Arsene Wenger and the Failure of Imagination - A Futbol Preview

Can’t believe I just read such a fantastic analysis of the Gunners on a Longhorns site. The Wenger/Greg Davis comparison is spot on. I actually think there are similarities between Arsene and Mack of last year — both are at extremely high profile teams with massive expectations, both have had success relatively recently but not really recently, both need(ed) to consider if massive changes to the coaching staff and/or system were required after showing loyalty to/idiotic stubborn adherence to a “tried and true” system.

For my part, I don’t think (perhaps wishfully) it will be quite as bad as you suggest. If Cesc goes and Nasri stays, and if Gervinho plays on one wing with Walcott on the other, the team could actually show more of the directness that is necessary to win in the Premier League. At least I hope so, last year’s cacophony of sideways and backward passes got eye-gougingly frustrating at times.

A “failure of imagination” is an Arsenal fan crying about not being a fan of one of the richest clubs in the world. No offence, like.

UK —

Fine, well, I consider the Arsenal middle-class at best. There are only Madrid, Barca, Man U, Man City, Chelski, and maybe the Milan clubs in the rich circle these days.

I’m assuming you support a smaller club, of which there are plenty, so I understand. But do not confuse the Arsenal with one of the big $ teams. We sell to those teams; we do not buy from them.

Matt —

Yeah, I got clearance from the highest BC corporate levels. I anticipate venom from middle-management for going outside proper channels. Vasherized hates the Gunners.

Yeah, I was just being glib. And I don’t like Arsenal, so there’s that. Thanks for not telling me to go fuck myself tho. ;-)

As a MUFC fan, I find Wenger to be a twit. However, I think there is method to his transfer madness. I think he saw FFP coming, and has been holding on for dear life until its institution. It was a great plan while Chelsea were the only real big spenders in the league, and they had slowed down their purchases considerably 3 or 4 years ago. Then Sheik Mansour came along and blew up Wenger’s and Fergie’s business model. Arsenal and MUFC have always struggled to keep the southern Europeans away from Madrid and Barcelona, but having City tapping up your players and threatening to detonate your wage structure has been extremely difficult on both clubs.

You probably saw the comments from Peter Hill-Wood today. Looks like Arsenal are opening up the bidding on Fabregas. I always wondered why they didn’t just flog him off to Madrid and give Barcelona the finger. Madrid tap up like crazy, but they at least have the decency to overpay for your player after unsettling him. Those cheaters at Barcelona tap up even more openly just so that they can get a cut rate deal. Arsenal don’t need Fabs anyway. His departure clears the way for Nasri to stay.

Chill out though. You have paid off the Emirates debt, and you have the most profitable big club in the game. Once FFP comes around, Arsenal, MUFC, and the German clubs will be the biggest spenders in the market.

I have to disagree with is your characterization of Arsenal as a small club. They may have a small club’s mentality, but they’re the third most valuable club in the world and their annual income is massive. I wish that I rooted for a club as “small” as Arsenal. Money is there, for some reason they just don’t spend it.

I never called Arsenal a small club. Just said they are not a rich club. They balance the books, make more than they spend, run themselves like a proper business.

The problem is that the rich clubs do not. They spend like drunkards.

If FFP has any teeth in it then Arsenal will look fine, monetarily. My problem is that Wenger’s system is screwed up and I’m not sure buying players with fix that.

Good news is I root for Arsenal when they play Manchester United.

I’m a Manchester City fan but I come by that honestly. My first edition of Football Manager was CM01 and City was the first big club to offer me the reins (they were still in the First Division or whatever it was called then). Then my brother started getting into soccer and he chose Chelsea two years before Abramovich bought them. We were pulling for good solid clubs that weren’t the easy choices (like those of you assholes that just picked one of the Big Three) and suddenly we both like evil empires.

Wenger’s system is fine. His problem is that he is a whiner, and that defeatist attitude permeates his team in the big matches. He’s been terrible at grooming a back four since Campbell left, but if he snags Jagielka and Samba, then problem solved. That pairing won’t win you the league but it will comfortably qualify you for CL next year.

I don’t think there is anything fundamentally wrong with Wenger’s system. I just don’t think he’s bought good players recently. Arsenal don’t spend big money very often, and when they do it seems that something always backfires on them - or they spend it on a player who doesn’t fit their team - i.e. Theo Walcott. He’s a track star with no skill.

Why pursue Chamakh for so long when he doesn’t fit what you want to do? He’s a dominant aerial presence, but doesn’t score a lot of goals - playing on a team that can’t and won’t cross the ball.

Why purchase Arshavin, a brilliant in-the-hole striker in the mold of Dennis Bergkamp, and stick him out wide like a winger? Why not just spend that 15M on an actual winger?

Why purchase big, strong, lumbering centerbacks like Samba and Jagielka when you know you’re going to have them playing a high line and the midfield won’t track back and help out?

Why are all the goalkeepers terrible?

Wenger is a great manager, but his work in the transfer market is undermining his work on the field.

Much like Vierra against Keane, the gooners have no heart. A reflection of their manager really. They’re intimidated by physical play, especially that of Liverpool, Chelsea and now Manchester City. They’re so worried about losing Fabregas’s talents they gave a Captain’s band to a player who holds no loyalty to the club, and then wonder how it is they struggle to see how a full campaign. Arsene might have great futbol mind on the pitch, but off of it he’s worse than Big Sam.

Meanwhile you look over at the genius that is Sir Alex. Last year basically steals Javier Hernandez, this year grabs Ashley Young and adds Phil Jones. Not only does he have maybe the best pair of Centerbacks in the Premier in Vidic and Rio, but he has a plan to replace them. And if you really want to understand his genius look no further than what’s been going on with Wesley Sneijder and Inter. Sir Alex dangles 35 mil in front of Inter who fail to pounce. Then news breaks that Aguero is close to done to City, and he comes out and says he’s done with transfers. Aguero’s deal goes through, which makes moving Tevez a priority for City. I’m guessing they’re willing to drop their asking price from 50 to 37-38. That probably sounds about right to Inter, only they’re strapped for up-front cash (which undoubtedly City want). My guess is they’re short about 35 mil. Day after Kun moves in across town United lets it leak that they’re still interested in a “world class” player. As the transfer window gets tighter and tighter my guess is that both City and Inter come down on their price and Sir Alex takes Wesley for about 30 mil.

Long story short - instead of bickering with Sir Alex, Arsene should be taking notes.

Vierra regularly took shits with more talent than Keane. And Vierra had just as much heart and less of a poor attitude. Arsenal’s problem is not “spirit” or “heart” as all the French-hating English former players like to put it: it’s talent and system.

Ferguson has outspent Arsenal tremendously. Arsenal cannot and does not buy the likes of Sneijder. If we had bought Ashley Young then that would have been it for new players. That’s just the way it is.

The physical play of Stoke City and Birmingham creates problems for Arsenal. And by physical play I mean deliberately harsh tackles and the kind of stuff that would earn three or four red cards in any other league in the world. Chelsea and Man U give Arsenal fits with quick counterattacks. Man City has not yet succeeded in giving Arsenal fits anywhere but in the transfer market.

Buying a player for 30 - 35M pounds is not something Arsene has ever done.

Armand Traore will take over in one of the positions of need this year -he has been waiting in the wings for a long time now.

Maybe Vierra should have gotten one of those shits to stand in his place then because he wilted like bitch at the prospect of going toe to toe with Old Keane.

Wenger is more interested in proving his method is superior than he is in winning trophies. He has the money. He has been told to spend it. He promptly goes out looking for the best talent in the world. Under 20.

Face it Arsene values potential over performance. Always has.

Vierra pimped Keane around many, many times. And Keane was a fine player, just without Vierra’s technical ability.

You’re crazy if you think Wenger ever had the transfer kitty that Ferguson had. There have been no Tevez, Berbatove, Ronaldo type buys for Wenger. Arshavin is the closest he’s come.

Fergie never bought Tevez, and Arshavin cost more than Ronaldo. Berbatov and Veron have been Fergie’s two major purchases where he paid over the market value. He has not purchased Sneijder yet, and does not appear that he will.

Wenger absolutely has the transfer kitty that Fergie has right now, and Gazidis has told him the past two summers to start spending it. .

“Poor us. Arsenal can’t afford to keep pace.”

Bullocks. Stop acting like you’re a fan of Wigan or something. Arsenal have plenty of money to spend Arsene just refuses to spend it. You can’t both trumpet Arsenal’s ability to turn a consistent profit and then bemoan not being able to spend like a top 4 club. Either spend the cash or quit bitching about not winning trophies.

And stop expecting other clubs to apologize for spending money in the transfer market because they won’t.

Did you even read the post? I’m attacking Wenger’s philosophy more than anything else. Certainly nothing attacking Fergie. Typical Man U wanking to start piping about Sir Alex and Keano, when that really wasn’t the point at all.

You’re right Tevez became an expensive loaner because West Ham complained about tampering. The deal would have been for $20M.

Arshavin cost $14M. Ronaldo cost $15M for Man U. Man U also spent more than Arsenal ever has on Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Hargreaves, Van Nistelroy, and Anderson. You really should know this.

Man United is a big club and spends accordingly. I have much less beef with it than with Chelsea and City, both of which spend like drunken idiots. BUT — Ferguson and Man U have consistently outspent Wenger and Arsenal. Just a fact, and partially because Arsenal went underwater on a land deal.

Wenger’s philosophy is fine in all aspects save refusing to budge on his wage structure. He is very good at buying the type of player that fits his system. That system has qualified Arsenal for the CL every year, while the club paid off the Emirates. Your club were underwater on Highbury for 2-3 years when the entire market tanked, but all of those condos have since been sold, at a profit. During that time, you still qualified for the CL and never even flirted with administration. It is now one of the most profitable clubs in the world. If FFP is instituted as advertised by Platini, then Arsenal will be able to buy whomever they choose.

West Ham complained, but Tevez was not purchased initially because of the shady third party rights with Joorabchian. His total purchase price was 30M+; MUFC would have been credited their loan payments. I don’t know where you’re getting your numbers, but Ronaldo was 12M and I have always seen Arshavin reported as 16M. That may be 14M, rising to 16M; I don’t know. You listed three players whose most recent purchase price was 30M+, one of whom Fergie never actually bought. I assumed you were referencing truly massive, disproportionate to the market, transfers. Yes, Fergie will splash the cash for promising players. So does Wenger. Remember Reyes? Was Walcott cheap? Wenger will spend again when the market stops being so inflated. He runs a great system. His failings are man management and self-composure.