In Arsène We Trust ~ Victoria Concordia Crescit
Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2016 4:24 am
Whenever Wenger is quizzed about his retirement plans, he traditionally responds vaguely, however always mentions his desire to leave his successor with a ready made world class stadium, youth setup and a squad in their prime.
Is this the case? From the outside I would say yes. He will leave behind a legacy of transforming us into one of the most visually beautiful teams in world football. He's overseen the construction of an industry-leading multi-million pound stadium, whilst maintaining Champions League football. But when we look deeper, has Wenger now ruined a lot of what he built? There are so many points we could consider, however for now I will stick to in my opinion, the three main ones. The Stadium, The youth setup, and the current squad.
The Stadium -
Wenger, an economist himself, understood the importance of creating a sustainable model which would allow us to be self-financed and remain competitive during the global economic recession. As such, we saw him oversee the construction of the Emirates stadium which would allow us to generate more revenue from match day and corporate events. Unfortunately Wenger didn't anticipate top-flight Engllish Football remaining largely unaffected by the recession, and this coupled with foreign investment saw the inflation of player transfers and wages. During these years we operated on a reduced budget but Wenger managed to maintain Champions League status. A great achievement honestly.
However modern day, the stadium has largely been paid off and we are now able to compete again for household names. The question is was the 12 years of sacrifice worth it?
We were and still are charged the highest ticket prices in world football. Just let that sink in. A team who hasn't won their domestic title in 12 years. And has NEVER won the major European trophy. Charging the highest ticket prices in world football. Disgusting. We see the likes of Spurs, Lpool, Chelsea, Everton and WHam all in the advanced stages of agreeing new stadiums. The additional revenue from sponsors and TV rights, combined with the young, promising teams they have assesmbled suggests they may well be able to remain competitive. If so, what does that mean for Arsenal? Will the Emirates now just be the norm for English football Stadia?
Is the Emirates even any good? A stadium which has priced out many traditional Arsenal fans and as such has one of the worst atmospheres in the league... I honestly preferred Highbury.
The Youth:
Perhaps as a result of trying to juggle so many responsibilities, or perhaps just down to complacency (probably the latter), we have seen our prestiged Hale End Academy fall down the pecking order, and narrowly escape losing its 'Class A' status coupled with our reserves team being relegated last season.
Dinosaur mentality at the club saw the majority of coaching positions filled internally, which whilst good in retaining club culture, failed to bring in new ideas or source in any top coaches from around the world. Brady, albeit a wonderful player, was very much a nationalistic leader, and there were even claims of racism on multiple occasions. English players were often given clear favoritism and there became a reluctance to pay the going rate to source external talent.
Players were all taught the 'Arsenal way' which resulted in us producing clones of over-pampered, technically however tactically inept youths who never really stood a chance of becoming world class players. We had many players excel at youth level, however the over emphasis placed on the technical side of the game seemingly saw many players unable to make the grade at professional level. The failure to compete for top talent, bring in top international coaches, and develop the tactical side of the game has seen us fail to develop any real noteworthy talents in the past 12 years... Wilshere the only one who springs to mind. The loan system was/is also largely flawed. Players were often loaned to the highest bidder, and has often seen many of our players without game time.
Hope lies with the appointment of Jonker, and with him the arrival of new external coaches and analysts to turn the fortunes around. Positive signs have been seen with Jonker given more authority and outbidding the likes of Chelsea, Bayern and United for talents over the past 2 years.
The current squad:
An ageing back four will see the likes of Mertesacker, Kos, Monreal and Cech needing to be replaced in the next 3-4 years. Are Gibbs, Ospina, Chambers and Gabriel good enough to replace them? A lack of real defensive talent in the youth setup means they're the only internal options.
With Arteta, Flamini and Rosicky set to leave this summer, and Cazorla either this or next we are in need of a complete overhaul in midfield. Is Elneny good enough to play for a club with ambitions to be an elite club? Can Wilshere remain fit? Is Wenger going to be the man to do this? There is a lack of a true world-class striker who can score 30 goals a season. Are players like Welbeck and Walcott good enough?
The British core - Perhaps rocked by the departures of key players during the early post-Emirates he wants to add stability and cohesion. However has Wenger bought the wrong Brits? Walcott, Ramsey, Chamberlain, Chambers, Welbeck and Jenkinson at a combined total of around £65m, in comparison to the likes off Bale, Smalling, Sterling, Butland, Stones, Gomez and Alli at a combined total of around £25m. The lack of development in the majority of our Brits suggest this is a real possibility.
Are our players over-pampered? A lack of a high-performance culture sees players rewarded with new lucrative contracts without showing any real deserving. Walcott springs to mind.
Do we even play attractive football anymore in comparison to that of old?
A final thought: Whilst I will always remain grateful of all the good Wenger has done for us, I feel he is clinging on to his past success. The club is so far behind many of the top European clubs on many levels that it paints a worrying picture for the future.
What legacy will Wenger leave behind?
- A beautiful, yet atmosphereless stadium which charges the highest ticket prices in world football. Is 60,000 soon to be the norm?
- A faltering youth academy.
- Will Alexis and Ozil have extended their contracts?
- A team who no longer players the most attractive football (is our football really that attractive at all).
- An ageing defense, a midfield in need of an overhaul and lackluster strike force.
Success or Failure? I certainly think Wenger's successor will have his work cut out for him.
(Sorry for the length I got carried away)
Is this the case? From the outside I would say yes. He will leave behind a legacy of transforming us into one of the most visually beautiful teams in world football. He's overseen the construction of an industry-leading multi-million pound stadium, whilst maintaining Champions League football. But when we look deeper, has Wenger now ruined a lot of what he built? There are so many points we could consider, however for now I will stick to in my opinion, the three main ones. The Stadium, The youth setup, and the current squad.
The Stadium -
Wenger, an economist himself, understood the importance of creating a sustainable model which would allow us to be self-financed and remain competitive during the global economic recession. As such, we saw him oversee the construction of the Emirates stadium which would allow us to generate more revenue from match day and corporate events. Unfortunately Wenger didn't anticipate top-flight Engllish Football remaining largely unaffected by the recession, and this coupled with foreign investment saw the inflation of player transfers and wages. During these years we operated on a reduced budget but Wenger managed to maintain Champions League status. A great achievement honestly.
However modern day, the stadium has largely been paid off and we are now able to compete again for household names. The question is was the 12 years of sacrifice worth it?
We were and still are charged the highest ticket prices in world football. Just let that sink in. A team who hasn't won their domestic title in 12 years. And has NEVER won the major European trophy. Charging the highest ticket prices in world football. Disgusting. We see the likes of Spurs, Lpool, Chelsea, Everton and WHam all in the advanced stages of agreeing new stadiums. The additional revenue from sponsors and TV rights, combined with the young, promising teams they have assesmbled suggests they may well be able to remain competitive. If so, what does that mean for Arsenal? Will the Emirates now just be the norm for English football Stadia?
Is the Emirates even any good? A stadium which has priced out many traditional Arsenal fans and as such has one of the worst atmospheres in the league... I honestly preferred Highbury.
The Youth:
Perhaps as a result of trying to juggle so many responsibilities, or perhaps just down to complacency (probably the latter), we have seen our prestiged Hale End Academy fall down the pecking order, and narrowly escape losing its 'Class A' status coupled with our reserves team being relegated last season.
Dinosaur mentality at the club saw the majority of coaching positions filled internally, which whilst good in retaining club culture, failed to bring in new ideas or source in any top coaches from around the world. Brady, albeit a wonderful player, was very much a nationalistic leader, and there were even claims of racism on multiple occasions. English players were often given clear favoritism and there became a reluctance to pay the going rate to source external talent.
Players were all taught the 'Arsenal way' which resulted in us producing clones of over-pampered, technically however tactically inept youths who never really stood a chance of becoming world class players. We had many players excel at youth level, however the over emphasis placed on the technical side of the game seemingly saw many players unable to make the grade at professional level. The failure to compete for top talent, bring in top international coaches, and develop the tactical side of the game has seen us fail to develop any real noteworthy talents in the past 12 years... Wilshere the only one who springs to mind. The loan system was/is also largely flawed. Players were often loaned to the highest bidder, and has often seen many of our players without game time.
Hope lies with the appointment of Jonker, and with him the arrival of new external coaches and analysts to turn the fortunes around. Positive signs have been seen with Jonker given more authority and outbidding the likes of Chelsea, Bayern and United for talents over the past 2 years.
The current squad:
An ageing back four will see the likes of Mertesacker, Kos, Monreal and Cech needing to be replaced in the next 3-4 years. Are Gibbs, Ospina, Chambers and Gabriel good enough to replace them? A lack of real defensive talent in the youth setup means they're the only internal options.
With Arteta, Flamini and Rosicky set to leave this summer, and Cazorla either this or next we are in need of a complete overhaul in midfield. Is Elneny good enough to play for a club with ambitions to be an elite club? Can Wilshere remain fit? Is Wenger going to be the man to do this? There is a lack of a true world-class striker who can score 30 goals a season. Are players like Welbeck and Walcott good enough?
The British core - Perhaps rocked by the departures of key players during the early post-Emirates he wants to add stability and cohesion. However has Wenger bought the wrong Brits? Walcott, Ramsey, Chamberlain, Chambers, Welbeck and Jenkinson at a combined total of around £65m, in comparison to the likes off Bale, Smalling, Sterling, Butland, Stones, Gomez and Alli at a combined total of around £25m. The lack of development in the majority of our Brits suggest this is a real possibility.
Are our players over-pampered? A lack of a high-performance culture sees players rewarded with new lucrative contracts without showing any real deserving. Walcott springs to mind.
Do we even play attractive football anymore in comparison to that of old?
A final thought: Whilst I will always remain grateful of all the good Wenger has done for us, I feel he is clinging on to his past success. The club is so far behind many of the top European clubs on many levels that it paints a worrying picture for the future.
What legacy will Wenger leave behind?
- A beautiful, yet atmosphereless stadium which charges the highest ticket prices in world football. Is 60,000 soon to be the norm?
- A faltering youth academy.
- Will Alexis and Ozil have extended their contracts?
- A team who no longer players the most attractive football (is our football really that attractive at all).
- An ageing defense, a midfield in need of an overhaul and lackluster strike force.
Success or Failure? I certainly think Wenger's successor will have his work cut out for him.
(Sorry for the length I got carried away)