Football Food For Thought / Mike Norman / 25 April 2008 /

"Mystical" Mike Norman praises Arsene Wenger's "buy young" policy but thinks it's time to bring in some experience to complement the precocious talents of the likes of Theo Walcott

One of the unfortunate aspects about sport is that losers seldom get remembered. Unless you do something really stupid, like throw away a three shot lead in the Open with one hole to play or nickname yourself 'Eagle' while pretending to ski jump, then it's only the winners that people are interested in.

Take this football season for example, and take Arsenal as a prime example. In a few weeks time it will be whichever team that wins the Premiership, FA Cup, and Champions League that will be heralded for their success before going down in the history books as winners. Very little will be said about how Arsenal contributed to a marvellous season with some breathtaking football of their own. We all know that they fell at the final hurdle, but that shouldn't detract from how brilliant they played at times, and more importantly, how bright the future looks for Arsene Wenger's Gunners.

To sample some of Arsenal's brilliance, view this footage; https://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=WWbbI-UeSUI (the music's not too bad either).

The overwhelming reason as to why Arsenal failed to go the distance was the lack of strength in depth within their squad, and how this was exploited when players were unavailable to play. Not bringing a few players in (and letting Diarra go) during the January transfer window was a mistake by Wenger, but you get the feeling that this was because Arsenal were actually ahead of schedule in the post Vieira/Bergkamp/Henry rebuilding plan.

Despite myself and many others thinking that the Gunners could go on and win the title, I just wonder if Mr. Wenger knew his squad wasn't ready, and he didn't want to derail his longer term plan by signing players in January that he'd previously had no intentions of signing. What do you think?

Unquestionably, Arsene Wenger is one of the shrewdest managers around when it comes to signing players. He is well known for his 'buy young' policy and moulding together a team of entertainers. He has signed some of the best players in world football during his time at Arsenal, but unlike some managers, he signed them before they were regarded as world class - Patrick Vieira was only 20, while Thierry Henry was only 21 to give you two quick examples. I don't have a problem with what Wenger does - just look at his current squad to see that his policy of buying young clearly works (Toure, Fabregas, Flamini, Walcott, Van Persie & Clichy were all signed incredibly young and have become integral to Arsenal) - but I would certainly like to see him invest in some experienced older players during the summer.

One area where I think Wenger needs to invest is at the heart of the defence. Kolo Toure is a fine player and will be around for a long time, but I'm not too convinced about either William Gallas or Philippe Senderos. Yes Gallas has class, but his attitude doesn't seem to be what it should be - perhaps taking away the captaincy from him may be of some benefit.

It might sound stupid to suggest that at the other end of the pitch Arsenal need to invest in a forward, but although they have five quality players who can play up front, only Eduardo, Adebayor and Bendtner are best at playing as out-and-out strikers. I personally believe Bendtner is not good enough, while there is always the uncertainty as to whether Eduardo will come back the same player after his horrific injury. Van Persie and Walcott, although capable of playing up top, are much better at playing from deeper so they can utilise their excellent passing and dribbling skills. Walcott is developing into an outstanding player, and he could well be one of Wenger's star men next season.

There aren't many betting opportunities left when it comes to Arsenal this season, but one that certainly catches the eye is the [4.0] about them finishing in the top two of the Premiership. Considering that Chelsea have to play Man Utd before travelling to a rejuvenated Newcastle, Arsenal could well finish as runners-up if they can dispose of Derby and Sunderland away, and Everton at home. If you think Chelsea will hold on to second spot, then you can have [1.3] about them doing so. To win the Premiership, Man Utd are [1.14] and Chelsea are [7.8].

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