Why Arsenal can win the league
Posted by Gringo Maclure in Arsenal | 4 October 2007
If you're an Arsenal supporter it doesn't get much better than this. After a dismal summer of minimal and depressing transfer activity in which your best player and captain leaves the club after he said he wouldn't and another good player moves down the road when he said he'd move abroad (Mr Ljungberg), Arsenal's imperious start to the season must have surprised even the most ardent and partisan Gunner. 100% record at Emirates. 2 wins from 2 in Europe. 500 minutes of football without conceding. Local rivals in the relegation zone and we helped put them there. What's more we've done most of it without our new captain and most experienced player - William Gallas...
But, it seems from what I've read on the internet, most "serious" pundits don't see Arsenal's flash in the plan lasting through to the end. "They don't have the depth in their squad of Liverpool, Manchester United or Chelsea" is an often laboured point. Cobblers, in my opinion, and here's why.
The other three teams have tried to draw from the depth of their squads at the start of this season and the results have not always been as spectacular as they hoped. Chelsea without Drogba and Liverpool without Torres are short of fire power. United's new signings have not gelled as a unit. Their wonderkids waiting to come through couldn't run over Coventry at home, whereas Arsenal's youth side comprehensively outplayed Newcastle.
Where I think Arsenal may surprise this season is in the maturing of players into World Class footballers. I'm not talking about the established "stars": Fabregas, Van Persie, Toure. It's the others I'm excited about. Adebayor is releshing the big man role and has effectively earned himself an automatic start in recent weeks. Sagna has slotted straight in and has linked up well with Eboue on the right. We already know about Fabregas, but the revelations in midfield are Flamini and Diaby. Flamini is a tireless workhorse who, in stature and energy, reminds me of Winterburn. His performances in the engine room have been efficient and comprehensive. For me, the big one to watch is Diaby. He carries himself and canters around the field like a Vieira clone, has a powerful shot (witness Derby) and a deft first touch and surprising pace for a big man. He may be a crucial segment in Arsenal's new backbone. And the recent success has come with only partial reliance on the likes of Rosicky, Eduardo, Gilberto and Gallas all of whom have been injured or rested in large measure.
Wenger has been dismantling his 2nd generation team of winners and is now building a 3rd. 1998, 2002/04 and now 2007? The depth is there if you look closely. If the Gunners repeat their record of last season against the other big 3 (3W 2D 1L) and - this is the big AND - take extra points on their wintery travels to the north, I have no doubt they will be prime contenders to take the Premiership title.
Comments
Good piece. But id have liked a mention for Clichey. Who has probably been are best player behind Cesc
I like this article. Good points. I agree mostly.
Good points! Also Arsenal have had the majority of their squad together for a few years and are used to one another. Playing together is so much easier than some of the other big clubs have found whose signings haven't hit the ground running. Unlike Sagna, Diaby, Diarra and Da Silva!
We can only get better. Frightening!
i really agree what u say boy...
(It was purely Arsene Wenger’s decision to leave out Vieira, Pires and the like and he could have either avoided it or timed it better or atleast need not have flushed them all in one season. It was his own strategy to buy ‘talented’ youngsters and improve them and now he cannot give this excuse of team being inexperienced. His scoutings and signings of the youngsters have been flops over the last two seasons and his youngsters have disappointed him - adebayor is blind, eboue inconsisent, with Song or Hoyte, you start a man down etc. While Arsene was hailed for bringing and developing young ‘talent’, he should also take the stick for the other consequences of a young team.)
I think something has changed after 10months. They beat Arsene but later they realise that he knows.
Yea Men there you are.
The pundits (and blokes among them) will never admit how wrong they've been, comes end of this season. You surely get to note sth like "I always knew it ... " ... anyway, when it comes to depth, there are still the Hoyte's, Bendtner's, Denilson's, Traore's, Diarra's, Song's, Walcott's and and and - anyone can play anytime in a EPL team among the first 11.
Those blokes talking about us having no depth ?
Watch it (MAY 08) !!
I cannot agree more, factual points. As much as it is hard to take points off man-u, I have always believed Arsenal can still take everything from them and bag the whole trophy back to the Emirates. Most pundits have predicted that we are bound to tire along the way, and just leave everything to Manchester, I do not see such nonsense coming to pass just like that, no while we watch. But anyway, I do not like dispiting opinions, lets watch and see what happens.
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