Mates, accepted this is a long one, as usual to my style but i was waiting for this one for a long time. Comments most welcome!
What does this suggest? People have been talking about Arsenal philosophy which I respect and respect to the core. I have said all these years [with some interesting arguments from Messrs Amit Singh and Ravindra Kumar] and will shout from the tallest tower in Hong Kong that ARSENE WENGER is not going to win anything. Yes, he is an excellent, excellent manager but may be he will never be a LEGEND Manager as a Fergie or a Johan Cyruff or Fabio Capello. NEVER!!! What Wenger has done for Arsenal is fantastic but reality has dealt a cruel blow to his philosophy. Somehow, he is walking in the tight line that differentiates between a excellent manager and, a LEGEND! No doubt that he will keep trying.....albeit, maybe another year. All three of you will definitely agree to the fact that Pep Guardiola plays the same style of football, may be better. And today, I regard Pep Guardiola and Laurent Blanc (former ManU defended), current Bordeaux coach (FYI, Laurent Blanc has transformed Bordeaux and the way they play their football. Bordeaux are current French League champions, already in knockout stages of CL and recently defeated Juventus 2-0. Blanc is a highly regarded coach is already considered to be one of the best coaches in Europe and one of the TWO best football managers under 45 along with Guardiola). By the way, shy do you think Barca are winning and ripping apart their oppositions left, right and centre? (last night was no exception with a 1-0 victory in an El-Classico). Because they have Messi? Iniesta? Xavi? Henry? No, because they have a team, a team which has two or may be three individuals who are senior pros (Marquez, Puyol, Xavi and Henry), with a leader, who leads from the front in Puyol. For winning trophies, you not only need to have a good bunch of talented kids but a leader, a senior pro, who, when speaks, others listen. (I am not talking of the manager here but a central, senior pro or leads from the front and who commands respect amongst the team members). Accepted, football is not cricket i.e. Captains dont play a big role but then, you have someone who is well respected and highly looked up to by his fellow mates in the team. Who do you think of that stature in Arsenal? Tell me. Cesc? Gallas? Arshavin? Gallas would have been a natural leader but for the way he has conducted himself, within and outside the team is total shame and probably, that is why he was stripped of his captaincy and the arm band was given to Cesc. But do you think Cesc to be a leader? Not now at least. Arsenal won during the days of Tony Adams, because they had players of that stature. They were invincible (and mind you, I accept this fact) during 02-03 years, when they won premier league twice, FA Cup, etc. etc. Why do you think so? Because they had guys like Bergkamp and Viera. Viera made a mistake leaving Arsenal, he would have been true legend, had he stayed with Arsenal, may be he would have even won a champions league with them. Henry? what do you think drove him out of Arsenal? You think players like him are content with winning just the league and FA cup after he has already won a world cup (though he was a real junior then, but, he still was i guess part of the french team of 98)? He wanted to win that elusive trophy of Champions League. and that is why he moved to Barca. Did he win there? Yes, of course! Barcelona is not a mad club like Real who will spend more than 200 million dollars on trasnfers and hence hope that money would buy success. But, then, if required, they do buy one or two odd players who are finished products. Example: Henry, Ibra, are those kind of buys. Friends, accepted, you need to have internal talent to come up and no club can become a success without that way. Barca have Messi, now Pablo, et al, Man U has Scholes, Neville, Giggs, and now Wellbeck, Macheda, etc. but then both bought players as and when necessary. Wenger is an arrogant man and he never wants to buy anyone matured. What is the harm in that man? Yes, Yes, you guys would give me example of Vermalean, Arshavin, but then, these are good, great players but not legends in the making. why not you can buy a Henry or a Viera or a Ibra? May be this is the catalyst that you need my friend to take you one step higher.
I am not saying Chelsea is a great team. Not at all. Definitely not. They have yet to achieve a lot, a lot of course! and highest of the radar is Champions League. Chelsea know that unless they win it they will not attract best of the best talents, may be they can buy a Drogba i.e. an African star but may be not a Latin american superstar. You can tell me the reason? Those latin american stars prefer going to Lyon or Porto or Benfica and from there go to Milan, Barca, Juventus rather than go directly to Chelsea. Why? Because, Chelsea has not won a champions league. They need to make a name for themselves in Europe before they will even be considered as a real TEAM. And friends, i accept this bitter reality. Even Porto, PSG, or Lyon have won a CL but Chelsea is still dying to win it, yes, dying to win it. Thats why they have hired a coach in Ancelloti. And boy, what is he? I am not rushing in judging him but whatever he had done for Chelsea to date is a GREAT thing. Jose Mourinho is miles, miles behind Ancelloti. Give Mourinho a team full of stars and bag full of money and he will manage to win a trophy or two for you. He is not a Manuel Pellegrini who even after having spent tons and tons of money, is not sure of winning the La Liga. I bet Mourinho would have done wonders for Real Madrid than Pellegrini. Anyways, coming back to the point, see how Chelsea is progressing. I accept mates, these are still early days but whatever i have witnessed to date is really pleasing to my eyes. What has he bought in the summer? Zhirkhov? Thats it right and that too was more of a Hiddink's reco than his buy. He has transformed literally the same team which was lagging for the last two years, into a serious performers. and above all, he has given the young turks a real chance to play in key matches. Example: Kakuta (i think he is a real talent, Frank Arensen should be awarded for this), Fabio Borini and Sturridge. and they have Di Santo already getting polished playing in the Premier League every week. What do you say now?
Friends, at least I am gracious enough to accept that Chelsea need to win a Champions League to go to the next level where they, I guess, truly deserve to be. But what about Amit singhs and Ravindra Kumars of this world? They still will say that it is pleasing to their eyes the way Arsenal plays. But at least accept that your boys are not men yet to win a trophy and i am sticking my neck out dudes. They are already crumbling under pressure, Sunderland last week, now Chelsea and soon some more. Even Wenger accepts this,albeit silently. Two years ago when Adebayor was going great guns, Arsenal were progressing in similar fashion when suddenly they crumbled under pressure and ManU won the title. This year's story will be no different. Ian Wright, another Arsenal legend, has recently wrote in a column that as much as he is fan of Wenger's style of play he is not a fan of his sheer arrogance of not buying grown-up men, just one or two MAX but that will transform such a team which oozes talent. I accept that Arsenal is arguably the most talented team in EPL but definitely it will not be a team of WINNERS of TROPHIES! (Now please dont give me an excuse that RVP was not playing and Chelsea played a football which actually closed Arsenal's movements. I saw the match, yes, it was not a pleasing to eye as a Barca plays, but yes it was not a boring match either as Jose Mourinho used to play.)
Go Blues Go!
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