Today, in The Independent, and yesterday in The Telegraph they wrote that Arsenal have their best squad in 10 years. I would often disagree with the Torygraph’s line on all things related to Arsenal, but not this time.
We must have lost count nearly of how many times the club have had to rebuild the team since the end of the Invincible’s era. 3 captains gone in the last 4 years alone, yada yada. The Boss banked on a golden future of Cesc, Eduardo and Nasri, then on to Arshavin, JvC and Song. Instead we became a feeder club to City and Barcelona as greed and impatience festered in the ranks.
Despite all of these set backs, we have gradually built back up the quality of the squad; I think the signing of Santi Cazorla was the point where the fightback began. Arteta, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ramsey, Mertesacker, Podolski and Giroud have been acquired around the same time. Only the hardcore loonies can still remain adamant that Arsenal had spare funds between 2008 – 2012 for more player purchases and higher wages to splash out on the very best available quality. Ironically they use vaguely quoted statements to support their arguments against Arsene Wenger and the board. Bottom line – the Club didn’t have enough money.
What Arsenal haven’t been able to do until recently is developed significant strength in depth in the squad. As an example in the 2006-07 season Senderos made 25 appearances, Hoyte 26 and Traore 7. In the 2009-10 season Silvestre made 16 appearances, Eastmond 5 and Merida 4. Even in ’11-’12 we had players like Santos, Park and Chamakh filling out the squad. There was clearly too much secondary quality in the overall squad to be sustainable or truly competitive. Even with these grade of players, Arsenal were caught in a bind over wages to players who could threaten to get far more elsewhere from more recklessly spending clubs.
In the excellent book, The Numbers Game by Chris Anderson & David Sally* they have clearly demonstrated that the biggest improvements to a team’s performance over a football season comes from raising the standards of the average journeymen in the squad, rather than squeezing a few minor percentiles of perfection out of the top rated players, i.e. for every minor coaching tweak to get more assists or goal scoring from the likes of an Ozil, – time and effort could be better spent trying to improve someone like the Squid’s defensive performances or whoever the boo boys think is this year’s Squid. (Gervinho, Jenkinson, Park, Nacho, Coquelain, – even Jack has been getting some stick this summer).
The book back’s-up this incredible assertion that making upgrades on the weakest links in the squad gives a higher boost to the overall team’s league performances with some impressively hard data from many many EPL club games over several seasons, and further research from La Liga, Serie A, and Bundesliga. The data doesn’t lie. What is recommended is that the B team players should be of the best calibre we can get – either through in-club coaching to get the best out of the existing players (and Arsene Wenger has turned coal into diamonds many times) or by getting upgrades. Improving the B team results in improving the club’s overall performances. Fact.
The bringing through of more academy produced players has been tortuous – few have been able to survive at Premier League altitude: Serge Gnabry shows immense promise – but I also had high hopes for Eisfeld. I genuinely doubt Zelalem has the physique to challenge in EPL games, although reports on Dan Crowley’s progress are encouraging. It has been really unfortunate that for the last couple of season’s we haven’t had enough opportunities with extended cup-runs against lower league opposition to try out more of the youngsters more often. In fact I think the fans put so-much pressure on Wenger to end the trophy drought we haven’t been able to use the Cup games the way we used to. (remember when the fans were complaining about Arsene Wenger not taking them seriously enough?). The unfortunate consequence is that we have not had enough chances to show where the true talent is in the academy squad. Talent alone is often not enough for many, anyway.
So what is the bottom line?
First XI – Szczesny; Gibbs, Mertesacker, Kos, Debuchy; Arteta, Ramsey; Cazorla, Ozil, Alexis; Giroud
Second XI – Ospina; Monreal, AN Other(?), Chambers, Bellerin(?); Flamini, Wilshere; Podolski, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Walcott; Sanogo
Extra Squad Players: Rosicky, Campbell, Gnabry, Diaby (players probably out on loan/sold would be Coquelin and Miyaichi)
It would appear that yet again Arsene Wenger has built a squad with a good age profile, skills and appetite for winning to serve Arsenal for years to come, I would also suggest that we are not likely to get in any players who would push anyone out of the First XI on a regular basis, so I can’t see the likes Khedira or Hummels willing to sit on a bench for 30 or so games in a season. We are never ever going to pay the crazy wages that the likes of the greedy Oligarchs can afford – so forget about the likes of Falcao or Cavani. There are potentially some natural slots in the squad for replacements coming up by next season because Arteta and Rosicky can’t play-on forever and the BFG’s pace will eventually recede to continental drift levels.
If the Club could find a midfielder of Gilberto or Edu’s standard – I would be as happy as Larry, but I don’t see many of those around. I don’t really believe in a team that play like Arsenal having the need to use a pure defensive midfielder anymore – in fact I think it weakens our normal 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formations – It is far better to have a more balanced and creative player [Arteta] in the middle of the park – but if he can tackle like a shithouse then that would be all the better. In the meantime I would say speed of thought is more important than brawn.
Ivan and the back-room wonks have been doing their job, thankfully more quietly and out of the public eye for a change, so no more silly boasts about spending money to please the baying mob – just concentrating on getting the sponsors money in and planning the investments wisely. That’s a lot better than can be said of our main domestic rivals; or Tottenham. September’s annual accounts shall be interesting reading – I expect Arsenal may be even richer these days than we think and more superstars will be on their way to N5 – Next Summer. In the meantime we can sit back and watch AOC developing into our next superstar this season, and let Gibbs continue to be the best LB in the league not to get picked for England.
The final line? – Arsene Wenger knows better than anyone how to select a squad for the club for the long term especially now we have the resources to avoid the weaker calibre of players, and our long term future is looking very rosy indeed.
*The Numbers Game: Why everything ou know about football is wrong, by Chris Anderson and David Sally
This post was submitted by Double Canister on Tuesday evening and follows neatly on from yesterday’s post.
Positively Arsenal 
In that case it’s Diaby
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Anicoll5
“,
…and saved all their own fire for the game at the Potteries..”
So they’ve figured out how to bang the rocks together properly then?
The march of progress goes ever on.
BTW – Puilis actually spent more (at gross levels) than Wenger in the last 10 years at Stoke. MORE!
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Heh aob. Aaron is a titan in front of arteta mental wise. No comparison.
dc its not about brawn but personality. Is lahm brawn? No… but he is a warrior. You will have to spit blood to beat him. Can you claim same for mikel?
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Pulis’ style was to bring in experienced players 3-4 season, and usually British, in the £3-5 million band so I’d guess his net spend in the PL was about £15-£20 million per annum.
Seems about right for a mid table PL side to me DC when yiou look at some of the rubbish that has bee purchased by others in the same box.
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Hunter
He lost a tooth at Hull and still played on!
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I agree with Dex. Could do with a taller option in midfield. Especially if you want to see that speedster front three. Like me!
Someone has to do the traditional No.9 defensive role from corners and free kicks etc. (Arsenal don’t do tactics, even when they are clearly visible for years and years!) and if any of the lumpy options like Ade weren’t playing Song or Diaby would balance it out in the past.
So, yeah, I can see the reason behind that thinking.
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I always thought what did for Pulis at Stoke was his splurge in his last period there.
£22m net on transfers including £10m for a creaking crouch, £8m for the Tottenham reject Palacios…£8m on Kenwyne Jones the season before (then why Crouch?)…
…he gambled on crap players, and lost.
http://www.transferleague.co.uk/premiership-transfers/stoke-city-transfers.html
Or he chose to walk in the footsteps of El Tel?
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Dc . It was hull. Not bayern or madrid. Important to note im thinking of the cl. I can not see arteta rising above schweinsteigerz and xavis and vidals and pirlos and kroos and the likes…he has never done it before and just like i could not expect cesc and denislon to beat drogba and giggs likewise i cant expert mikel to beat most of the above mentioned personalities. I have nothing against him but i dont want to go race against porshes and ferraris with a volvo or saab. Fantastic pro and role-model for our youngsters and club ambassador but thats as far it goes for me. Flamini too. Good but not special. You think i dont appreciate them?
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Hunter,
To be fair Micky did alright in the 2-0 victory in Munich. Even lost his rag completely in the final five minutes as Munchen started to dive for their dear lives and was nearly sent off.
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All will be well when Pogba arrives on Sept. 1st.
Imagine the celebrations at Chez Ferguson?
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You mean two years ago where they were playing safety first after scoring 3 in our home game?
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And dont take this wrong…id love to see ours dive and delay if a final q/final or even a trophy is at stake. Thats their job. The result. We have built, we have waited, we have nortured we have developed. Time to start clicking and hopefully in a year or two and with jack ram theo hitting 26+ age we set down the dynasty and at least catch liverpool with 18.
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Think big act big. Global not local. Fuck chelsea and their ‘we can rule for a decade’..fuck united and their vangaal and fuck city too. We must not allow any of those three to raise their heads. Constant and continous slaps to all of them so that they learn that now is our time. Therefore…. personalities to make them all tremble at the site of us.
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hunter
these players play with passion because the play for the club they love. you cant just bring anyone in and expect him to give what schwienie and lahm or xavi give to their clubs. but if you are looking for that guy who will give all for our course, look no further from jack and ramsey. jack in particular has the warrior character you mentioned. injuries, hart and scholes permiting, he will get there this season.
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Interesting conversation on the “way of the warrior”
Have to say Messi wanders round a pitch looking like the most unwarriorlike soul you could imagine, meek almost. Seems to take a lot to get him even slightly ruffled.
No one can influence a football match quite like Leewonel though.
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Hunter
Don’t forget to include *coughs* Sanchez in that key age group, alongside Ozil too. As opposed to, say, an older player (28) who is focused on wanting to take their partner to Spain.
(That is a hilarious JOKE btw)
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Sergio Busquets, the infamous zero gee footballer, is not exactly renowned for his ‘ard man image.
Yet he has been the pin up holding midfielder of recent seasons.
Don’t ask me!
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He does have height going for him, old Serge.
But in spite of all that diving he’s not as good at ‘winning fouls’ as our Micky. Few are.
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Flippin’ ‘eck:
08-13 net spend
1. City £531m
2. CFC £157m
3. LFC £135m
4. Stoke £109m.
Stoke are owned by Betfair? Bet360? Betallyomoneyyoupauper? Something like that.
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The only impressive thing about old Biscuits is how he has managed to be Mr. Shakira for so long.
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Now personalities win football games? Someone go tell Zidane, a player who never shouted at his teammates or at the ref and looked like he couldn’t be bothered half the time.
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Jack can be a proper feisty little terrier when he’s riled.
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Shame he pent it all up inside for too long.
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Hunter: “Well im not everyone..heh.. i just want a personality big enough to take care of barcas bayerns madrids and that awful lot at the bridge. I dont see arteta or flam as strong enough characters to impose our game on these 4-5 squads that we will have to eliminate/beat to land the big one.”
Man City has dropped half a billion pounds on their team and they have only made it past the qualifying stage once. Thanks to Arteta’s meek personality, we have gone toe to toe with arguably the best squad in Europe in the past three seasons and nearly beat them.
By the way, you sound like them Englanders you hate so much. You want some it factor which can’t be bought by money, only exists in very special players and only shows up later in their careers. What the fuck does “A personality big enough” have to do with winning football games?
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That will go down as the biggest snatching defeat from the jaws of victory moment since Frank Rijkaard spit in Rudi Voeller’s German-fro.
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I still haven’t found a way to get past Frank Rijkaard doing that. It’s been twenty four years and I’m still pissed about it.
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I agree with Gains.
Give me 10 Arteta’s and a GK and I’ll win you the league.
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Thanks Fins. Stoke net spend betw 08-13 was 109 million. Pulis took Coates the owner for a ride. The Stokies at the end were not impressed by this profligacy and their declining position in the table. I can see why Parish wanted to keep TP away from the Crystal Palace check book.
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Pulis took Coates “for a ride” Shotts !
Very good that.
Which bit of the ride are you referring though ?
The ride from a side who finished 13th in the Championship and had not been in the top Division for more than 20 years when he was given the job, to promotion and a steady place in the top flight since 2008 ? FA Cup final anyone – the first time ever for the club ?
Any suggestion Stoke were or are in financial difficulties ? I never heard any. Best bit of business Coates or any Stoke Chairman had done since the 70s appointing Pulis.
Bit like his houdini act at Palace last season. As you say though, the Palace board have seized control of the cheque book, lets see how they get on. Bold move, very bold.
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It seems BFG has announced his retirement from International Football. Can only be good news for AFC
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First Pulis commits seppuku then Ross Barkley injures his knee in training and will miss our visit to Goodison
Clearly sacrificing Piers Morgan to the Gods has earned a little good fortune
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Can’t be that, anic. From what I heard the Gods turned down the offer.
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Ross Barkley getting injured means Jack and the Ox will play in the next few internationals in September. I’d rather the hype would have stayed on the Everton man than on our players, given how we have CL football and all.
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I am with Gains and PG too.
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Hey layksite those guys are world class not only due to technical ability but their winning psychology also. By warrior i dont mean some brutal monster but the kind player that you know will perform when it matters the most and deliver.
Busquets now belongs in the neat and tidy category. When you have xavi iniesta messi who never lose ball the job becomes easier.
G69 3.34 are you suggesting zidanne was not a big personality?
4.04 man city does not have the weight of the jersey to do better in europe. We only nearly beat bayern two years ago when they were obviously complacent after scoring 3 in our ground and we caused heynckes to scream and suffer potential cardiacs in the last minutes. In a winner takes all contest i doubt arteta can scare cl and wc winners. Now as for your ignorance on important sporting matters as players personalities/character what can i say…do you not even know that when the pressure is on its the one with the heart and soul of champion that gets the result ? I wonder how you consider yourself qualified to talk sports at all when you lack basic fundamental understanding of what it takes to compete and win at champion level, let alone correct me…..
..(??)..
No george not ten mikels…ten aarons …
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“. Now as for your ignorance on important sporting matters ”
Its getting tiresome Hunter, It really is.
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“Tiresome”
Formidably polite tonight PG
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I agree george. Very tiresome talking with a guy who disregards the factor of character in sports and wants to lecture about football
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Never mind Mikel’s stats or the way we’ve tightened up defensively since his arrival. Because, damn it, we need character or whatever the fuck that means.
We almost beat Bayern last season, Hunty. Remember? We made it past the group of death, past Fenerbahce, were top of the league most of the season. How do you forget all this and fall back on something as esoteric as character in order to slag our captain?
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Arsene says the team is ambitious and they have a good spirit in the dressing room. I think that’s because Santi got a piggy back ride from Per and told the players what’s what. It has nothing, and I repeat, nothing to do with Mikel Arteta.
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its because people forget the line beteewn 1st and second is very fine. 2008, last year and probably a couple of others wwasnt about character it was simply injuries, even old red nose aknowledged that.
By the way ARSENAL are playing today …whaahooooooo!
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Gainsborough shut up. In high pressure games its the characters that win. Not the timid and naive.
We did not almost beat bayern. We had a magnificent opportunity to own them but ozil missed the penalty and we lost momentum.
We were top of the league without arteta and when ramsey got injured plus ozil losing some form it was arteta who was asked to hold the fort. He was awful. Nonexistent against liverpool chelsea and got bullied by a 17 year old barkley.
Fenerbahce is not some dortmund in disguise…..
And with all due respect dont comment too much…football not one of your strong areas mate….you can go win cl titles with djourou and arteta all you want….just be careful you dont hurt yourself when you fall from the bed
Slag our captain? …. lol…. so talking honestly is slagging now? Heh you should have met me when comparing the arsenal before and after wenger … oh you would love my ‘slagging’ then ….
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Check all sports all champions and great players and see what they have in common.
What esoteric nonsense are you talking about? Michael jordan had to beat the fkn lakers of magic johnson and divac, the pistons, he won three…went to play baseball … came back and won 3 more…
you reckon he did that because of talent or because of a winning dominating personality?
Was stckton not a great point guard? Was malone not the best powrr forward at the time? Did they win anything? No they didnt…but stockton had the chance to win it for utah but lost the free shots……..nerves..anxiety..fear…..
you came last night to have a pop on my comment about personalities. You are wrong to think you can do that. Personality matters a lot. It seperates men from boys.winners from losers.
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And since you want to use fancy terms as esoteric….lol…tell us smart arse…where will the player dig in to find the strength to win. Will he not dig in his soul/character/personality?…. cant believe im having to explain this..what are you? 7 years old?
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You know what is ridiculous my friend? To expect someone without the know-how and experience to go beat cl and wc winners. You slag players who have achieved things, players who have been there and know what it takes. You are banking on the one off holywood style scenario, which could work by all means, (liverpool fluked it with smicer baros …and…dudek ..lol) but dont fucking tell me personality does not matter in sports.. you lose credit and you give me the right to consider you a fool… dont do that…
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Schweinsteiger comes out with a knife between his teeth. Sees the trophy at stake and his eyes say ‘ i want that’ and arteta will look like a scared pussycat and youre telling me that personality does not matter…. lol…
esoteric huh? Where will arteta dig in to beat,say, a shcweinsteiger? Will he use his past glories at everton and rangers for inspiration i wonder…?
A player wenger bought as stop gap aged 29 for 10m to limit the loss of cesc in central mid until he finds/develops/buys something better? Wenger got a seasoned pro and a good lad for the 3-4 years it will take till the ram theo jack take the mantle and hopefully by that time he unearths one or buys one better. Till then arteta will do just fine….just dont expect to win major trophies…unless ramsey carries us all the way.
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Aob the line is thin , granted, but it requires character/balls to cross that line.
Whether that line comes at a semi or a final or the last 3 games of the season it does not matter. It will come. I just want a personality that wont get stage fear. Arteta does not know these stages to feel comfortable in them. This is not slagging him this is being realistic. I can not demand that arteta and chesney land the big one. I can only hope….. and hoping is not as strong as knowing. Hope carries doubts while knowledge carries certainties. All this off course is borne out of my disgust of watching other teams stealing our destiny and trophies. I want bad ass players to take revenge for wenger and arsenal and all weve been through. I want warrior machines ala ramsey vieira not selfies and kittens. I want players whose eyes say ‘i will beat you all tonight whoever you are’
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Hunter while I understand what your saying about character medals in your pocket is not a measurement. Remember we were the first to beat Bayern in thier own back yard and you can show character in defeat as well. Would you say spider O’leary had no charater until he won the league at the end of his career. Stevie ” going to get you” Williams had a balls to spare but wasnt rewarded with many gongs. History has taught us that often the first trophy is the hardest to win and so the teams nerves in difficult situations should disapear. Szcz, Per, Aaron and Giroud are alll fighters so if Arts intelligence is his greatest asset i’m happy with that.
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Arteta is a real leader on the pitch, a calming influence and one who is as passionate about winning as the most ardent Arsenal fan. One cannot heap the blame on Arteta for our heavy defeats. No player can suddenly become a one man super human defense when exposed to 2-3 runners. Lets say we build a science fiction hybird of a defensive midfielder who has the strength and power of Viera, the pace of Walcott, the reflexes of Szczesny and the game reading capacity of Mertesacker, he still cannot be a one man defense while all the other players can roam around the pitch without a care in the world. We defend as a team and attack as a team. When we play as an unit, we are unplayable. Wenger trusts Arteta in the important matches just like he trusts Rosicky. Wenger’s judgement is good enough for me.
The problem of our heavy defeats have to addressed and I am sure Wenger is looking at it. I believe that, the change in mentality from feeling like underdogs to being the alpha dog every other team dreads the visit of is the final stage in the evolution of this team . We should also keep our focus and hungry mentality and make sure we replicate our form against teams lower than us.
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Aob we beat them cause they were complacent / feeling at ease while we went there focused to do a job. Their players didnt really take us seriously as their manager. Players do that sometimes. Disregard the coach words for urgency. They gave us space and the ball and we made them sweat. Aaron is definitily a fighter. Giroud is a lad who will give everything but what i need at that level is the 2-3 chances i get to make them count. Giroud seems to have put his model adventures in the past plus he is now at the right age to do something. Scesney is still raw and arteta, for me at least, a lightweight.
sensational…has wenger told you that he aims to win cl and epl with arteta? All i see is
‘We are confident, lets show our ambition’. This is code talk for ‘ lets try our best and maybe steal epl title under peoples noses and do better in the cl’. Wenger is not clueless. Wenger sees ten years ahead. You think he does not know or admit privately that it will take something monumental if we are to beat madrids and such for the cl? The point is whether we accomplish it by the skin of our teeth or if we enter the final score 3 goals and go TAKE THE TROPHY….not hope for it. With artetas and chesney you are hoping for them….with neuers and schweinsteigers you know you can win it and it only matters about which personalities ‘talk’ louder
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