There has been a lot of fuss made over Wenger’s team of kids this season, after Arsenal had been written off in the summer. The team of youngsters are currently top of the league on goal difference with a game in hand to play.
After United drew with Arsenal at the Emirates last weekend, mad celebrations continued on the field, Wenger’s team seemingly delirious over scraping a point against the Champions.
The Official Arsenal site said, “if there were question marks over Arsenal’s youngsters ahead of these last two games — Liverpool away and Manchester United at home — they have been emphatically answered in the positive.” The Guardian said, “When Evra then survived a clearance that he hit on to his bar, that strike appeared to have handed Arsenal their first defeat in 24 games. While that would have been very much mission accomplished for United, especially as Arsenal have played a game fewer, it would have been cruel on Wenger’s young team.” The Telegraph talked of, “Wenger’s young side, a team who simply refuse to be beaten.”
This got me thinking, just how young is this young side the press are raving about. Apparently they proved themselves by scraping a draw at home to us, this young Wenger team.
I looked at the teams who played on Saturday in the 2-2 draw. Comparing the teams, minus the goalkeepers, who are both in their 30s, gave me quite a surprise.
Sagna (24), Toure (26), Gallas (30), Clichy (22), Eboue (24), Fabregas (20), Flamini (23), Rosicky (27), Hleb (26), Adebayor (23).
Average age: 24.5
Brown (28), Ferdinand (28), Vidic (26), Evra (26), Ronaldo (22), Anderson (19), Hargreaves (26), Giggs (33), Tevez (23), Rooney (22).
Average age: 25.3
On average, there is less than a years difference between United and Arsenal’s players, yet it is Arsenal’s team who are praised for being so young, and overcoming the struggles of Liverpool away and United at home, with a point a game. Arsenal are lauded for having a team for the future, whilst the same is not said about United, presumably because of Giggs, Scholes and Neville. With Nani, Anderson and Simpson all looking shining replacements, I don’t see why it should be much of a concern.
It’s also interesting to note that the team that saw off Dynamo Kiev 4-0 in the CL on Wednesday looked like this.
Simpson (20), Vidic (26), Pique (20), Evra (26), Ronaldo (22), Carrick (26), Nani (21), Fletcher (23), Rooney (22), Tevez (23).
Average age: 22.9
Of course, it is likely to be the Wengerboys exploits in the Carling Cup which has given them the reputation of a team of “kids”, but comparatively, United are in an extremely similar position to Arsenal in terms of youth in the team. The difference is we are the Champions, so do remember that the next time you hear the MOTD team/the press/your Gooner mates harping on about the future of Arsenal.
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This is all newspaper hype originally created from the Arse’s camp. When they win they harp on about how young their side is and when they lose they then use the “young side” as the excuse.
nowhere has arsene or arsenal claimed that man utd were old. having won the league last season while most of arsenal player have never won a league title would you not say that man utd was more experience
I don’t buy into the kids thing, personally. It bwas true last season as Arsenal were without key players like Gallas, Henry, Robin van Persie, Rosicky, Lauren through long term injuries as well as the departures of experienced players like Sol Campbell, Cashley Tweedy, Pires, Ljungberg etc.
This season though even the kids have more experience and the likes of Hleb, Gallas, Toure are almost ever presents.
Arsenals really young players are the ones who play in the Carling Cup (like United) and who come in when injuries hit, like Denilson, Traore, Bendtner and Walcott.
So for me the main difference is that whereas Arsenal have spent a couple of million on young players, United have spent $50 million plus. Not to mention the fortunes spent on the likes of Hargreaves, Teves, aswell as the English ‘core’ that Fergie was wittering on about this week. Its mighty easy buying English players when you don’t mind spending nearly $200 miullion on FOUR English players.
I wonder how much it’ll cost to buy even average English players if there was a quota system?
Jermaine Jenas would cost about $40 million wouldn’t he.
Its that prat Alan Hansen who keeps calling us kids. Arsenal have gradually got these kids playing in the first 11 so although they are less in age, they have significant experience to go with it. So yes, they arent exactly fresh meat, but if they continue playing together, you can imagine the cohesion they would achieve. A bit like the Mancs team of 1999, a blend of experience and youth.
Fair point.
Now try doing cost…
As a Gooner, it’s difficult to argue with this. We’re all still caught in the mindset of thinking Fabregas is still 17, Clichy 19 etc. Van Persie would take the average down a wee bit but still not too much (and Gilberto back in would balance this out).
I think you’re right, it’s the Carling Cup (and Champions’ League, note…) team with Denilson, Merida etc with a significantly lower average which leads to the press comment, plus the aforementioned 2004-5 mindset.
Only difference really is that you paid tens of millions for your kids (who were already established names if not yet megastars); we got our for a pittance.
Always amuses me when Gooner harp on about “cost”, what sport do they think they’re supporting? Monopoly?
Last I heard, it’s trophies that teams and managers are remembered by, not their balance books.
It’s the media that are drumming up this frenzy about the ‘youthful gunners’ and their current exploits, not Gooners. The same media who were writing us off a couple of months ago as unlikely to qualify for the Champions league and hyped this match up out of all proportion, they’re a bunch of dicks.
You won’t find any gooners going on about the age of our squad against your boys as it was our first team squad we had out and the age of the players is immaterial. You also won’t find many Gooners who wouldn’t agree (grudgingly perhaps) that Man U also have a fantastic young squad. You’ve been through a successful transition over the last few years, similar to the one The Arsenal are emerging from now. Bring on the competition between these two great young squads for many years to come I say!
And come on, you can’t begrudge us wild celebrations after a last minute equaliser against our greatest rivals over recent times.
You can see the long term planning of Fergie in that Champions League side. Our older players all have replacements ready and waiting.
Giggs -> Nani
Scholes -> Anderson
Neville/Brown -> Simpson
Van Der Saar -> Foster
Ferdinand -> Pique
Ok, those replacements have yet to prove themselves aside from a few good performances this season, but you can’t now say “how are we going to replace when he retires?”
Arsenal do have a team of kids. Only kids would have celebrated a draw at home to Manchester United the way they did.
@Mick
If you dont do “cost” you end up like Leeds United.
Its true… its not how much you spend, but the quality you have. And not spending wisely means that you end up like a Jol or a Moaninho (and soon, Benitez). But dont you fret about trophies, Arsenal will end up with silverware this year.
Arsenal will end up with silverware? I’m sure the Carling Cup will look brilliant on your wall
Seriously though, experience playing together is what matters more than age IMO, and with the injuries of United early in the season, alot of the young players were forced to play together earlier than planned. However, they have shown themselves to be able to make that transition faster than anyone thought. 19 and 20 year olds starting matches and taking home the points – thats youth at its best. Arsenal have something to prove this season, so the chatter will keep on coming. Nothing will change until the season closes and the trophy is once again in United’s hand.
You’re probably right. Tevez, Nani, Anderson, Rooney, Saha, Hargreaves, Carrick, Ronaldo, Scholes, Giggs – ten strong players holding 5 positions.
But why the slagging off of Arsenal who are once again punching well above their financial weight – no matter how good the long term finances are Wenger hasn’t had the money to spend now.
@Priest… we are not punching above our financial weight. Arsenal is the 2nd biggest club in the world revenue wise and no. 1 on profitability. It is borne out of strict discipline, long term planning and sensible investments. When we sold Anelka for a profit of £22 M, we didnt go out and splash it on other superstars. We built the London Colney training ground, created a super scouting network and attracted the best young talent .. the results of which can be seen in the current Arsenal team. All of it done without sacrificing the core quality of playing entertaining football.
Cost should be an issue considering the debt we have; unless you don’t want to see £75 – £100 tickets at OT in a few years time.
I was never more proud that the team featuring Neville, Butt, Scholes, Giggs and Beckham costing not a bean. I wish it could happen again, but the rules have been changed and it would now be impossible for United to have signed Beckham under the current rules. That is why Arsene recuits non-English players and why United buy the likes of Nani and Anderson. Is the only difference the price tag.
One final point to note that Fabregas and Pique came from the same place at the same time.
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/sport/article-23418467-details/Wenger+goes+global+in+his+hunt+for+the+new+Arsenal+Invincibles/article.do
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It’s people like these which glorify Arsene & his “kids”.
Whilst we are on the issue of kids and cost that Arsenal are forever making a point of, may I remind you clowns of the cost of our 1996 double winning side: £0. We sold Ince, Kanchelskis and Hughes in the summer of 1995 for a combined fee of £14m, and brought in the following from the youth set up: Beckham, Scholes, Butt and the Neville Brothers, all of whom did not cost us a single penny. Hleb (£10m), Rosicky (£6.8m), RVP (£3.5m). So you Arsenal fans have absolutely no case to go on about money, when you have also spent money on youth, maybe not as much as we have, but the 1996 example shows that we have set the standards, and also, if you can see clearly with the names mentioned, they are all English players, and 4 of the 5 are local lads – the same set of lads who won us the European Cup in 1999, something you failed miserably in 2006. So unless you can match those feats, please shut up about your youth set-up, you haven’t won anything yet.
let arsenal and their fans have their happy hour…it took them almost three winless seasons to feature a title challenging side..fergie doesn’t expect or experience that sort of luxury that wenger does..so he splashes big bucks for quality players..there have been hits and misses nobody denying it but we are by far the strongest in england and have upped our squad quality from last season…as far as our game against the gooners were concerned..i found it absolutely ridiculous that they were celebrating a home draw in such manner..shouldn’t it be the other way around..it just goes to show you the sort of mentality ingrained at united and reasons for our success over the years when compared to arsenal’s blips over the last couple of seasons
The thing is United spend money on players who eventually become more valuable or will serve the team for years to come thus spreading the cost. If SAF buys a good young striker and left back then we are set for years to come when we can bring players through the youths or only having to spend in a crisis so it will work out fine financially. On the Glazer situation, do you not think that some other businessman will come in with an offer for the biggest team in the world?