Wenger on the Kids

[jwaldman11]

Yeah, I know this comes from the Sun, but it's a quote and it's not rumor-related or controversial, so it's probably accurate:

There are many young players in the team — and they are the future. Ashley Cole is still young, Jose Reyes is 21, Robin van Persie 21, Philippe Senderos, 20 and Cesc Fabregas just 18. At 2-1 they looked edgy and the lack of experience showed. But there are lots of positives and I’ve seen signs of what this team can become for two months now.

Notice how he mentioned Cole and Reyes first. I doubt he'd do that if he were about to sell either one of them. I also like that Senderos got a mention. His performances as of late has earned him recognition as one of Arsenal's future stars.

[Gunners11]

How old is Ashley Cole, it seems like he has been around for a while.

[phishy]

can you win with youngsters in todays game?

cesc to replace vieira and senderos to replace toure/campbell seems sort of dodgy in the future...
wonder if senderos performance makes wenger feel we dont need a CB in the summer..
i hope not.

[n4100]

O'Leary showed you can win with them at Leeds, but can you win Championships? Probably not, though they do need experience. Who knows, this could be our golden generation like United's with Giggs, Scholes et al.

[jwaldman11]

How old is Ashley Cole, it seems like he has been around for a while.
I thought so too, but he's 24, the same age as me. Geez, he already has 39 caps and I'm still waiting for my first! ;)

[antifan]

Good job on the thread title. :rolleyes:

[jwaldman11]

Good job on the thread title. :rolleyes:
I pretty much define anyone younger than me now as a "kid", though soon that's going to have to stop. The fact that Cole is younger than me by six months really was a bit of a shock.

[Val1]

can you win with youngsters in todays game?

cesc to replace vieira and senderos to replace toure/campbell seems sort of dodgy in the future...
wonder if senderos performance makes wenger feel we dont need a CB in the summer..
i hope not.

What CB is going to want to come here now, when Sol's having a bit of trouble breaking back into the starting lineup? I see Senderos as being the genuine article, even more so than Cesc. I think we'll go back to a Kolo and Sol partnership starting next season, with Senderos off the bench and us never to see Cygan again.

It's still RB that bothers me. Lauren's played better since February (once we were out of the running for the Premiership), but he was crap all fall and his crosses are useless. It seems to me that Cesc may be moving to the right (since he isn't a replacement for Vieira or Gilberto) and we need the width.

I want a RB more than a CB.

[Cannon]

It's still RB that bothers me. Lauren's played better since February (once we were out of the running for the Premiership), but he was crap all fall and his crosses are useless. It seems to me that Cesc may be moving to the right (since he isn't a replacement for Vieira or Gilberto) and we need the width.

I want a RB more than a CB.

I find this post funny especially coming the day after a good performance by Lauren. Why don't you tell me the RBs that you'd like to see us get? I'm sure there is a host of ones on the market that you think are better and cheaper. Do me a favor and tell me all of the left attackers that have owned Lauren over the last couple of seasons. I've got a fine list of ones he has controlled despite all of the complaints on here that he isn't a good RB.

Lauren might not be the strongest RB in defense but he does a fine job, links well with anybody we put in rmid (and has a superb understanding of Ljung's game), and offers width and speed that are a huge part of our attack. He has many fine crosses and often gets into dangerous positions to play one-twos with players on the right side of the box that pulls the other team's defense apart. When the rest of our defense is working right (ie. no Cygan) and our center midfield is doing their job, then Arsenal suffers few significant defensive lapses despite Lauren's involvement in the attack. He was not the fault of our defensive problems earlier this season and he get much too much grief on these boards.

[Miles Brasher]

Lauren might not be the strongest RB in defense but he does a fine job, links well with anybody we put in rmid (and has a superb understanding of Ljung's game), and offers width and speed that are a huge part of our attack. He has many fine crosses and often gets into dangerous positions to play one-twos with players on the right side of the box that pulls the other team's defense apart. When the rest of our defense is working right (ie. no Cygan) and our center midfield is doing their job, then Arsenal suffers few significant defensive lapses despite Lauren's involvement in the attack. He was not the fault of our defensive problems earlier this season and he get much too much grief on these boards.

I'd agree with that, although he does give away a few silly fouls,and he does do the 'waving the imaginary yellow card' which I hate... but apart from that I can't see how we'd improve on him for less than £10 mill. And we've got Hoyte and Toure as cover.

[Miles Brasher]

wonder if senderos performance makes wenger feel we dont need a CB in the summer..
i hope not.

I said this a few weeks ago, but I have to say that with the games that Senderos is putting in, I'm happy with Toure,Campbell and Senderos. I cant see another really decent CB coming to arsenal. It would mean that of the 4 CBs (assuming they're all fit) one wouldn't even get on the bench, and Toure is definitely good enough for the bench...

[michaec]

I said this a few weeks ago, but I have to say that with the games that Senderos is putting in, I'm happy with Toure,Campbell and Senderos. I cant see another really decent CB coming to arsenal. It would mean that of the 4 CBs (assuming they're all fit) one wouldn't even get on the bench, and Toure is definitely good enough for the bench...Toure's ability to play in several positions may unltimately be his weakness in holding down a first-team place. Wenger may see him a a utility player who can fill in at centre-back and full-back as well as having the ability to do a defensive job in midfield in a pinch, therefore making him the perfect substitute and allowing Senderos and Campbell to form a central defensive partnership.

[Val1]

I find this post funny especially coming the day after a good performance by Lauren. Why don't you tell me the RBs that you'd like to see us get? I'm sure there is a host of ones on the market that you think are better and cheaper. Do me a favor and tell me all of the left attackers that have owned Lauren over the last couple of seasons. I've got a fine list of ones he has controlled despite all of the complaints on here that he isn't a good RB.



Well, I did say that he has played much better the past three months, didn't I?

He does get up the wing, but that's because that is in the job description. I didn't see yesterday's Liverpool game, so I can't comment on that, but I just don't find him dangerous as he comes down the wing. And as for linking up with Freddie, well, Freddie's very predictable. It is one of the things I like about him, but Freddie's a dream player to play link and cover with. And as for players/situations getting the best of him, well, there's Huckerby for Norwich in the first game. Ref made the right, gutsy call, but Lauren could very easily have been tossed. Then versus Bolton early part of the season he could have gotten another red. He went missing in the two Man Utd games not tracking back on Rooney's late tap in the first game and last three in the second game came down the left side. He didn't track back for Earnshaw's goal for WBA in the first game.

Who would be better? I don't know. I don't have a TV, so it is work for me to see games and I typically only watch the Premiership. Maybe making another run at Trabelsi?

Here's how I look at the Premiership. Chelsea's setting the standard. We are a very good team, yet we were lapped by a young Chelsea team that has the money to go after an Adriano to solve the one real problem they have, and they weren't injury-free. So, we have to get better, because the Europe thing has apparently bothered Vieira in the past and it may be getting to Cole now. If everything works out with the Ashburton Grove finances and Emirates sponsorship, we are probably two more summers away from serious money. Now Wenger subscribes to the Moneyball approach, so he won't break the bank to risk getting the wrong player. The last three-four years of careful talent spotting is about to pay off, what with Senderos, Cesc, Reyes and van Persie growing into the side. So, how do we compete without stunting their growth?

I've already gone on record as saying I'm ready for Bergkamp to go because I want van Persie to get the chance to start, with Aliadiere, Bentley, Quincy and Lupoli to be in position to get on the bench. Where would you play Cesc? Wenger seems to be giving him the runout at right. If he can handle it, we don't need a right midfield help. Ok, maybe at the left side. Pires is aging and Reyes may slip off to Barca, but that would be against everything Wenger has said thus far. I don't see either of them getting away. So, that leaves center mid. We're losing Edu, so we're left with Gilberto and Vieira, backed up by Flamini and maybe Cesc. What established centre-mids are going to want to come here with the prospect of having to compete with wonderkid Cesc?

Which brings us back to defense. OK, if Cole leaves, we've got to get a LB more than a RB since Clichy seems injury-prone to me. I'd love a new keeper, but Wenger'll wait until the Ashburton money comes in. I think.

So, what do you want to do? Go with last year's lineup to compete next year?