before, and like Hleb and Flamini left this summer, obviously not wanting to go another three years without winning anything, it will continue to happen.
Last season, Arsenal fans were believing that finally everything was fitting in to place, that the transition period was over. However, the club capitulated in from February onwards, finishing 3rd in the league after leading the table for over half the season. Now several of their more experienced players have left and they are certainly worse off now than they were at the beginning of last season.
Arsenal to pose the biggest threat to our title campaign? Sorry Gooners, Chelsea’s ‘pensioners’ will come closer than Arsenal’s ‘kids’.
I cant speak for anyone else Stephen, but I picked up on it on newsnow and thought it was a good piece so felt compelled to reply. by the way it’s 3 years but it’s all a cycle and I’m sure we will be up there next season, dont forget it wasn’t that long ago where you went decades without winning the league.
@ ManUtd19
And why does and Man U blog writes about Arsenal every now and then ???
Johnny D… you say this will be the season Spurs will overtake Arsenal? Is that a wind up or did it make sense when you said it?
You realise before they can dream about overtaking their more illustrious neighbours, Spurs also have to leapfrog the likes of Aston Villa, Everton, Blackburn, West Ham, Liverpool, Portsmoutgh etc.
Shame, because the article was actually more rational and impartial than I thought it would be, unfortunately with RoM you always get some twat who thinks they are clever
Another gooner here, and I agree pretty much with everything written in the article.
We may spring a surpirse but much as it pains me to admit it Chelsea will be your biggest challengers for the title this year and if it’s between you and them I’d much prefer you lot.
Losing Flamini is a much bigger blow than Hleb and the fact that Adebayor may stay after wanting to leave is hardly ideal either, not many Gooners even rate him. We need a good centre half and a agressive holding midfielder at the very least to think about challenging.
Sadly as Wenger has stated, we need to raise 24 milion every year for the next 17 years to pay for our stadium. I actually think all the club care about is remaining in the top four with Champions League football and if we win anything it’s a bonus. That’s why Mourinho was so wrong about Arsenal, as he had to win the title as Chelsea spent so much. As long as Wenger polishes gems and makes money on the transfer market as well as keeping us in the champions league he will always have a job at Arsenal.
As for Utd I personally don’t think it would affect you that much of Ronaldo was sold. You have a load of matchwinners in the squad anyway and actually think that given his huge expanding ego that he may become detrimental to the team. When Henry left us everyone said we were finished but we ended up better, I suspect it would be the same with you except you enter that situation as reigning English and European champions!!
A fair and reasoned article. However, in my view (and I am a Gooner), Arsenal lost the league by 4 pts due to a run of draws against poor opposition in February / March:
B’Ham City (H) 1-1
B’Ham City (A) 2-2
Villa (H) 1-1
Wigan (A) 0-0
M’Boro (H) 1-1
Win 3 of those games and we would have won the league. So I’d disagree with your findings. I don’t think we’re that far off.
I’ll answer that stephen and manutd 19, there are many gooners here bcause if you try going to newsnow under ‘arsenal’ or ”premier league’ , this blog will appear for us gooners to click on and read of course.. So , us gooners will click on it to find out news and what other blogs are saying abt our beloved team.
Or you can type arsenal in google or yahoo, then click news. this site will come out too. We do not intentionally type this website on our url, Honest!!
After all being said, i actually agree with the post. A balanced view finally.
Spurs will never overtake Arsenal, but they need to give Wenger some money too spend, or us and Chelsea might stretch away, I am not being arrogant, just think your squad needs bolstering.
For the arsenal fans who commented on here, my advice including united fans don’t judge to quickly on what may happen in the season ahead. And has for the future like ronaldo says only god knows. You can’t just say this and that on what will happen in the future that man utd have a great future because of the young players we got.
man utd fans rival fans and the media have been to look like total jackasses after united getting knocked out in Europe it was supposed to be the demise, during that time after that night man utd have ended winning the league cup back to back titles and a European cup while it was predicted Chelsea will walk title after title but they have gone backwards having three managers during that time and ended up in United’s shadow again, what were the odds on ferguson out lasting the so called special one.
Ohhh Scott, the wage figures you have quoted is soo old, these are the figures that included Henry and Ljungberg. With yet more big money earners like Helb & Gilberto gone, I’d imagine it would be at least 15M less in wages this coming season. So I’d probably guess less 70M total in wages.
last word just wait and see, we dont know what will happen in the season ahead would we have pridicted a man utd decline between 2003 and 2005. arsenal fans should be delighted they have sold hleb especially the money they got for him never realy rated the guy. arsenal are three players short, a cm a winger and another striker. man utd for me look strong enough in every department if the squad is kept together.
Good post – no disrespect but i don’t look at Man utd and go wow, far from it, they have 2 or 3 individuals who they rely so much on, loose them and you are back to the drawing board again.
Arsenal are weaker defensively, no doubt about that, if we sort that out then we’ll have as good a chance as anybody.
Bring on next season!
MUPPET!!!! YOU ONLY ONE THE LEAGUE LAST SEASON BECAUSE ARSENAL HAD A MASSIVE RUN OF MISFORTUNE!
1) EDUARDO BROKE HIS LEG IN HORRIFIC CIRCUMSTANCES IN FEB AND WAS MISSING THE REST OF THE CAMPAIGN
2)WE LOST AT BIRMINGHAM BECAUSE OF 2 DISGRACEFUL REFEREEING DECISIONS. WHICH WOULD OF TAKEN US 8 POINTS CLEAR
3) VAN PERSIE WAS MISSING FOR ROUGHLY 6 MONTHS OF THE SEASON
34)ROSICKY WAS MISSING 5 MONTHS OF THE SEASON
YOU CAN SAY WHAT YOU LIKE ABOUT THEM BEING LAME EXCUSES BUT REMEMBER THOSE 3 PLAYERS ARE ALWAYS IN THE STARTING 11 WHEN FIT!
HOW WOULD UTD COPE IF THEY LOST ROONEY, RONALDO AND GIGGS FOR 2/3 OF THE SEASON!!
IF YOU LOST RONALDO ON HIS OWN FOR 2/3 OF THE SEASON UTD WOULD OF WON NOTHING LAST YEAR!
HE CARRIED YOU
ALL THIS ON TOP OF UTD SPENDING AROUND £70 MILL IN THE SUMMER COMPARED TO ARSENALS £15 MILL COUPLED WITH THE LOSS OF THIERRY HENRY.
TAKE ON BOARD ALL THE ABOVE AND REMEMBER……………… YOU ONLY FINISHED 4 POINTS AHEAD OF US!
GUNNERS TO BE THE TEAM TO FEAR NEXT SEASON……….
I THINK SO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ok, lets talk conspiracy!. Blabber and Platini have a downer on English football and the Prem in particular. They were so pissed that we had three teams in the CL semis. So not only do they want us to get less tv coverage, and give up a good portion of our hard earned funding, they further want to weaken us by nabbing our great players. If they strip our top 4 of our top players, then they weaken our chances of winning CL matches. Devious bastards. So they go after Adebayor, Torres, Ronaldo, Drogba etc etc, you get my meaning. All of these players are top entertainment, and we need them to stay in the prem.
2ndly, I think Arsenal were extremely unlucky last season, to miss out on PL and CL. Even United fans have to concede that Arsenal were flying until they got serious injuries to a few of their main players at crucial time of season, and even then, they only just narrowly missed in the prem. I’m United thru and thru, but I can admit that.
So yes, I think Arsenal will be up there, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were a major contender. As someone already said, we can’t say that the young players at Arsenal will not have the same level of impact as Tev, Nani, Anderson etc. However I do agree with Scott, that Arsenal do need one or two experienced heads out on the field. But I’m sure Wenger knows that.
For whoever said that Nani will not be as effective as Anderson, I cannot agree. Because Nani was already more effective this season, in being only one assist behind Rooney and scoring some cracking goals. I watched a few times the United end of season review dvd, and I was amazed to watch back Nani’s impact.
Stephen they are on here because Variety is the spice of life, mate. It would be pretty fucking boring if every comment was just
–United are great, I think we’re gonna win the league.
–I agree with above. I think United are great too.
–Strangely enough I third the above poster, I think United will win also!!
Thats a bit boring dont you think. Just enjoy the different points of view and the discussion that, bar a few fuckwits just looking to start some shit, has been respectful and amicable on both sides. Both sets of fans can agree that Chelski are annoying bastards. And i would rather have Arsenal win trophies rather than the dippers and the russians any day of the week. If its not United, then please God let it be Arsenal.
And DAZ, i dont think anyone is questioning the impact injuries had on your season last year. But you, and most arsenal fans, speak of the loss of Rosicky and Eduardo as being an insurmountable obstical. I mean, they are decent players, but they are far from world beaters.I’d personally say Hleb is much better and effective than Rosicky. Losing RvP on the other hand is much different, but thats what you get with an injury prone player.
you’re points are fair enough, but don’t write arsenal off. It seems whenever the pesky gunners are written off, they come back and bite us in the a*s. i think they will be second next season.
Drew – Eduardo was the top scorer in the team that knocked hargreaves, ferdinand & rooney out of the euro qualifiers so i would say he is definitely a world beater. Rosicky is class and as captain of czech team i would say also a world beater. His goal scoring & assist rate compared with hleb vastly superior (when he plays!). oh and didnt he set up the winner at OT in the 2006-07 season?
Arsenal are a good side but if their fans say ronaldo has had his head turned then we could say the same about adeybayor, they have also lost three midfield players so their squad is weaker not stronger last year when they ran out of steam
as for ramsey yes he is a v good prospect but he wasn;t in the cardiff team game in game out last year dont expect too much from him this year
the chavs are a bigger threat imo
ps eduardo couldnt get in your side game in game out he is not a world beater and despite rosicky being a decent player neither is he, baros abd koeller have an excellent record for the czechs do you think they are world class to?
ps no way arsenal play eduardo rosicky van pierse in every game thats a nonsense and you know it.
we can all say players were injured
scholes missed 3 months
neville nigh on the full season
van der sar and vidic missed loads of games to
thats why you need a strong squad, thats why wenger should have bought in jan, instead he sold maybe your genius is not as great as you lot think?
Come on Scott the Red
“In contrast, players like Nani, Anderson, Rooney etc. have picked up league and CL winners medals with United, so it’s less likely that they’d want to leave a club like that”
You need to tell that to Ronaldo!!!
Gunner Chris – If Ronaldo ‘carried us’ last year, what on earth did Adebyor do for Arsenal then? You make these ridiculous statements that if it wasn’t for Ronaldos goals we would struggle, overlooking the fact that Rooney and Tevez also scored 12 and 14 Premiership goals respectively. The difference between United and Arsenal is that when we lose we bounce back straight away, whereas you capitulate – like from the point of that 4-0 hammering in the FA Cup.
Matt C – correction…Fabregas set up the winner for Adebyor at OT in the 2006/07 season, but you still won fuck all that season. I hardly think Eduardos world class on the strength of Croatia eliminating England from Euro 2008, when Russia did likewise, and only finished 3rd ahead of Israel on the head to head, a nonsensical comment if ever I heard one. Turkey knocked out both Croatia and the Czechs at the Euros, so what does that make their players then?
Good artilce but it is just points that many Arsenal fans have complained about, no new revelations here. For you to say that Man U are the favorites is just what i think any Man U fan would say, given you won the Double last year but trust me, you would have on nothing without Ronaldo. All in all your article is based on a bunch of ifs and many of the negative stances that many arsenal fans take but this Arsenal team has a wealth of talent, I would say across the board, more or just as talented as any team in world football. In other words, we will all have to wait and see but I know what I think! Gunners all the way!
God Bless!!!
goona
tell me this how come when henry was considered the best player in the world arsenal did not only fail to win back to back titles, but fail to win the European cup is well. It must be something special that won united those trophies. Isn’t it amazing arsenal were hyped to death has a great side in 2004 and done nothing since, yet man utd have achieved much greater feats then arsenal yet there is not much hype. Man utd destroyed arsenal 4 0 without hargreaves scholes ronaldo tevez giggs.
oh yes took a last gasp equaliser that would be another two points in the bag for united, just face it man utd have been the most superior side since the turn of 2006 and oh yes how would arsenal have done if henry was not in the team in 2004 explain that one. Man utd have the mental toughness to get over tough times and when the chips were down they had the balls the guts and something your team will never have bottle to keep going.
Your manager has lost the plot which showed after you lost your unbeaten streak, and lost it this season blaming little incidents that most sides over the years have always got over. Top side are going to have tough times ahead the great sides thrive and get over those tough times, that’s what separates the great sides from the ordinary sides, men against boys and arsenal have shown when it comes to competing with united in a long season they are very much boys.
I feel smpathy for the gooners for a few reasons, they play great football, are not scum like livrepool or chelsea and they always sell there bloody players!
I’d like to see a battle with them next season but think Chelsea and Liverpool will both finsh above them.
Too lazy to go into detaol or correct my awful typomg errors!
I dont read the articles i just laugh at the comments people make.
Scott you should make a scouse one soon so i can read “18-5 YNWA” a billion times for a laugh
Lifelong Arsenal fan speaking. I’ve seen some silly sniping on this site (and yes of course, on our blogs too) but this article definitely rates as fair comment. And a lot of the posts below the line are reasonable too.
For the record, I think ManU have a superb team and a superb manager … doesn’t make me like you (or him) but I can take respectful criticism and see credit where it’s due. And you deserve credit.
I hope we will challenge next season, of course. But if we don’t win, I hope a footballing side does. Which means your lot.
Re: Chelsea, it’s not the money that grates (few wouldn’t have taken it), it’s the footballing attitude. If they play good football next season and treat the officials with respect, they deserve success. If they don’t, I would love to see three teams in red above them.
agree ach